The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-10-17

terrupting familiar conversation wa
addressed to the interdicted "man a
the Wheel"
Hitherto 1 had contented myself will
the fascination of his presence from afar
wisely, perhaps, deeming it dangerou
to true picturesque perspective to alte
my distance, and perhaps, like the bes
of us, I fear, preferring to keep my owl
idea of him rather than to run the risl
of altering it by closer acquaintance
But one day when I was lounging by tn,
stern rail, idly watching the dogget
ostentaticn of the screw, that had beer
steadily intimating, after the fashion o
screws, that it was the only thing in th,
ship with persistent purpose, the
ominous shadow of the slouched bat anC
the trailing duster fell upon me. There
was nothing to do but accept it meekly
Indeed my theory of the man made mt
helpless.
al didn't know till yesterday who
you be-" he began deliberately, "or
shouldn't have been 30 onsocial. BuI
I've always told my darter that in per
miskiss trav'lin a man oughter to be
keerful of who he meets. I've read
some of your writins-read 'em in pa
per in Iniianny, but I never reckoned
I'd n pet ye. Things is queer, and trav'
lin brings all sorter people together.
My darter Loueze suspected ye from the
first, and she worried over it, and kinder
put me up to this"
The most delicate fattery could not
have done more. To have been in
the thought of this reserved, gentle girl,
who scarcely seemed to notice even
those who had paid her attantion, was
"She put me up to it," he continued,
calmly, "though she has kind O. preju-
| disc again you and your writins-think-
in them sort O. low down, and the
folks talked about not in her style-and
ye know that's woman's mater, and she
and Miss Montmorris agree on that
point. But thar's few friends with me
round yer ez would like to see ye." He
stepped aside and dozen men appeared
in Indian file from behind the round
house, and with solemnity known
only to the Anglo Saxon nature, shook
my hand deliberately, and then dis.
persed themselves in various serious at
titudes against the ratings. They we're
honest, well-meaning countrymen of
nine, but L could not recall single
face.
There was dead silence ; the screw,
however, ostentatiously went on: You
ace what I told you,' it said. "This
all vapidity and trifing. I'm the
'nly fellow here with purpose. Whiz.
vhlz, whiz chug, chug, chug |"
was about to make some remark of
4 general nature, when I was greatly
relieved to observe my companions
friends detatch Themselves from the
railings, and with a slight bow and an
other shake of the hand, severally retire,
apparently as much relieved as myself.
My companion, who had in the mean.
time acted as if he had discharged him
self of a duty, said. "Thar oilers must
be some one to tend to this kind O.
thing, or thar's no sociableness. I took
deppytation into the cap'n's room yes
terday to make some propositions, and
thar's minister of the gospel aboard as
ought to be spoke to afore next Sunday,
and reckon it's my dooty, onless," he
added with deliberate and formal polite
ness, "you'd prefer to do it, bein', so
to speak, public man,"
But the public man hastily depre-
Gated any interference with the speakers
functions, and, to change the conversa-
there was a party of Cooks tourists on
board, and-were not the preceding
gentlemen of the number? But the
question caused the speaker to lay aside
his hat, take comfortable position on
the deck, against the rail, and drawing
his knees up under his chin, to speak as
follows:
"Speaking O. Cook and Cooks tour
lists, I'm my own Cook. I reckon I cal
kilate and know every cent that'll spend
twixt Evansville, Injianny, and Rome
and Naples; and everything I'll see"
He paused a moment, and laying his
hand familiarly on my knee, said (:
"Did I ever tell ye how KEN to go
abroad ?"
As we had never spoken together be.
fore, it was safe to reply thathe had not.
He rubbed his head softly with his hand,
knitted his iron-gray brows, and then
said meditatively: "No it must hev
been that head waiter. He sorter favors
you in the mustache and gen'ral get up.
1 guess it was him spoke to-"
thought it must have been.
"Well, then, this is the way il KEN
about. was sittin' one night, about
three months ago, with my darter Loueze
my wife bein' dead some four year
and 1 was reading to her out of the
paper about the Exposition. She sez to
me, quiet like-she's quiet sort O. gal
if you ever notissed her-'I should like
to go thar looks at her-it was the
first time sense her mother died that
that gal had ever asked for anythin', or
had, SO to speak, wish. It wasn't her
way. She took verything ez it KEN,
and, durn my skin eff l ever could tell
whether she ever wanted it to KEN in
any other way. 1 never told ye this
afore, did n"
"No," said hastily. "Go on"
He felt his knees for a moment, and
then drew long breath. "Perhaps,"
he began deliberately, "ye don't know
that I'm poor man. Seein' me here
among these rich folks, goin' abroad to
Paree with the best O. them, and Loueze
thar-in the first cabin-a lady, ez she
is-ye wouldn't bleeve it, but I'm poor
l am. Well, sir, when that gal looks up at
me and sez that hadn't but twelve dol.
lars in my pocket, and 1 amt the burned
fool that l LOOKOUT suthin' in me
suthin, you know, a way back in me-
sez you shall Loo-ey, you shall and
then sez-repeatin' it, and looking up
right in her eyes You shall go. Loo. ey'
did you ever look in my gals eyes?5
] parried that somewhat direct ques-
tion by another: "But the twelve dol
lars-how did you increase that ?"