The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-05-24
[For the Press
GOdiva's POckethandker'
chief.

one rode through Coventry From her feet
to her hands her appointments were per
feet. Her chestnut brown hair threw lts
curling tassels down over suit OF lighter
shade, her brown hat served as foil TOR the
pheasant's plume erected thereon, her gloves
were No. 6, her boots No. 2. She felt that
she did herself credit and was disposed to
beam on the world generally in consequence.
"TowD' that morning meant some shop
ping, some visits, girl from the intelligence
office for .'Ma,'-a little saunter generally,
for Godiya was unspoiled enough to ENJOY the
window side of pictures and pretty Things
and was not wholly averse TO the profile view
of herself the glass was complalsant enough
to hold up for her amusement. Did say sne
was very pretty? Yes, she was, except When
she cried or had cold in her head, under
which circumstances nobody that ever neafo
of looked well. So this dainty little lady
reached the station without ruf1ing feather
and seating herself in the cars she glanced
about her for subjects for mental discussion,
as Young damsels will. There was the usual
Young woman with the saffron hued baby IN
blue cap with narrow white taste ribbons fall
ing into its eyes-and the two masculiues in at
tendance, one apparently the father and the
other the uncle, each taking turns at holdln9
the baby in the most unnatural posltlon pos
sible, while the mother tied her bonnet strings
winkng progeny. Godiva recalled the wicked
publican as She murmured to herself, II never
did see so many ugly people in my whole life :!
that woman really makes me ache-she is SO
sinfully plain, poor thing! but dare say her
husband dotes on her. Achee! achee her
sentence ended abruptly. Oh! thou base
CONDUCTOR thought she, how could st thou
leave open that door, feeling Immediately her
fate was sealed, as fatal shlver ran over her.
She put her hand in her pocket for Ter hand
kerchief, but her Russia leather pocket book
and a small kew alone showed themselves in
answer. "It isn't possible that have been OH
and forgotten my handkerchief?' CALCULATED
she, the color coming to her cheeks as
hitherto unnoticed pair of blue eyes belonging
to Young man glanced at her from seat
near. "Dear, dear me! what shall do? l
shall have to sniff in spite of good manners"
Here she gave gentle indrawlng OF breath
and held her face close to the window, aD
serbed apparently in the uninVitlng prospect;
but the tickling in her throat, the coming I1gg
drops in her ewes, alb no! betokened cold
already upon her. Godva groaned in spirit,
IF only l was that ugly woman over there,
whom laughed at wish now hadn' land
wore cotton gloves, could give sly pinch to
nv nose, as she does, but-O! what can L do
till / reach town? / feel worse every mo-
ment and must have handkerchief now.
can't wipe my eyes on my dress or my pettl-
coat because / can't get at them nor my
starched linen sleeves-snit, sniff, who ever
heard of lady without a pocket handker-
chief before! Achee achee-ep This very
audible reverberation startled the gentleman
opposite into giving his fair neighbor quick
glance through his eye glasses. Then he pulled
his moustache with perpleXed expression.
What does that girl look at me for wonder?
the glance seemed to say and he took off the
eyeglasses which, O, aggravation! he pro.
ceeded to polish nicely on the whitest OF
handkerchiefs. This was too much for Godl-
vas watering eyes. III" murmured she, Il
thought he was married would ask him to
lend me his handkerchief, declare would
He couldn't think had any design on his
heart if he only knew how felt-O, dear me!
dear me! am wretched being and shall
certainly 90 wild before long. have to keep
nv mouth wide open now, and never can
get through a day in town never" Poor
Goaiva, what avails your fine feathers?
Necessity, they say, knows no law, land Godi,
va was desperate. She rose from her seat and
touched the gentleman gently on his arm
hurrying him to his feet with bow and
look of Eat your service ma'am" which deep
ened into mingled expression of doubt and
amazement as his fair neiehbor held out her
hand and said, "May trouble you to lend
me YOUR handkerchief, sir?" He blushed
very red indeed and so did she, but he gave
her the handkerchief and sat meekly down
again wondering like Chicken Little if the sky
wasn't falling. Godiva had possession which
is nine points in the Law to be sure, but alter
the first satisfaction she could not but be
aware that she had unlawfully possessed her
self of what wasn't hers The click OF the car
wheels would fall into the jingle of, "What
will that young gentleman do-do-if he
should need his handkerchief too-too-hut
perhaps he has another. Some people do
carry two-twop' and rattle it increasingly as
the train flew on; but the final query, "what
will he think of me?' remained unmoved by
any philosophy. She felt the blue eyes
stealthily regarding her with comical look.
At last the train stopped and Godiva got out
and walked away with the pocket-handker-
chief-and the young man got out and walked
away also without any. When one is very
wretched or very anything you don't want
to be, work is the best specific, and so as
shopping is the severest toll woman is ever
known to accomplish and live, Godiva endea-
vored to busy her thoughts and shopped en-
eIgetcally; but there was more frequent
resurrection of them than was agreeable since
every time she used the big cambria she
thought of the young man and blushed. After
she had bought every bargain she could find,
and engaged from the intelligence office
graceful Hibernian with face tied up in a
dingy towel and who submitted perhaps on
that account to the misery OF living with
an Hinglsh cook as "them Hinglsh has orful
tempers Men," Godiva lunched very salts
factoriy to herself and felt her cold dim inish-
ing every moment. Let me leave her eating
strawberry ice, and follow our hero awhile.
He was quite an elegant fellow, blessed with
blonde moustache and an admirable temper,
but his name was Peter Brown. One cannot
have everything in this world SO Peter COM
forted himself by mental sympathy with Ro-
meo and felt as sweet as if he were called
Cesar de Montmorenci. He was fastidiously
delicate in his tastes and woman with cold
in her head was horror to him, so, when he
found himself regarding with interest the
young lady in the cars who had such an evil
dent influenza, he felt he had a new sensa-
ton, and it was wholly novel to have her
march off with his embroidered cambria; bat
Peter was youthful sage and believed pro-
foundly in all women being "temples of