Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1884-06-05
CONUNDRUM MS.

SVNONDAO Mo-
go woman, lovely womann' muir
INJURED Tom, in a fit of nervous abstrac
ton. "Why is it that when a man
wishes to be left alone with his owl
thoughts you are always at hand to tor
ment him? And why. when we fail t,
respond to your que stionings, do yol
accuse me of thinking of lady?"
81 don't see why you should MAKE
yourself disagrecable, Tom, even if yol
do feel like it, said very pretty young
lady who stood near by, regarding hin
with an amused smile.
Tom rose to his feet and muttere(
something which might have beer
Hang it, though the words had 6
dec dedly less orthodox sound. Their
he left the room and slammed the door
after him.
Jenny Bailey laughed, but she didn',
say: The horrid BEAR as many an
other Young lady would bave done in
her place. Instead Of that, she re.
marked: dear Tom, / wonder if all
young men are like him, and as tou by
on the subject of womankind. What a
life he'll lead of he ever gets married.
Some butter Y must attracted him,
or he wouldn't have got anyry in the
way he did
But Miss Jenny, for all her astute-
ness. was very lar from the nth. Tom
Hardy was a lawyer, and his abstrac.
ton had tcen caused by his vainly
pulling over complicated case which
he had in hand. In his way. Tom was
a peculiar character. If he gave the
ladies' a thought, his mother and sisters
had never neen a lie to discover it: and
as he was the est of sons and rOthers,
it may safely lie assumed that his win rs
had never been singed. At all events,
If such were the case, he had been
shrewd enough to keep his own
counsel.
Jenny Bailey, an intimate friend of
Toms sisters, had come from her
home in New York to pay them visit.
She was roguish girl. full of spirit,
and had taken liking to Tom as soon
as she had seen him. This liking she
mantle" ed by tormenting him in every
way that lay in her power. Toms ten
years seniority, and the fact that he
was rising young lawyer, did not hold
her in check in the least. He bore with
her peccadilloes with wonderful pa
thence. But to-day, having gone into
the library, and thrown himself into a
chair to SIN Ike a cigar and do little
thinking, he was in no mood to be in
terrupted by frivolous chatter, and
least of all to be made the butt of ridi-
culc. So, when Jenny came into the
room, humming lively operate air,
he paid her no attention. Suddenly
the young lady stopped singing and
asked:
''What are you thinking of?''
Nothing" answered Tom, shortly.
"Oh, of course. l expected you'd
of ?''
Tom was tempted to reply: None of
your business" but thought better of it
and said
Various things"
Indeed! ana what might those
things be?''
They might be things concerning
you. but they're not" rcjoined Tom,
with little show of temper.
"Oh. really! I'm sure ought to be
thankful. But there's no need of cate
chising you. You're thinking of
lady"
And then it was that Tom propounded
his conundrums concerning lovely
woman.
"A plague on all the women" he
exclaimed, wrathfully, when he thought
he was out of hearing. But luck
frowned upon him, for he ran against
his elder sister, Kate, who didn't seem
at all Mortified at the words she heard.
She caught his arm, and, with broad
smile ripping over her face, said:
"Where are you going? back to the
Office? No, sir! not this evening"
Yes. ma am, this evening, and some
other evening, also. 1 have business to
attend to-"
"Couldn't you do it at home?''
Yes. might if"
elf Jenny wasn't here, you were 90
ing to say" said Kate, finishing the
sentence for him.
Tom was about to protest, but his
sister interposed with:
"Now, Tom, l want YOU to stay at
home this evening. We're going to
have several young friends call. and /
want you to be here Go up TO your
room and make yourself presentable.
There's good fellow
What could tie poor boy do but sub
NIT?
A couple of hours later q merry
group OF young persons were gathered
in Mr.. Hardys parlors. Tom had
dragged one OF the gentlemen into
corner, and was busily arguing with
him the possibilities of CARRYING the
Fourth Ward for Alderman brown,
His friend thought the chances were
about even, and Tom was about to
suggest some important measure when
Miss Jenny called out: