The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-05-05

a
threshold Of that dwelling described by the
-Four Forks Sentinel a. ''the palstial resi-
dence OF John Ashe,n and known to the
local satirist as the sash box.n "Heyin, to
lay py TWO hours. John" be said to his pro-
the door, "a few words of social converse.
not on business, but strictly private, seems TO
De about as nat'ral thing as man can do.D
ms Introduction, evidently the result of
some SON s study and plainly committed to mem
DRY, seemed so satisfactory to Mr.. McClosky
that he repeated it again, after John Ashe
had led him into his private Office where.
depositing his vslise in the middle of the
floor and sitting down before It, he began
! Ashe, 3 tall, dark, handsome Kentuckian-
with whom even the trifies OF life were evil
IDENTIFY full of serious import-waited with a
kind OF chivalrous respect the further
speech OF his guest. Being utterly devoid
of any sense of the ridiculous, he always
| accepted Mr.. McColsky as a grave fact, sim
gular only from his own want of experience
1 of the class .-t 81 - -
Sores is running light now" said Mr.
McClosky, with easy indifference.
| John Ashe returned that he had noticed
the same fact in the receipts of the mill at
Four Forks.
Mr.. McClosky rubbed his beard and
looked at his vslise, as If for sympathy and
| suggestion. -.s.t =
| "You don't reckon on having any trouble
Jinny9" =
John Ashe. rather hautily, had never
thought of that 81 saw Rance hanging
round your house the other night when /
took your daughter home, but he gave me
wide berth" he added, carelessly.
Surely" said Mr.. McClosky, with pecu-
liar winking of the eye. Alter pause, he
took fresh departure from his valse.
"a few words, ez between man and man,
ez between my daughters father and her
husband who expects to be, is about the
thing take il, as is fair and sqnsre. KEN
here to say them. They're about jimmy, my
gal"
Ashes grave face Frightened, to Mr., Nc
McClosky's evident discomposure
MAYBE 1 should have said about her
mother; but the same bein' stranger to
you, l says, materially, jimmy"
Ashe nodded courteously. Mr.. McClosky,
with his eyes on his vslise, went on:
at Is sixteen years ago as married Mrs.
McClosky in the state OF Missouri. She let
on, at the time, to be a widder-a wilder
with one child. When say let on, L mean
to imply that subsequently found out that
she was not wilder, nor a wife, and the
} father of the child was, so to speak-onbe-
knownst. That child was Jinny-my gal.
, With his eyes on his valise, and quietly
ignoring the wholly-crimsoned face and
swiftly -darkening brow OF his host, he con-
tinued:
I "Many little things sorter tended to make
: our home in Missouri unpleasant. dispo-
sition to smash furniture and heave knives
around, an inclination to howl when drunk,
} and that frequent; habitooal use of vulgar
, language, and tendency to cuss the casooal
visitor, seemed to pint" added Mr.. McClos-
? ky with submissive Observation-Disclosures
! was-so to speak-quite onsuted to the
) marriage relation in its hottest aspeck."
, Domination! Why didn't" burst out
} John Ashe, erect and furious.
AT the end of two years, continuedMr.
; McClosky, still intent on the valise, 81 al
} lowed I'D get divorce. Et about tibet
, time, however, Providence sends a circus
3 into thet town and a Teller ez rode three
} HOSES to onct. Hevin' allez a taste for
D athletic SPORTS she left town with this teller,
leavin' me and jimmy behind. [ sent word
to her tibet if she would give jimmy to me
3 we'd call 1t quits. And she did,"
! "Tell me- 'gasped Ashe, "did you ask
your daughter to keep this from me- or did
she do it of her own accord?"
} "She doesn't know it," said Mr.. MeClos-
, ky; "she thinks Pm her father, and that her
mothers dead"
] 81 don't know" said Mr.. McClosky slow
1 ly, "ez I've asked any one to marry my
jimmy. dent know ez I've persood that
ez sbiziness, or even taken it up as health
full recreation"
John Ashe paced the room furiously. Mr..
McClosky's eyes left the yslise and followed
a him curiously "Where is this woman?" de-
t manded Ashe, suddenly. McClosky's eyes
SOugnt the VailSo again.
r "She went to Kansas; from Kansas she
s went into Texas. From Texas she eventoo-
2 ally came to Californy. Being here, I've
{ purvided her with mOney-when her bust
: ness was slack-through friend"
Q John Ashe groaned. "She's getting rather
o old and shaky for hosses and now does the
g tight-rope business and flying trapeze. Never
o hevin' seen her perform" continued Mr..
s McClosky. with conscientious caution, al
3 can't say bow she gets on. On the bills she
n looks well. Thar is poster" said Mr..
p McClosky, glancing at Ashe, and opening
Q his valise, thar is poster givin' her per-
!. Torrance at Marysville next month" Mr..
d McClosky slowly unfolded large yellow
! and blue printed poster; profusely illustra-
ted. "She calls herself 'Mams'elle s. Mig
i lawski-the great Russian Trapeziste.'"
: John Ashe tore it from his hand. "Of
9 course" he said, suddenly facing Mr.. Me-
: McClosky,. "you don't expect me to 60 on
: with this?n
(? Mr.. McClosky picked up the poster, care.
g fully refolded it and returned it to his valise.
: when you break off with jimmy" he said
9 quietly, II don't want anything said bout
Q this. She doesn't know it. She's woman
: and reckon you're white man,"
bas B1 at what x am to sayf How am to go
: "Write her a note. Say something hez
: come to your knowledge-don't say what
l that makes you break IL OFF. You needn't
= be afeerd Jinny'l ever ask you what"
1, John Ashe hesitated. He felt he had been
cruelty wronged. No gentleman-no Ashe
? could go no further in this affair. It was pre-
posterous to think of it. But somehow he
felt at the moment very unlike a gentleman
7 or an Ashe, and was quite sure he should
} break down under Jenny's steady eyes,
!. But then-he could write to her.
! $50 ores is about as light here as on the
( Ridge. Well, reckon they'll come up be-
r fore the rains. Good night" Mr.. McCIosky
8 took the hand that his host mechanically
I extended, shook it gravely, and was gone.
> When Mr.. McCosky, week later, stepped
. again upon his own veranda, he saw through
the French window the figure of man in
! his parlor. Under his hospitsble roof the
, | sight MAG mt t,nusual INIT for an instant a