The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-11-09

. Miss Ebbs.
How do you like the op'ra?" he says.
40, more than I ever can tell you, GTr. Mil
Ter! It's perfectly grand. Isn't there good
house? Eycryone's here tonight. Kellogg is
such favorite; and SO is Cary, too, for that
matter"
$50 Cary's sipgin' this evenin', is she? I
didn't know that before"
"Why, Mr.. Miller, is it possible this is the
first time you have heard Miss Cary?"
Well-yes-I believe it is. Mrs. McCaffery
was speakin' about her one day, so l thought l
wouldn't mind hearin' her"
Mrs. McCafIery is as wild over the opera as
I am. There is good deal of dress tonight,
isn't there? What a lovely hat that is just
across from us!"
"'Tain't no pretter'n yours, Miss Ebbs"
"Thank you, Mr. Miller! 1 got mine in
/ Milwaukee,"
cts ever so becomin' to you. That air blue
in front takes my eye"
l was half mad to hear Jim say this, cause
my bonnet had blue face trimmin', too, and he
never had said once he liked it. I thought it
was downright mean in him TO keep on tajkiu'
| all the time to Miss Ebbs and let me sit there
with no one to speak to.
"It's awful hot, amt it?" he goes on. I" 1
wouldn't mind havin' q fan"
"Will you take mine, Mr.. Miller?"
"Thank you, Miss E5bs. was wonderin' if
| you'd take the hint"
and what does he do but begin fannn' him
self and Miss Ebbs rs nice as you please l tell
/ you l begun to get warm too, by that time, and
my checks burned like fire.
"This ero's a pretty nice little fan. Was it
! give to you?"
Yes, it was a present from a very dear
friend, Mr.. Miller
"Gcntlcman or lady?"
"Why, lady, of course !"
Don't you never take presents from gentle
men ?"
"What question, Mr. Miller!"
"Well, you needn't answer it if you don't
want to. 1 wasn't thinkin' of offering you
| whole set of diamonds or nothin' Ike that"
| II wonder what il. is, then, he's intendin' to
| give her." thinks l to myself [ Just wished
/ knew whether it was jewels or not, cause if it
was didn't mean to forgive him very soon,
can tell you 1 was awful glad when the cur
tain went up again, and Jim had to lean back
i'll his seat and stop taIkin'. I opened the book
he bought me, and begun readin' along like the
rest of the people, but l couldn't see much sense
in their singin' instead of taIllin' it out One
of the girls begun putin powder on her face
and dancin' around the stage with a glass in
her hand. 1 thought she behaved perfectly
ridiculous.
Don't she never intend to stop that air
| screechin'?" says Jim. She'll have a sore
throat if she don't look out. Serve her right,
too. If this ere's the opra, don't think much
of it, do you Sallie? lido believe if they charged
twenty-five cents ticket nobody'd come, but
folks get an idea that what they has to pay
big price for must be mighty fine"
"Why didn't you stay at home, then?" I be-
gun to say but all of a sudden it flashed into
my head that most likely he knew Miss Ebbs
was to be at the op'ra and he thought he'd
come, so as to have another long talk with her
Ten to one she told him where they was TO sit,
and he went and got places right near. was
bound, though, | wouldn't ask him about it,
l kept lookin' straight at the stage, but if it
had been the funniest piece in the world |
don't believe I'd have laughed once | most
wished some Of 'em would pretend they was
dyin, so I'd have an excuse to cry. Jim never
had cared for no one but me before. Somehow
or other it hurt me to think he'd come to the
op'ra just to see that Miss Ebbs Every few
minutes the tears would come in my eyes, and
then I'd wink two or three times and keep 'em
back as well as l could | wondered if the
people around me was as happy as they all
looked. Jim and me never had sat down in
front til that evenin, but we always had ever
so much nice times in the gallery eatin' candy
and peanuts l most wished we was up there
again along with Johnny Malony, who was
forever beggin' us to go to the theatre. There
wasn't no Miss Ebbs with blue in her bonnet,
sttn' right ahead of us in them days! | came
pretty near wishin' we was happy and poor like
we used to be instead of mil -lee-on-ares. Every
now and then jim would look up at the gallery,
too, and l thought maybe he was thinkin' like
l was of the lots of times him and me and
Johnny had sat there.
Don't you kind o miss the peanuts ?" 1
says and then l begun to blush like anything.
fer what did Mr.. Raymond have to do Just that
minute but quick turn around, SO 1 said il right
in his face
Would you not like my opera-glass Mrs
Millcr?" he begins very polite. Keep it as
long as you please"
So 1 thanked him, and put the thing up to
my eyes, but l couldn't see nothin at all. 1t
made the people seem so far of.
Pardon me, Mrs Miller-but you will find
the other end-preferable to look through"
Sure enough, l could see better the other way
and | kept on loolin' for ever so long, and then
Jim took it awhile.
Its right kind in him to lend it to us, isn't
it, Jim?" l whispers. "DO you think he heard
what | said about the peanuts?"
Couldn't help hearin' He'll think we
never sat down stairs before. Why couldn't
you have kept still"
"Well, [ guess [ will after this?" and the
tears come in my eyes again. l just wished l
was home, so l could have good cry.
Pretty soon the curtain comes down and Miss
Ebbs asks Jim if he liked the op'ra any better,
and they talks away just as they did before
Isn't it charming, Mrs. Miller? ?" says Mrs.
McCafery. 81 know you must be enjoying the
evening"
"Yes, indeed, maam !" I says, as if was
perfectly happy. It's so hard to get along
without never lynn at all.
I tell you was glad when it was over at
last! l never wanted to so to another opra as
long as l lived.
We all walked up the street together and
just as we got to the cars jim has to say, Lets
Il Ip,r,,