The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-12

the most u%npromising remarks into compli-
ments, which rendered HIM a very dis
concerting individual to attack. Allu=
sions to his hat. necktie, or
any other peculiarly of raiment
were met by his eternal horse-laugh and an
earnest recommendation that we should al
low him to send down to the country and
procure fac SMILES for all and each of us.
you hain't got nothin'spicy in Birchespool,"
ne would remark. Lord, | know a place at
'ome where you can get your collars spotted
over with fox's 'eads instead of bein' plain
white, which is a poor color at the best" l
think he imagined it was nothing but want
of moaey which induced us to refuse to pur-
chase these and other Injuries, and he was
wont to throw out illusions as to its not
costing us nothink,' as he jingled the loose
ccin in his trousers pockets.
Town life did not improve Joseph, On the
contrary, he deteriorated. During the first
six months that he honored the office with
his presence, he not only lost none of the
traits which he brought with him from his
fathers stables, but he grated upon them
everything which is Objectionable in the city
snob. The premonitory symptoms were
a suspicious Weakness OF the half donzen
hairs which adorned his upper lip
and the appearance of a large diamond
ring with a g~reenish and ~vitreous hue. His
next venture was an eye-glass; and he finally
launched forth into n light ulster, decorated
with a large black check, which gave him the
appearance of being inside q cage, with his
head projecting at one end and his feet at the
other. ITS a proper thing for a gent to
wear" he remarked. When you see a get
up like this, you know at n glance who's a
cad and who amt" sentiment which we all
very cordially Endorsed.
In spite of all these peculiarities we learned
not only to tolerate the gentleman, but even
to like him. Indeed, we hardly knew how
strong this feeling was until he hetOOk him
self into the country on q fortnights leave,
carrying with him ulster, eye-glass, ring, and
everything else which was calculated TO inn
press the rustics and stamp him as the nat
ural associate OF the 'belted hurl," He left
quite a vacancy behind him, There was a
dead level of equality about the five Of Us
which deprived life of all its piquaney. Even
Welstead, who had disliked him from the
first, was fain to confess that be was
him back. After all, if his
laugh was obtrusive, it was hearty, and his
quaint, vulgar face had sincerity and good
nature stamped upon every line of it. 1t was
with unaffected pleasure that we heard a
loud halloa in the street one morning
just after the opening of the doors, and saw
our friend staggering IN, more ugly, more
dressy, and, if possible, more vulgar than be-
fore.
Newsome, our bank manager. was an excel
lent fellow, and on the best terms with all of
us. As we were all single men, with a very
I III kAA&AO vi III II lC
kindly gave us the run Of his house, and it
was seldom that a week passed without our
enjoying a musical evening there, winding
up with one of the choice little suppers for
which Mrs. Newsome was celebrated. On
these occasions, since distinctions would be
invidious, Gentlemanly Joe used to be pres
ent in all his glory, with a very large
white frilled shirt front, and another
v%itreous fragment sparkling gloomily in the
middle of it. This, with a watch-chain which
reminded one of the chan cable of a
schooner, was his sole attemp pit at ornamental
ton, for, as he used to say, 'It amt good
form to show you're richer than your neigh
bors, even if you are. Too much like Sheeny,
don't you known
Joe was an endless source of amusement to
Cissy Newsome, q mischievous dark eyed lit
tie brunette of eighteen, the sole child of the.
manager. We had all fallen in love with
Cissy at one time or another, but had had to
give it up on finding that her heart was no
longer her own to bestow. Charles Welstead
had known her from childhood, and the affec-
ton of early youth had rIpened into love on
both sides, Never was there a more fondly-
attached couple, nor one to whom the path
seemed to lie so smoothly, for old Welstead
had been Newseme's personal friend, and
Charles's prospects were of the brightest.
On these pleasant evenings which l have
mentioned, it was great fun to see Joe dart
ing into the drawing-room and endeavoring
to secure n seat in the neighborJood of the
young lady, with a profound disregard for
any claims her parents might have upon his
courtesy. If he attained the coveted posi-
ton. he would lean back in his chair with
what he imagined to be an air of easy gentil-
ity, and regale her with many anecdotes of
horses and dogs, with occasional reminis-
cences of the 'big nobs'' who had profess
sional relations with his father. On such oc-
casions Miss Cissy would initiate him to his
face in the most amusing way, looking all
the time as demure as a little mouse, while
Welstead leaned up against the piano, not
quite sure whether to laugh or be angry.
Even he usually broke down, however, when
the two came to discuss Hhetiquette." and
Joe, in his character of gentleman, laid down
his views as to when a "feller should raise
lis AT" and when not. The argument was
generally closed by a burst of laughter from
all of Us, in which Joseph would join,
though protesting loudly that he was unable
to see the joke.
1t is a proverbially dangerous thing to
play with edged tools. l have never been
sure whether Smith knew how matters stood
between Welstead and the young lady. |
am inclined to think that at first he did
not. Perhaps if some one had informed him
of it then, he might have mastered his feel |
inss, and much misery have been averted.
1t was clear to us young fellows who had
gone through the same experience how
things were tending, but we held our tongues
rather than spoil what we considered a cap
ital joke. Cissy may have seen it, too, and
given him a little mischievous encourage
mental least, young ladies have the credit
of not being blind in such cases. Certainly
Smith pursued his hopeless suit with a yigor
which astonished us. During business hours
he lived a sort of day-dreani, musing upon
his perch like some cogitative fowl, and get
ting into endless trouble over his accounts,
while every evening found him interfering
with Welstead's tete-a-tete at the high cor
ner house in Eldon street.
AT last the crash came. There was no need |
to ask what had happened when little Joe
skunk quietly into the Office one morning
with dishevelled hair, melancholy face and
eyes bleared with the wakefulness of q rest