Omaha daily bee., 1874-04-30

"There amt one of them gals ea
you've named, Jimmy, ez could dc
what you've done with a whole
NOah's ark of relations at theil
backs, Thar amt one eZ wouldn't
sacrifice her nearest relation to make
the strike that you hev. Ez 10
mothers, may be, my dear, your
dOin' better without one" He rose
suddenly and walked toward the
door. When he reached IL ne
turned, and, in his old deprecating
manner. said: sDOn't be long,
Jinny,u smiled and vanished from
head downward, his canvass slippers
asserting themselves resolutely 10
the last.
When McClosky reached his par
Ior again his troublesome guest was
not there. The decanter stood on
the table untouched, three or four
books lay upon the floor, a number
of Photographic views of the Sierras
were scattered over the sofa; two
sofa pillows, a newspaper and a
Mexican blanket lay on the carpet
as if the late occupant of the room
had tried to read i'm a recumbent
position. A French window open
ing upon a veranda, which never
before i'm the history of the house
had been unfastened, now betrayed
by its waving lace curtain the
way that the fugitive had
escaped. Mr.. McClosky heaved
a sigh of despair; he looked at
the gorgeous carpet purchased in
Sacramento at a fabulous price, at
the crimson satin and rosewood
furniture unparalleled in the his
tory of Tuolumne, at the massively
framed pictures on the walls, and
looked beyond it, through the open
window, to the reckless man who,
fleeing these sybaritic allurements,
was smoking a cigar upon themoon-
Lit road. This room, which had so
often awed the youth of Tuolumne
into filial respect, was evidently a
failure. 1t remained to be seen if
the Rose herself had lost her fra
GRANGE. II reckon jimmy will fetcn
him yet" said Mr.. McClosky, with
parental faith.
He stepped from the window up
on the veranda. But he had
scarcely done this before his figure
was detected by the stranger, who
at once crossed the road. When
within a few feet of blcClosky he
stopped. "You persistent old planti-
grade" he said, in a low voice,
audible only to the person addressed,
and a face full of affected anxiety,
"why don't YOU go to bed. Didn't
i tell you to go and leave me here
alone. In the name of all that idi-
otto and imbecile, why do you con
tinue to shuttle about here. Or are
you trying to drive me crazy with
your presence, as you have with
that wretched music-boX that Fve
just dropped under yonder tree 81? It's
an hour and a half yet before the
stage passes; do you think, do you
imagine fof single moment, that
/ can tolerate you until then-eh?
Why don't you speak? Are you
asleep? You don't mean TO say
that you have the audacity TO add
somnambulism to your other weak
nesses; you're not low enough to re-
peat yourself under any such weak
preteXt as that-eh ?"
A fit Of neryOus coughing ended
extraordinary eXordium, and
half sitting, half leaning against the
veranda, Mr.. McClosky's guest
his face and part of a slight
elegant figure toward his host. The
lower portion of this upturned face
an habitual expression of fas-
tidious discomfort, With an OCCASION
line of physical suffering. But
the brow above was frank and crit
zeal, and a pair of dark mirthful
eyes sat in playful judgement over
the supersensitive mouth and its
suggestion.
Il allowed to go to bed, Ridge
way" said Mr.. MoCloskey, meekly
.sbut my girl Jinny's just got back
from a little tear up at Robinson's,
and amt inclined to turn in yet.
You know what girls is. So l
thought we three would jist have
social chat together to pass away
the time"
"You mendacious old hypocrite,
she got back an hour ago." said
Ridgeway, "as that savage-looking
escort of hers, who has been haunt
ing the house ever since, can testify.
My belief Is, that, like al e%nterpris-
ing idiot, as you are, you've dragged
that girl out of her bed that We
might mutually bore each other"
Mr.. McClosky was too much
stunned by this evidence of Ridge
ways apparently superhuman PEN
etration to reply. After enjoying
his hosts confusion for a moment
with his eyes, R~idgeway's mouth
asked grimly:
"And who is this girl, anyway? ?"
"Nancy's."
"Your wife's ?"
"Yes. But look var Ridgeway,"
said McClosky, laying one hand i'm
ploringly on Ridgeway's sleeve,
mot q word about her to Jimmy.
She thinks her mothers dead-died
in Missouri. Eh?"
Ridgeway nearly called from the
veranda in an excess of rage, "Good
God! Do you mean to say that you