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as we neared the place the girl asked
him to step across the street and a
few doors away from the restaurant. As
the cab slowed down she jumped out
and ran, as if frightened  toward the
corner. Just after she had disappeared from
view around it a great commotion arose,
people shouting and running toward the
corner. I stayed in the cab, and the driver
went slowly past, trying to see what the
excitement was about. All we could see
was a crowd gathered on the pavement and
naturally I wanted to get away- So I went 
back to the hotel.
 The ending of that sordid little pickup
had always puzzled me- Why did the girl fear
to stop in front of the restaurant when she
had so readily allowed me to pick her up
there? Why did she jump from the moving
cab and run? If she had picked my pockets
it would have been understandable but I
lost no valuables. And what happened to
her around the corner? I never saw her
again, and am glad that we had no more
intimate dealings than we did. She was a
hard-faced girl with a peculiarly grating and
disagreeable voice. There was nothing attraction
about her except a passable figure. and I 
have rarely been as lonely or reckless as to
make advances to a woman so unattractive.
   I had while teaching at Carthage kept
a desultory sort of diary and made
occasionally entries at New York. The
earlier portion I long ago destroyed. Under
date of August 29th , 1917, I find
   "Have been in New York since last Saturday
collecting equipment and waiting for orders
The first is just about finished. Today we
went over to Governor's Island to draw our