The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-02-08
A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.

A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE.
"You are sure you have forgotten
nothing, Kitty?"
81 think not, Jane" making thor
ough examination of the contents of her
handbag. al have my trunk receipt,
and NV KEYS, and my ticket, aud a shoe
hook, and black and white pins, and
my purse for small change, and a pocket
comb. And. o Notwithstanding
more freely" the small mirror. and
three-four extra handkerchiefs, and
my bottle of heliotrope. L really can't
remember anything that / have for
gotten" meditatively, " except perhaps
il might be the coupon for the sleeper,
and John is getting that. ~
1t is the afternoon of damp, doleful
September day. The place is, unroman
tically enough, the Chicago depot. The
speakers, Jane Spencer and her sister.
Miss Kitty Warner, who has been visit
ing Western friends and is about 10 take
the next Eastern train for home. To
say that Mrs. Spencer is in Il state bor
dering upon distraction is simply to gid
refined gold. Originally simple, I'M
suspecting countrywOman, who has
been introduced rather late in life to the
evils of great city as eXemplitied in
certain experiences with burgiarious
serving men and maids, and daily diet
upon the pot-pourri of crimes served up
by the press. a nine hundred-miie jour
ney for her young, pretty and unpro-
tected sister seems to her mind an I'M
dertaking fraught with the most terrify-
ing dangers. And many and solemn
are the warnings which she bestows
upon Miss Kitty anent the perils to be
avoided and the precautions to be taken
until she reaches New York.
II am SO sorry that our train starts
before yours is duel" she eXclaims, fret
fully, with tears in her eyes. eff it
We're not for Aunt Eunice's telegram,
JoEn and I might have staid over till
tomorrow, so as as to have seen you
fairly OFF," And the nervous little wom-
an shakes out a fresh handkerchief and
brushes rising tear from her left eye
Just as her husband comes up with the
depressing intelligence that the plan of
the sleeper on the Pennsylvania Rail-
road will not be visible for twenty-eight
minutes yet-iust a quarter of an hour
after their train is to leave.
This last calamitous piece of news has
a paralyzing effect upon Mrs. Spencer;
and she looks on in distressed silence
while her husband gives Kitty q few
parting instructions, as together they
pore over railway guide.
~ have novel somewhere for you
to read on your journey, Kit" John
says, presently; and reaching over to his
light overcoat, which is thrown care
lessly across the back of the nearest
settee. he produces dun-colored volume
from one of its capacious pockets. And,
o luckiess John! in his explorations he
brings to light something else. Two
letters. which he produces with tremb-
ling hand, and delivers to their re-
spective owners, his wife and his sister
in-law.
Whereupon the spell of silence that
has been laid upon Mistress Jane is
broken, and she exclaims, in a voice of
reproachful tone: swell. Jonathan
Spencer. Il actually don't believe that
you could remember the day that you
were bornr'
'No matter, Jenny. At any rate l
never shall forget the day that | was
married." retorts her amiable spouse,
with righteousness that under the cir
cumstanoes is odiouS, for a skillful
cross-examination discloses the fact that
the wretch has carried these letters in his
pocket for at least three days.
But before the long-suffering Jane
has time to properly rebuke him passen-
gers for the Southern train are warned
that time is up. So Miss Kitty, hastily
.,xfr, La,. 10 i,
glance tells her is from her brother
Edgar. descends the steps with her rela-
tives. and chats with them upon the
platform as cheerfully as Jane misgiv-
ings will permit until the last gong
strikes, and they enter the train Just as
Jane is in the midst of recounting tale
that she read in some newspaper about
lady whose pocket was picked by a
gentlemanly-appearing man who polite
" helped her off the cars.
Now remember, Kitty DEAR she
whispers. leaning from the window,
and speaking in deep, impressive
tone, .'you are to trust nothing to ap-
pearances. The best-dressed men are
Invariably the ones to be suspicious of
Be careful of your tickets and money,
Auu AOiO euO Ndto dIS A0iIll Al ilioliOu
write as soon as you reach New
York. And, oh Kitty! Beware of drum
mers" And with theatrical wave of
her gray-kidded nand, Mrs. Spencer
draws in her head and disappears from
her sisters view.
In spite of herself Miss Kitty feels
rather lonely as she returns to her seat
in the waiting room. and seeks consola-
ton in her brothers letter. 1t bears
date nearly week back, and is about
as illegible as an unusually careless
legal hand and an execrable Colorado
can make it. But Kitty is thoroughly
familiar with her brothers scrawls; and
by skipping word here, and guessing
one there, her mind eventually grasps
the drift of the welcome, entertaining
home news and airy gossip with which
the screed abounds. The concluding
paragraph reads like this:
u received a letter FROM my friend Hasel-
den, last evening, in which he tells me that he
is TO be in Chicago this week and part of next
II you write me what day you intend coming
up TO town will wire him your address and
have him call on you. He ie looking after
some legal interest of his fathers, who per
haps you know already, is Q manufacturing