Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-03-16
THE MAN FROM soLANo.


THE MAN FROM S0LAN0.
He came toward me out of an opera
lobby, between the acts-a figure as re-
markable as anything in the performance.
His clothes, no two articles of which
were of the same color, had the appear
ance of having been purchased and put
on only an hour or two before-a fact
more directly established by the clothes
dealers ticket which still adhered to his
coat collar, giving the number, size and
general dimensions of that garment
somewhat obtruslvely to an uninterested
public. His trousers had a straight line
down each leg as if he had been born
fat, but had since developed, and there
was another crease down his back like
those figures children cut out of folded
paper. / may add that there was no
consciousness of this in his face,
which was good-natured, and but for a
certain squareness in the angle of his
lower jaw utterly uninteresting and
commonplace.
"YOu disremember me, he said, brief
ly, as he extended his hand, but I'm
from Solano, in Californy. met you
there in the spring of 81. / was tendin'
sheep and you was burnin' charcoal"
There was not the slightest trace of
any intentional rudeness in the reminder.
1t was simply statement of fact, and
as such to be accepted.
"What hailed ye for was only this, :"
he said, after had shaken hands with
him: I" saw you minnit ago standin'
over in yon box-chirpin' with lady
young lady, peart and pretty. Might
you be telling me her name?"
/ gave him the name of certain noted
belle of neighboring city, who had late
ly stirred the hearts of the metropolis,
and who was especially admired by the
brilliant and fascinating young Dash
board who stood beside me.
The Man from Solano mused for mo-
ment and then said: "Thet's sol thet's
the name. It's the same galP'
"You have met her, then?" asked, in
surprise.
met her about fower months ago. She'd
bin maxim tour of Californy with some
friends, and l first saw her aboard the
cars this side of Reno. She lost her bag
gage checks, and l found them on the
floor, gave 'em back to her, and she
thanked me. / reckon now it would be
about the square thing to go in over thar
and sorter recognize her." He stopped
a moment and looked at us inquiringly.
"My dear sir" struck in the brilliant
and fascinating Dashboard, if your
hesitation proceeds from any doubt of
the propriety of your attire l beg you to
dismiss it from your mind at once. The
tyranny of custom, it is true, compelS
your friend and myself to dress peculiar
ly, but ! assure you nothing could be
finer than the way that the olive greer
of your coat melts in the delicate yellow
of your cravat, or the pearl gray of YOU
trousers blends with the bright blue oi
your waistcoat and lends additional brill
fancy to that massive oroide watch chair
which you wear"
To my surprise, the Man from SolanC
did not strike him. He looked ..at thy
ness, and then said quietly:
"Then / reckon you'd wouldn't mind
showin' me in thar"
Dashboard was, admit, little stag
gered at this. But he recovered him
self, and, bowing ironically, led the way
to the box. followed him and the
Man from Solano.
Now, the belle in question happened
to be a gentlewoman--descended from
gentlewomen-and after Dashboard's
ironical introduction, in which the Man
from Solano was not spared, she com,
pretended the situation instantly. To
DashbOards surprise she drew chair to
her side, made the Man from Solano sit
down, quietly turned her back on Dash,
board, and in full view of the brilliant
audience and the focus of a hundred
lOrgnettes entered into conversation
with him.
Here, for the sake of Romance, |
should like to say he became animated,
and exhibited some trait of excellence
some rare wit or solid sense. But the
fact Us he was duh and stupid to the last
degree. He persisted in keeping the
conversation upon the subject of the lost
baggage checks, and every bright at.
tempt of the lady to divert him failed
signally. AT last, to everybody's relief,
he rose, and, leaning over her chair, said:
- calklate to stop over here some
time, miss, and you and me bein' sorter
strangers here, may be when there's any
show like this goin' on you'll let me"
Miss X. said somewhat hastily that the
multiplicity of her engagements and the
brief limit of her stay in New York she
feared would, ETC., etc. The two other
ladies had their handkerchiefs over their
mouths, and were staring intently on the
stage, when the Man from Solano con-
tinued:
Then, may be, miss, whenever there
is show goin' on that you'll attend, /,
you'll just drop me word to Earle's
Hotel to this yer address, and he pulled
from his pocket a dozen weli.worn
letters, and, taking the buff envelope
from one, handed it to her with some
thing like bow.
Certainly" broke in the facetious
Dashboard. Miss X. goes to the Charity
Ball tomorrow night. The tickets are
but trihe to an opulent Californian and
man OF your evident means, and the
object a worthy one. You will, no
doubt, easily secure an invitation"
Miss X. raised her handsome eyes for
a moment to Dashboard. "By all
means," she said, turning to the Man
from Solano; and as Mr.. Dashboard is
one Of the managers and. you are a
stranger- -he will, of course, send you a
complimentary ticket i have known
Mr.. Dashboard long enough TO know
that he is invariably courteous TO stran.
gers, and gentleman" She settled her.
self in her chair again and fixed her eyes
upon the stage.
The Man from 6olano thanked the Man