Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-03-28
Z FELLOW VUSAGER.
Archibald torbcAs story iltc Amer
can gentleman with u 'yOSs; Eve.

4 FELLOW VUSAGES.
Archibald torbcs's story OF tl,c Amer
can gentleman with u lEOSs; Eve.
He was tall lean, square-shoudcred
man, whose rather fine head had plain.
tive droop on the chest MS he sat There
wrapped in abstraction. There was 4
fresh color on his long yet square chinncd
face, the expression of the lower part OF
which was that Of alert resolution but
IN the high, marrow brow, hollow at the
temples. and in the full, blue eyes suf.
fused with moisture, over which fell the
shadow Of the long, brown EXCLUSIVES,
there was n suggestion. Of emotional
dreaminess. | remembered how, as /
looked at him, there REQUIRED to me the
memory of Bret Hartc's characters
''Kentuck,' for instance. or "Tennessees
Partner" The face as a whole expressed
manlincss, quaintncsS, humOr and sensi-
bility.
Ny own seat at table in the saloon of
the good steamer Tasmunian of the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Connecting Link line, one day out from
her Australian port OF departure, was at
side table hear the door but as dinner
was being finished, moved to one of the
central tables for chat with friend and
his wife. 1t was opposite to the latter
that the tall, lean man with dropping
head tnd the moist eye WAS scented.
[ noticed that he raised his head and
glanced somewhat sAyly, rs it seemed.
across the table at tho lady. She had
whispered to me that the face had utter
est for her. and l suppose the glance re-
yealed TO him some expression of that.
and, perhaps, also some suggestiveness of
sympathy He looked across once or
twice more, just sweeping us men with
that slow, limpid glance; at length, after
preliminary cough or two, he nervouslv
addressed the lady. After the little STAN.
mer over the first word. he was fluent
enough, although very deliberate, as is
the manner Of western men.
"M-madam, said he, 81 guess when
you look across the table you see Il mighty
soft fool. Yes, madam, | left Frisco in
the last outgoing steamer, proposing to
make six months tower in Australia for
behoof of my health | he'd been sick
with dyspepsy. Well, | got down there to
Sidney; and admired to see what fine
location 1t had and concluded to strike
inland after spending a day in taking in
the CITY. But that same night, madam,
as | lay in my lone bed down in that ere
city, l fell athinking on my little wife nj
home up in Frisco. Ny heart began TO
yurn on the poor woman, as he'd been left
lonely for the first time sin took her
from her mother seven years back. Guess
you will start out a laughin' right in my
face when | tell you as I never slep'd !,
wink of sleep for longing to be congolinp
her and remOrse for having duit her,
Bright and airilyanext morning, madame,
this ere soft galoot was in the steamboat
Office buying ticket home to the little
woman by the next steamer. Ny Austria
Ian tower was through in six davs. mad.
am, and the outside edge OF it was Para.
malta, fourteen miles inland from Svd.
ney | don't mind yer laughin' at me.
strangers, ef yer so miuded-J eneuI th,
balance OF the time WHOM I'm not think.
in about her, softly cussin' lnysaIf fo,
the darnedest fzzlc as ever left The norl
of San Francisco. But I don't 20 back
on it-nOt nickel no, sir." tfixino mr.
rather with that wonderfully eloquent
blue eye, ''no, sir, don't weaken on if
not one continental. Fac" with LITTLE
burst OF radiance that somehow reminded
me OF rainbow. 'Tm kinder prond
on it !" ''l''''
Then his eyelids fell, the head went
down on the breast, and he slid into ,
revere, the wistful sweetness of wbicI
was to be discovered in the face. On,
lady murmured a few words Of mtcyes
and sympathy-a little incohorent Nor
haps, and sadly conventional, for she ia ,
tlihld NIUE woman, who does not omit,
Know what to do with herself when moved
But the molst-eyed mun seemingly naitL
er heard nor needed. Her husband ,
piue cOiohlst, threw out a vaguely mali
cious hlnt that the little woman in 'Frisc,
might not welcome with eXuberant ran
ture inns precipltate and premature re
turn OF her lord, who indeed migLt Gnl
her very much not at home Cthn I az uii'
man Is of Irish extraction. Brt os i;tti,
did our vis-a-vis heed the iibe Ha ei
the very presentmeut Of happy abstroc
The man interested ne. and Td;a 49,
lose him in the general ruck of noss 10
gers. Later the same evening ha 'I e'oII.
me surprise. found him in the st S"t'
ing room, glass of grog on the tabIe !,
'front.' OF him, little circle of eoge,' a. :,
Putahts around him; he himself y1Inhio
aTgumehtatlye, and, indeed. yocifaro,lo
ne was on politics-Amercan politics
hePupIlcan, OF course, to the core of a.
marrow. Yes, he had been in office hnS
held a position in the San Franc;so6' nno
tom house during Garfeld's oJnini. tua
uon, and had gotten "fred ont" T'La :"
Arthur presidency gave the coil :" 4 t,l
stalwarts. But this was A mero i,,,; ~ we
what he wanten to discuss wos l oa,''o,li
principles. To believe for n' sonelal
forsooth, that the Democratic ticLnt Un men
carry the next presidential election T W.
ne take the stump himself ia Ln,'t ~ ;
mead OF that barl in a.! He'd been 10Y ov ' l'l
Ihe stump beforehand so on uso v.' oI
"ouSeun. He was constitDtino hin, utt
nuisance, especially to the Rr;t ;.ilihol !
Australian section of the snool Eillish and
S SniGn numerically was greatly in the eO ~.
oendant and 80 we hooted him ' LAS as
with threats that he would he tnrr upwn
lean politics" 'iounded Amer
ne subsidized, and drank his p,oo j., .;
fence thenceforth. ! noticed 1itt1s ~ o.
oago drummer, with yellow mnsto III
deliberately 'taking in" The na ussi1acne,
~ Ihs sI two moist eye-it was moister now
a. ' lne Two sat confronting each otbsr now low
a. length the drummer moved scr nSr, ana ana
zoo 1UoK place next to my uxorions fr;o ana
Tue drummer recommended nol;t;a1 nu,
low tone, praising the other hiohin "a a
LIS principles and the eloquenca y i1i
wn'cn ne had supported them. He b, Tie1
US p,oiuse hattery-a Chicago drnno, nea
always works with a towel drummer
s GIG o.nef 8 glass replenished. The no;g{
Eye grew more moist it's owner see ao.Ss
% DEAN and at this crisis the dr1nan ,nea