Located in the checkroom in Union Station, I see everybody that comes up the stairs.
Harry came in a little over three years ago and waited at the head of the stairs for the passengers from the 9:05 train. He was a thin, anxious kid, all dressed up to meet his girl, May. They planned to marry shortly after her arrival.
The passengers came, but May did not. She wasn't on the 9:18, the 9:40, or the 10:02. Harry grew desperate. He described her to me: small, dark, nineteen, with a neat walk and eyebrows that came to a little point in the middle. He showed me a telegram: "ARRIVE THURSDAY. MEET ME STATION. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. MAY." from Omaha.
He had no address for her in town. The next day, he was still there. He discovered she had left her typing job to "get married." For days, he met every train. The police checked, but most assumed May had played a trick. I never believed that.
After two weeks, I told Harry, "If you wait long enough, you'll see her coming up those stairs someday."
The next day, Harry was working behind the counter of Tony's magazine stand. "I had to get a job somewhere," he said sheepishly. We never spoke of May again, but I noticed he watched everyone on the stairs.
Later, Harry took over the stand, then bought it, building a nice little business.
Then came yesterday. I heard a cry and things falling. Harry had jumped over the counter, upsetting merchandise, and ran to grab a girl. She was small, dark, with eyebrows that came to a little point.
They clung to each other, laughing and crying. She explained, "It was the bus station I meant" in her telegram. She had waited at the bus station for days, spent all her money searching, and finally took a typing job in the city.
"What?" said Harry. "Have you been working in town? All the time?"
She nodded.
"Heavens. Didn't you ever come down here to the station?" He pointed to his magazine stand. "I've been there all the time. I own it. I've watched everybody that came up the stairs."
She paled. "I never came up the stairs before. You see, I went out of town yesterday on a short business trip... Oh, Harry!" She threw her arms around his neck and cried.
Then she backed away and pointed stiffly north. "Harry, for three years, for three solid years, I've been right over there... typing, in the office of the stationmaster."