The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-31
THE AMERICAN GENTLEMAN WITH
THE MOIST EYE.

THE MOIST EYE.
He was tall, lean, quare-shouldered
man, whose rather fine head had a
plaintive droop on the chest, as he sat
there wrapped in abstraction. There
was fresh color on his long yet square
chinned face, the expression of the
lower part of which was that of alert
resolution; but in the nigh, narrow
brow, hollow at the temples, and in the
full blue eyes suffused with moisture,
over which fell the shadow of the long
brown eyelashes, there was a sugges-
ton of emotional dreaminess. / re-
member how, as | looked at him, there
required to me the memory of some of
Bret Harte's characters-''Kentu ="
fer instance, or Tennessee Partner"
The face as a whole expressed manli-
ness, quaintness, humOr and sensibility.
My own seat at table in the saloon of
the good steamer "Tasmanian," of the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Connecting Link Line, one day out
from her Australian port of departure,
was at a side table near the door; but as
dinner was being finished, moved to
one of the central tables for a chat with
a friend and his wife 1t was opposite
to the latter where was seated the tall,
lean man with the drooDing head and
moist eye.
/ noticed that he raised his head and
glanced somewhat shyly, as it seemed,
across the table at the lady. She had
whispered to me that the face had inter-
est for her, and l suppose the glance
revealed 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; and at
length, after a preliminary cough or
two, he nervously addressed the lady.
After the little stammer over the first
word. he was fluent enough, although
very deliberate, as is the manner of
Western men.
"M-madam, said he, Il guess when
you look across the table you see a
mighty soft fool. Yes, madam IRE
fectively), 81 left Frisco in the last
outgoing steamer, proposing to make a
six months tower in Australia for be-
hoof of my health; Ihed been sick with
dyspepSy. Well, | he'd gotten down
there to Sydney; and | admired to see
what a fine location it he'd gotten; and
concluded to strike inland, after spend
ing a day in taking in the city. But
that same night, madam, as | lay in
my lone bed down in that there city, l
fell athinking on my little wife to home
up in Frisco. My heart began for
to yurn on the poor woman, as he'd
been left lonely for the first time
L., H.,
seven years back. Guess you'll start
out a laughin' right in my face when l
tell you as never slep'd wink of
sleep for longing to be cOnsoling her
and remorse for having quit her
Bright and airly next morning. madam,
this ere great soft gaioot was in the
steamboat office, buying Il ticket home
to the little woman by the next steamer
Ny Australian tower was through in
six days. madam. and the outside edge
of it was Paramatta, fourteen miles in
land from Sydney. | don't mind yer
laughin' at me, strangers, eff yer so
minded. Ispend the balance of the
time when I'm not thinkin' about her.
softly cussiE' myself for the darnedest
tizzle rs ever left the port of San Fran
cisco. But | don't 30 back on it-not
nickel; no, sir (tiXing me rather
with that wonderfully eloquent blue
eye). mo, sir, ! don't weaken on it.,
not one continental. Fac " with a
little burst of shy radiance that some
how reminded me of rainbow, I'm
kinder proud on it,
Then his eyelidS fell, the head went
down on the breast, and he slid into n
reverie, the wistful sweetness of which
was TO be discovered in the face. Our
lady murmured few words of interest
and sympathy-a little incOherent per-
haps, and sadly conventional, for she is
a timid little woman who does not quite
know what to do with herself when
moved But the mOist-eyed man
seemingly neither heard nor heed
ed. Her husband. blunt ColoniSt,
threw out a vaguely malicious hint that
the little woman in Frisco might not
welcome with eXuberant rapture this
precipitate and premature return of her
lord, who. indeed. might find her very
much not at home (the gentleman is of
Irish eXtraction). But as little did our
UiS-d-ris heed the jibe. He sat the very
presentment of happy abstraction.
The man interested me, and | did not
lose him in the general ruck of passen-
gers. Later the same evening he gave
me surprise. l found him in the
smoking-room, a glass of grog on the
table in front of him, little circle of
eager disputants around him; he HIM
self voluble, argumentative, and in
deed vOciferous. He was on politics
American, politics. A Republican, of
course. to the core of the marrow. Yes,
he had been an office-holder, he had
held position in the San Francisco
customs during Garfield's a.lministra-
ton. and had gotten ''fired out when
Arthur's Presidency had given the call
to the Stalwarts. But this was mere
incident. What he wanted to discuss
were general principles. To believe
for moment, forsooth, that the Demo-
cratic ticket would carry the next Pres
idential electionl Why, he'd take the
stump himself to burst the head of that
bar'l in He'd been on the stump be-
fore-and so on aSque Gd nGuSedm.
Hewas constituting himself a nuisance,
especially to the British and Australian
section of the smoking-room, which
numerically was greatly in the ascen-
dant; and so we hooted him down, with
threats that he would be turned out if