Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-03-14
| TRAMP PRINTERS LOVE STORY
[Scribner for March,

called complete success. He told
me about it, of his own accord, one
restful night as he sat on the bridge
at the foot OF Kansas avenue, listen
ing to the quiver of the cottonwood
foliage, and watching the river slow
ly gather the shadows to its tawny
bosom. He was religiously sober
that night, for a wonder, and felt
that it must have been sume subtle
witchcraft Of the atmosphere, rather
than the few $3.50 remarks we had
Just been exchanging about Phil.
Reade's marriage with the winsome
little singer, Minnie Beals, that so
suddenly drew his eyes away from
the water and cut into the vague per-
spective beyond the oppslte shore,
and sent his thoughts backward with
bound, as itwefc, to the rich days
when every sky was blue to him and
every sound a rapture OF harmony.
"She was a good solemn girl" he
began, "and think her intentions
were honorable all the time, I know,
now, that she was not handsome, for
her eyes we're crossed slightly, and
her cheek bones were high and her
chin had a retiring turn,-the face
didn't Justify you understand,-and
her hair inclined to redness; but she
was as beautiful to me, then, as a
flower, and I loyed her very dearly,
I was holding 'ad.' cases on the 'Quin-
cy Herald In Illinois at the time, and
saving some money every week. I
was excepting to be man Of family,
you know. / had fixed in my own
mind what kind of house we would
have. where we would buy our gro-
ceries, how. the children would look
and what we would name them (there
were to be several of them all girls),
and a hundred other things that I am
ashamed to think OF now. But it
was all very real to me then, / tell
you. Not that ever spoke to Isabel
pretty name wasn't it?-about such
matters. Oh no. We were a very
sensible pair Of lovers, can assure
you, and our courtship was painfully
correct. There was none Of 'yon
orb nonsense about US. We weren't
bit spoony. We didn't turn the
light down, nor hold each others
hands, nor say darling Not any.
Once, only once, I put my arm around
her waist and might have kissed her,
may be, but she looked squareiy
into my face, and said, You forget
and that was all there was to it.
used to wish, sometimes, that she
would be little more demonstrative
-one gets tired Of mere words you
know In takes Of that kind,-bu:
perhaps-perhaps 1t was better as it
was"
He paused and pressed his hands to
his forehead as IL he feared the sweet
memory would slip away from him in
his talk; and I sat waiting for him to
proceed, busying myself meanwhile
with thoughts OF a certain June.
checked Juliet to whom had myself
played Romeo. and whose half forgot
ten image his idyl had strangely re-
stored to me there in the pensive
starlight.
@Well, he continued, directly, @we
were very happy-too happy, Cap
too happy. II there hadn't been
quite so much OF it. 1t would have
lasted longer, probably. The truths,
was so happy that had to do some
thing to tone 1t down,-to loosen the
quoins. you might say,-and / took
to drinking like a fish. I couldn't
have helped 1t to save my life. Per-
haps II she had acted a little warmer
toward me, and could have caress-
ed and kissed her.-been little more
ambroisal, you understand.-it would
have made a difference with me.
But / don't know don't know"
He relapsed into silence again, and
there was only the dull fretting OF
the waters about the pier beneath US
to disturb the stiffness until. utter
several minutes, he resumed-rapid-
ly. now, and with apparent anxiety to
have done with the subject:
"She bore with 1t month after
month. as patiently as a nun; but she
couldn't stand 1t always. Of course,
and she told me. at last, not in anger,
or bluntly. but with firmness, and yet
sadly, I thought. that the time had
come for US to part. 1t would kave
choked me to speak, evea II speaking
could have done any good, which it
couldn't: so simply took her hand,
lie trembled, calm as she was,-and
bowling, went away"
He paused ouce more. and / was
upon the point Of rising. supposing he
had said all he desired to say. but he
motioned to me to remain and went
on talking. after that. lay sick a
long time,-eight weeks they told me,
with some Internal sort Of fever,
and the money had saved went to
the doctors. / pulled through of
course. Men have died, from time
to time, and worms have eaten them,
but not for love- I don't know how
it was, but when got up again my
brain seemed to be kind OF incoher-
ent,-'piled.' you might say,-and I
couldn't get steady work. and finally
they began to whisper around about
sending me to Jacksonville,-that's