Humorous stories; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Private secretaries -- Fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- United States -- Fiction
"Say," he asks, "do--do they ever put live ones in there?"
"Never heard of it's being done," says I. "Why?"
"Because," says he, "there's one in this window right now."
"You don't say?" says I. "Are you sure?"
"Step around front and I'll point her out," says he. "Now, right over in
that far--Why--why, say! She's gone!"
"Oh, come!" says I. "You've been seein' things, ain't you? Or maybe it
was only one of the salesladies in rearrangin' the display."
"No, no," says Crosby emphatic. "I tell you I had been watching her for
several minutes before I saw you, and she never moved except for a
flutter of the eyelids. She was standing back to, facing that mirror, so
I could see her face quite plainly. More than that, she could see me. Of
course, I wasn't quite sure, with all those others around. That's why I
spoke to you. I wanted to see what you'd say about her. And now she's
disappeared."
"Uh-huh!" says I. "Most likely, too, she was hauled head first through
that door in the back and if you stick around long enough maybe you'll
see her shoved in again, with a different dress on. Say, Mr. Rhodes, no
wonder you're skirt-shy if you never looked 'em over close enough not to
know the dummies from the live ones. Believe me, there's a lot of
difference."
But the josh don't seem to get him at all. He's still gawpin' puzzled
through the plate glass. Finally he goes on: "If this was the first
time, I might think you were right. But it isn't. I--I've seen her
before; several times, in fact."
"As bad as that, eh?" says I. "Then if I was you I'd look up a doctor."
"Now listen," says he. "I don't want you to think I'm foolish in the
head. I'm giving you this straight. Only you haven't heard it all yet.
You see, I've been walking past here nearly every day since I've been in
town--almost three weeks--and at about this time, between twelve-thirty
and one, getting up a luncheon appetite. And about ten days ago I got a
glimpse of this face in the mirror. Somehow I was sure it was a face I'd
seen before, a face I'd been kind of day dreaming about for a year or
more. Yes, I know that may sound kind of batty, but it's a fact. Out in
the big woods you have time for such things. Anyway, when I saw that
reflection it seemed very familiar to me. So the next day I stopped and
took a good look. She was there. And I was certain she was no dummy. I
could see her breathe. She was watching me in the glass, too. It's been
the same every time I've been past."
"Well," says I, "what then?"
"Why," says he, "whether it's someone I've known or not, I want to find
out who she is and how I can meet her for--for--Well, she's the girl."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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