The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-01-13


his favOrite "By George 90 he sub
sided into a chair, and began, fee
bly,:
"HOw-how in"
Ssh Some ones coming"
Miss Armstrong, opening the pariO
door, had to hide her face behind he
handkerchief for a moment ere SD
could advance with requisite gravity
Her two "knights of yesterday" wer
considerably embarrassed, but man
aged to present themselves, their ex
cuses and their umbrellas. -s
"By George !" finished Mr.. Ken
nedy "being on the car, you know
J felt, as might say, interested, yoI
know"
"Pm much obliged to you, I'm
sure"
"And this isn't the umbrella ~
t'I'm sorry to say it isn't"
Mr.. Courtenay rose to go.
~ should have been glad to hav,
returned your umbrelIs," he said po
litely. GAS it is, can only hope i
may be restored"
"As / DO myself, 1 assure you,
Miss Armstrong responded. "No
for the umbrellas sake, but for the
sake OF fifty dollars and some photo
graphic proofs, which were screwed
into the handle"
"Eh By George ~
COnstraint was forgotten in the sud
den surprise created by this state.
ment. Before half an hour had
passed the three were quite at ease to-
gether. They passed from speculation
about the fate of the umbrella to the
weather, and to locality and to sea-
son, 20 amusement and to music.
When they left, it was with the un-
derstanding that there might be fu.
| ture visits.
However, neither of the young gen.
tlemen had his cup of satisfaction full
to the brim, because of the other.
Not sentence did either utter as they
crossed the street. In the upper hall
of the boarding-house at last Mr..
Kennedy broke silence
az say, COurtenay, when did you
see that advertisement ?"
"AbOut eight this morning." was
the Iaconic response, as the one ad-
dressed fImbled with his key.
"And you went down town and"
"I always go down town."
"Gh, pshaw Don't be high and
mighty You went down town and
bought an umbrella Oh, no, no,
no :" And Mr.. Kennedy's voice
grew fainter as he retired into the
depths of his own dressing-rOom.
Presently he emerged therefrom, apd
shouted across the hall.
"Well, we neither of US won the
cigars. Both got introduced the same
minute, by George (! Let's go halves
on a box"
San right,n responded Mr.. Courue-
nay, and shut his door, soIilOquizing,
as he strolled to the front window and
gazed Oh the house opposite.
fAs if cared for cigars ~
1t was noticeable after this that the
young gentleman both cared very
much for two things. They cared for
their front window, and they cared
more yet for the owner of the lost
umbrella, the lady Of No. S.
The umbrella was not returned. 1t
became thing of the past. Wheth-
er or not Miss Armstrong had the
light silk dress is uncertain, but TAX
ing into consideration the number Of
entertainments she attended, first
with Mr.. Kennedy, then with Mr..
Courtenay, and so on, it is safe to as
sumo that she did. And the winter
wore away.
Now the state of feeling between
Miss Armstrong; two cavaliers was
anything but cordial. TO say that
they avoided each other is mild de-
seription. They insisted on being
apart. Instead of having a social
cigar together, they, whenever they
spent an evening in, sat apart in
moody unapproacbability. Toward
spring matters grew still worse, and
| Mr.. Kennedy became obliTious OF his
former friends existence. He, more
over, ceased going to No. s entirely,
and, to Mr.. Courtenay's amazement,
appeared to have made up his mind
| to a course of dissipation. Probably
this did not agree with his health, for
toward the middle of March he be-
came invisible for several days, and it
was reported that he was ill. Con-
finement and solitude are terrible
Affections to volatile persons. So it
happened that, one windy March
evening, neuralgia and lonesomeness
conquered pride, and he sent mes
sage to know If Courtenay would
'Scome over" .-.-r-
Courtenay had no engagement and
no objection. He was really shocked
at the change in his friends appear
anee, and was so cordially sorry for
him that Mr.. Kennedy reserve utter
ly relaxed.
'You're good fellow. Courtenay ;
but it isn't neuralgia altogether that
is using me up. There are things
worse than neuralgia, by George !"
His bearer replied, 'fOf course-of
course, there are"
t'There's nothing" resumed the in
valid-"nothing in the world, and
hope nothing in the next, so bad as
women! :"
"Women," echoed his surprised
companion.
'They're the coldest- the by
George L never saw woman that
had a heart. Did you ?''
Mr.. CourtenSy wondered 7ividly
whether the lady across the street
possessed one; but he only said vague
ga rather strong statement"
Mr.. Kennedy nodded grimly.
"You"n come to my conclusion
you're on the way to it now. You
have been ever since that confounded
umbrella matter. say, old fellow
I've q great mind to save you, as the
preachers say, from yourself. Eh q
81 don't follow you. But go ahead,
by all means.n
ga month ago." resumed Mr.. Ken
nedy, solemnly-'just q month to
hight-I went over to No. to make !
call. Frankly, went for more thar
that-to make s declaration ; and
had every reason to think I'd be &C
cepted, if smiles and bushes and al
that are signs. Miss Armstrong wa;
alone, and was playing some senti
mental thing or other on the piano
and, by George J how sentimental
felt myself 1t makes me sick now
to think OF it. We went into th'
conservatory to look st the stars, anC
1 then and there made fool of my
self, and made a declaration at thu
same time. 1 was standing in |
draught staring at the sky-I know
that's the way / got this neuralgia
and when 1 had finished, and stood
there feeling that life or death depend
ed on her answer, what do you thinf
she said ?"
! Mr.. Courtenay responded, in strange
. ly muffisd tones, that he hadn't al
, idea.
i'Giye guess p'
al can't. Go ahead.u
s'She said, and / could have swarl
she was laughing, why, Mr.. Ken
nedy, don't you know I have made /
vow? Pm going to marry some one.
1 gasped out, IWho p The person
who returned my umbrella Con
found umbrellas ln finished Mr.. Ken
nedy, savagely kicking the table leg
Mr., Courtenay's face, surrounded b.
wreaths of tobacco smoke, was yer,