The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-02-03
The Portrait of a Lady.

than 200 miles and long day were
between me and Detroit.
had prepared for the journey by
purchasing magazine, by Mr.
Scribner of New York, and l thought
how l would luxuriate in that am
pie velvet arm chair, and read or
gaze at the scenery, as liked.
l was taxing my last view at the
grand cataract and the magazine
lay unopened on my knee, when a
light touch surprised my shoulder.
On looking around there stood the
lady. Perhaps you would not call
her fair-certainly not beautiful.
Neither did l, but ah-that was two
years ago! She said:
Would you kindly allow me to
look at your magazinew
Certainly" 1 replied with that
| gracious, chivalrous air a married
man assumes to ladies when he is
away from home.
She took the magazine. She
took seat some distance from me.
She took the liberty of cutting the
leaves with hair pin and l took
what comfort 1 could looking out
the window. When we arrived at
Detroit, eight hours afterwards,
she flung the magazine on a chair,
remarked to a friend that most
magazines nowadays we're full of
frivolous trash, and left the car.
That was the first time.
One rather sloppy day was
crossing Woodward avenue at Johu
R street when a car stopped and a
lady-a little lady-the lady-full
well l knew her tigure-stepped
down into the road aud the driver
placed beside her three large yallses.
1 knew her, but she knew me not.
''SIr, would you take those yalises
to the sidewalk"
Certainly" 1 answered, as be-
fore, anu l carried them and placed
them carefully on the stone pave
ment.
Thank you," said she in her
crisp, short way. EHere'-and she
held out her hand with q nickel be
tween the thumb anu first finger.
MADAM" said |, with touch oil
wounded dignity in my voice, Il
am not a porter, but reporter
l fiatter myself that rs L walked
away there was something In my
offended mein, that must nav.
shown her that WAS vt least b
twenty-five cent porter. 4 do hate
to be taken for nickel man.
And this was the second time we
met.
IL was about this period that the
sight OF her began to thrill me, anu
l sought the other side of the
street.
One bright and happy day, with
no thought of impending evil
evil hanging over me, sat in my
usual office chair with 519 newspa
pers in pile before me.
Suddenly the door opened aud
the lady entered. She remarked
very briefly that she was glad to
find me in, that she called here
Lalf dozen times before aud | was
out She left the impression That
L had no right to be out when she
called.
She was small and had frettul-
wizened face, that had the happy
facility of looking perpetually dis
contented. There seemed to be Il
weight of responsibility resting on
her shoulders. A deadly fear seized
me that she had found out where /
stayed and had come to get me to
carry trunk down to the depot, or
somewhere.
"Have you a list of the papers
and magazines you get herep'
eyes, ma'am." 1 meekly replied
thankful that it wasn't a trunk or
even a valise.
81 would like to see it for few
moments"
There was no use struggling
against fate, SO dejectedly placed
the exchange list.in her hands.
She marked of quite a number
of papers. II was told l could get
any paper / wished here"
FWe get great many exchanges"
l replied, in a non-committal way.
"Well, 1 have marked twenty five
that would like to get every week.
| would like to get at least two
New York papers every day. When
had better call?"
The cheek OF this proposal stag
gered me. 1t was the first proposal
/ had ever received. A persons
first proposal naturally furries him
DO you-get Harper's, Scribner's
Atlantic, Eippincott's, Appleton's
Blackwood's,. the Reviews, Little's
Living Age, the Eclectic, the Popu.
lar Science Monthly, Scientific Amer.
lean Monthly"
Yes, ma'am."
do you cut them"
"Oh, no. A sheet comes with
them containing the principal arti.
cles, and we select from that"
"rm glad of that. 1t would be
extremely annoying TO come TO the
middle of an article and find the
rest of it gone"
alt would. indeed"
"Well, would you save those mag
azines for meY
Really, madam, | couldn't prom
Use; YOU see l -"
of course l don't want them
until they have been read. >
You are very kind; but | was
going 10 suggest that you had bet
ter see the manager about 1t. He
might want to see them now and
then himself, and then again he
might not think the newsdealers
would like it if we ran in opposition
to them"
She looked at me fixedly for {
a moment with her steel-gray eyes
Il hope" she said, "that you arr
not using some cheap fun in wha
you are saying"
"Far from it, madam. | dom
see any fun in your request, and i
had any occasion to use Joke
while conversing on the subject,
would use the most expensive one
/ had 10 stock"
With a gesture OF supreme con
tempt she rose, and the next mo