The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-31

he didn'. Quit "tbose COMPOUNDED
American politics.
He subsidized, and drank his grog in
silence thenceforth. l noticed a little
Chicago drummer with yellow mus
tache, deliberately taking in" the
gentleman with the moist eye-it was
moister now, as the two sat confronting
each other, and at length the drummer
moved across and took place next to
my uxorious friend. The drummer
recommended politics in a low tone,
praising the other highly for his princi-
pies and the eloquence with which he
had supported them. He backed his
profuse fiattery-a Chicago drummer
always works with trOwel-by having
the others glass replenished. The
moist eye grew yet more moist, its
owner seemed to beam; and at this
crisis the drummer, by an easy diverg-
ence, abandoned the topic of politics,
and significantly observed that he had
noticed his friend had spoken of having
been an officer in the San Francisco
Customs. A nod was the response.
Then the drummer voice waned lower,
and | caught but vagrom words, such
as ''dutiable articles and a mysteri-
Gus phrase which Imay have overheard
enormously, but which sounded like
''twirling the elephants tad.
For several days, except at meal
times, l saw nothing of the m0ist-eyed
gentleman; but once, when / w&s look
ING down through a grating into the
baggage room, noticed him pottering
around in a curiously leisurely fashion
among the trunks. If gave the mat
ter thought at all, l have no doubt L
believed him, in his own deliberate sem
tentious way. engaged in searching for
his own baggage.
One evening in the smoking-room,
our friend, who, since his previous dis
enlargement in that peculiarly frank
spoken Tabaks-Parlament, had been
very quiet and retiring, broke out
again into eloquence. This time he
lifted up his voice toprOnOunce a glow
ing eulOgium on the British nationality.
He avowed himself born Welshman,
and, although expatriated in tender
years and admitted to American citi
zenship as soon as he had attained the
statutory age, he was not the man, like
Stanley, to deny the land of his nativi-
ty. | own that l found a difficulty in
reconciling this claim to Welsh eXtrac
ton with a statement he had made in
the course of his confidence to Mad
am" to the effect that he had been
''born and raised in Keokuk, Iowa, !"
but these little discrepancies, l was
duly sensible. may occur in antobio-
loquial observations without seriously
affecting the veracity eff the average
human animal. The eloquence of
the moist-eyed man, if diffuse,
was decidedly stimulating, and
stirred the enthusiasm of the
Britons and Australians. They are joe
und, friendly creatures in the smoking
room after the steward has answered
the bell few times; and at the close of
a cheer for Queen Victoria, in which
the Americans joined with a tiger, y"
an Australian ieweler, kindled into hos
pitality by his loyalty, called for cham
payne round. The champagne in
spired quite a spasm of international
ra7proGchment Patriotic songs set in
britannia Rules the Wave'-mOst of
the Britons had been deadly sick for
the first two davs-"Hail Columbia, !"
1.-The Red White and Blue" 1.-The
Star Spangled Banner" The attempt
at yankee Doodle was scarcely a
flowing triumph, since no one present
appeared to know auy words to that air
which complied with the requirements
of the strict propriety always main
tanned in the smOking-room OF an ocean
steamer, as indeed in every part of such
a vessel; and the impromptu concert
fifty concluded with God Save the
Queen" Presently the smoking-room
thinned. The American gentleman
with the moist eve remained, leaning
back in seeming slumber, the Austral-
ian ieweler was still on hand, fidgeting
about as if there were some
thing on his mind; l sat smok-
ING silently in my own dark
corner. Presently the jeweler awoke
the American with a touch on the
shoulder and sat down beside him. The
cautious Australian murmured some
words of which l caught false bot
tom''-''are they very sharp" The
American spoke out like a man.
Guess [ know some of the bOys-see
you right through, partner!" and then
followed hot toddy.
Two days after this episode, the unu-
sual spectacle was afforded of the moist
eyed man having afternoon tete-a-tete
with lady in the most retired corner
of the great saloon. MADAM" and [
had both disseminated the quaint tale
we had been told at the beginning of
the voyage. and the big blue-eyed man
with the far-off expression so often on
his face was regarded with no little
kindly interest. Then it became pref
tv well known that he had been III the
Frisco customs employ, and that he
was civil, pleaSant-natured, scottish
sort of fellow generally. His entertain
er at the four o'clock tea rejection was
a gaunt, withered little grig of ScOtO-
Nsw-Zealand woman, who called her
self Mrs. Lorne, and protested to be a
widow, both of which pretenSionS were
considerably inaccurate. She had
''corralled' the moist-eyed man on the
subject of her baggage, about which,
ever since she joined the ship at Auck-
land. she had been betraying nervous
ness among her intimates. At least L
gathered this had been her little game
from the frank, hearty remark the
mOist-eyed man made as he stood up
from the tea-table. Don't you skear
worth a cent, madam, don't We. Col
onel O'Driscol the boss on the jetty.
is an old-time crony of mine. I'll
say one word to the Colonel and YOU re
through as slick as an eel'' whereat
the bogus-widow LOrne blushed and
looked half pleased, half confused.
Among the passengers who joined