, 1880-03-04

makes YOU so moIancholyl :"
"Eh T. sad Mr. Simpkins, starting
from his rcycry. con, nothing. Deu-
ccd tired. Hard day at the office"
Poor old hubby !" said Mrs. s., "I-
/ cot that bonnet to-day, dear"
MIR. Simpkins grunted.
"Would you like to see it 2 queried
his wife, doubtfullN
Acany other time Mr. Simpliins might
have said yes, but now, with the recol
lection of those,cherry ribbons uppermost
in his mind, the inspection Of any other
bonnet would have been torture.
NO" he replied, shortly. 81 don't
know anything about such gewgaws, If
it suits you it will suit me-
Mrs. Simpkins was silent.
81 will 90 to Grace Church next Sun
day" she said to herself, "and have my
revenge" p.UrT Isl. ...
Mr.. Simpkins that night dreamed that
he was in heaven and wasbeing driven
about the streets of the New Jerusalem
in Twenty third street stage by a swift
winged angel, robed in cherry colorcd
ilk.
lie went to his place OF business next
day, still i'm a thoughtful mood. Why
the recollection of that vision should re-
main with him so persistently he did not
know. It gazed up at him from the
pages Of his ledger, and foated before
him in the smoke of his cigar. When
at last he left the Office and started
home again, it accompanied him up
Broadway Ha turned into fUnion
Square and nearly reached University
Place, when he Suddenly came to'a halt.
BY all the gods of Greece it was she
.s She stood with her back toward him.
waiting for a Broadway car. Those
Hebe like shoulders, the cherry ribbons.
|. He could not be mistaken, Mr.. Simp-
kins stood still dozen yards behind.
Tha car came and stopped. The lady
picked her way daintily to it oyer the
muddy crossing. Again the snowy ruff
!. fes and that enhancing ankle. Mr..
Simpkins, followed and took his stand on
the front platform, crowded as it was.
He did not see into the car, but by
nearly dislocating his neck, and several
tines losing his footing he managed to
SEQ. every passenger as he or she got OIL,
On went the car past Seventeenth street,
past Fwenty-third, past Thirtieth street.
1t seemed to the eager Mr.. Simpkins
that she never would get of.
As he went, Mr.. Simpkins busted
himself with a. thousand vain conjec-
lures Who was she} OF what nation
alityl Was she beautifull He had not
seen her face, but the possessor of such
figure, he argued, could not be otherwise
than beautiful in feature Young Yes,
she was surely young and patrician,
too. Noplebeian ever. owned an instep
like that. In fact, so sure of all these
things did Mr.. Simpkins feel, that he
almost dreaded the moment when the
lady should descend, and perhaps meet
ing him face to face, destroy at single
blow his proudest illusions. He had
not long to wait, for at Thirty fourth
street the conductors bell rang, and the
lady got out. She crossed the street,
and with Mr.. Simpkins following in a
transport Of admiration, entered an Office
on the corner. .ut yF3t
Now, as Mr. Simpkinss ill luck would
have it, this was the real estate office of
his brother-in-law, Mr.. John Bigler
Mr. Simpkins halted in some confusion
and "walked around himself" so to
speak. The lady passed in without no
ticing him and disappeared from view
Mr.. Simpkins stood for moment irres-
olutely in the doorway, and then, fired
by sudden determination, dashed up
stairs
The offices of Mr.. Bigler were situated
on the second floor. They consisted of
two rooms, an outer one about ten foot
square, called reception room, and a
larger and more luxurious one within,
reserved for the purpose Of confidential
interviews,2l AS Mr.. s. expected, the
lady was in the private room, but the
door stood slightly sjar, and as she sat
with her back toward it, he could see
her earnestly conyersing with the
villainous Bigler.. a AT that moment
Mr. simpkins caught Mr.. Biglers eye,
and beckoned frantically for him to come
out. Bigler, thinking from Simpkins''
manner that the house might be on fire,
cagle quickly inte the outer room. AS
| H4did SO he swung the door wide open,
revealing to Mr.. aSimpkins' entranced
gaze the lovelylobject Of his pursuit, her
head resting on, her small and delicately