Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-04-24

"A
ice of the poles had met tremendous
thunder gust from the equator, and the
two together were having it out. And,
of course, as a part of an idle mans luck,
this contest must occur on the very day
he had set to take Miss Shepherd with
him to some romantic dell he had dis
covered somewhere in the neighborhoOd.
'Is it possible?" he exclaimed again, as
he worried about in his chair, evidently
too much nettled with disgust to be able
to keep still.
Now, Mr.. Manchester had been hard
hit. He, typical Chicagoan-blonde,
of course, rotund, mediumly bold, not
very young-had been so well greaved,
so armed cap-a-pie, as it were, that the
hit had literally stunned him, and every
body else with surprise.
A well-delivered blow it must have
been, sent by a cool hand and practiced
eye. Whether it was heel or heart that
was struck, time alone could show; if the
former, probably, like Achilles, he would
die of it; if the latter, the danger was
not appreciable.
Sc ated in the comfortable hotel Office,
he had done nothing all this day but
watch through the streaming window
the pelted and drenched street. The
bulk of the tourist guests had gone on a
steamer excursion to MackinaW the
night before.
He had been invited to join this party
to the island, but after the adrOit dis
covery that Annie Shepherd had de-
clined going, he also had declined. His
reasons for so doing were patent to
everyone but himself
Then had followed that little episode
Of his invitation to her to join him in a
walk the next day. This had been has
tily whispered in the hall on parting at
night, and accepted with a nod and a
smile. It was to be to wood near by,
where free, clear spring gushed and
roared down a black-earthed declivity.
It was one Of the dampest and mossiest
spots in the whole region. He had once
found bears fresh track on the moss
and had christened it therefore BOARD
of Trade Glen"
But the rain had put pEovoking stop
| to this plan. And Miss Shepherd had
capped the peak Of his disgust by plead
| ing headache" as reason for keeping
out of sight all Gay, he having called
very early in the forenoon.
Yet there she went, or his eyes had
| lost their cunning.
It is true there was lull in the rain,
but none in the wind. And with head
ache, what could tempt her out? Too i'll
to see him, and yet well enough to brave
this tempest.
She went down the steps, clad in a
gossamer, and with her umbrella up-an
umbrella big enough for two. She must
have had the limbs of an Atalanta to
move with such equable grace and
strength, for the wind tried its wicked
est to puff out that ugly, ulster-shaped
! thing, and to make her fine, slender
outline look fat. He caught a glimpse
of good, stout boot, seeming all the
daintier for it's stoutness. And watch
! ing and mentally taking in all the fine
points, he kept up a scattering fire of
ejaculation: shell get her death-cold."
"Was there ever such an unreasOn-
able, unprognosticable creature as sheP'
She disappeared, fluttering like a
loose-sailed pirate-craft round the corner.
He knew just about her course when
he saw her turn to the right and bend
herself to meet the blast, which was di-
rectly in her face.
He rallied his senses as he lost sight
of her Bang into his chair went the
book he had not even pretended to read;
up the stairs, two steps at a time, he
sprang, and presently returned arrayed
IN Edinburg great-coat, and leisurely
putting a neWly-ighted cigar.
A good observer would have noted an
hour before that the weather was likely
to clear. There was pale, yellow streak
in the north, and tendency to lift and
take flight on the part of the clouds.
These signs were at the bottom of Miss
Shepherds venture, but Mr.. Manchester
perceptions had been too long dulled by
his native smokes for him to have de-
tected the imminent change.
Consequently he was greatly aston
ished when, upon stepping along the
veranda and spreading his umbrella, he
found the rain had entirely ceased. AS
his friends well knew, foremost among
the things he hated-there was long
list of foremosts-was an umbrella. So
finding that he did not need one, he
recklessly set his down in the rack in
the hall and sauntered indiferently out.
He did not directly follow Miss Shep-
herds route, but struck into street that
was sure to intercept her. After much
readjusting of hat and coat, he finally
settled down to genuine hard work in
meeting and resisting the wind.
1t was a gusty gale. It smelled of the
white-caps that were taring along the
shore, and of the Norway pines, black
with wet but unrumpled, that clothed
the land.
He gave up his cigar at once as IN
practicable and flung it away. He was
in sight Of his will2o-the-wisp, for she,
not offering as great bulk of resistance
as himself, had not got on famoNsly
against the opposing force.
She had shut up her umbrella, but as
she could not get her gossamer within
any decorous limits, she looked very
much like a pedestrian balloon, and
Manchester laug hed to himself at the
way the elements, dared to trife with
her grace. A little refrain burst out II
| his head:
should call her-I should name her,
HamadTyad of the-CaOutchouc!
1t was inglorious as to rhyme or meas
ure, but utilitarian as to quality, as be
fitted a commercial man.
Now he put forth his muscle. He lef
off walking-he strobe. She was flap
ping along the beach in advance will