The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-01-31
THE AMERICAN GENTLEMAN WITH
THE MOIST EYE.

The AMERICAN GENTLEMAN WITH
THE MOIST EYE.
He was a tall, lean, square-shouldered
man, whose rather fine head had a
plaintiye droop on the chest, as he sat
there wrapped in abstraction. There
was a 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 high, 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. I re-
member how, as / looked at him, there
required to me the memory of some of
Bret Harte's characters-"Kentuck,"
fer instance, or ssTennessee's 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 ssTasmanian,n 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, l moved to
Ou6 VI Iuo CGuBIdl BdUlcS lOI d Cldb WILL
a friend and his wife. 1t. was opposite
to the latter where was seated the tall,
lean man with the dropping head and
moist eye.
1 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 hadinter-
est for her. and 1 suppose the glance
revealed to him some expression ofthat,
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 n%ervously 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, ST guess when
you look across the table you see a
mighty soft fool. Yes, madam (re-
fiectively), 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, l he'd gotten down
bAOtO W Oyuucy duu dulllIeu w 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 l 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
sin l took her from her mother
seven years back. Guess you'll start
out a laughin' right in my face when /
tell you as / never slep'd a 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 galoot was in the
steamboat Office, buying a ticket home
to the little woman by the next steamer.
My 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 cussin' myself for the darnedest
tizzle as ever left the port of San Fran
cisco. But | don't go back on it-not
a nickel; no, SIR" fixing me rather
with that wonderfully eloquent blue
eye), ''no, sir, I don't weaken on it,
not one continental. Fac" with a
little burst OF shy radiance that some
how reminded mi of a rainbow), "Fm
kinder proud on i'll"
Then his eyelids fell, the head went
down on the breast, and he slid into a
reverie, the wistful sweetness of which
was to be discovered in the face. Ou1
lady murmured a 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 wher
moved. But the moist-eyed mar
seemingly neither heard nor heed.
ed. Her husband, a blunt Colonist
threw out a vaguely malicious hint tina
the little woman in Frisco might moi
welcome with exuberant rapture this
precipitate and premature return of hel
lord, who, indeed, might find her very
much not at home (the gentleman is O.
Irish extraction). But IS little did oul
Vts-d-Uts heed the jibe. He sat the very
presentment of happy abstraction.
The man interested me, and l did mo-
lose him in the general ruck of passen,
gers. Later the same evening he gave
me a surprise. 1 found him in the
smoking-room, a glass of grog on the
table in front of him, a little circle O.
eager disputants around him; he him,
self voluble, argumentative, and in.
deed vociferous. He was on politics
American politics. A Republican, O.
course, to the corr of the marrow. Yes
he had been an office-holder, he had
held a position in the San francisco
customs during Garfield's administra
ton. and had gotten .'fred OUT wher
Arthur's Presidency had given the cal
to the Stalwarts. But this was a mere
incident. What he wanted to discuss
were general principles. To believe
for a moment, forsooth, that the Demo
cratic ticket would carry the next Pres.
idential election! Why, he'd take the
stump himself to burst the head of thai
barl in! He'd been on the stump be
fore-and SO on usque al nausean
Hewas constituting himself a nuisance
especially to the British and Australian
section of the smoklng-room, which
numerically was greatly in the ascen
dant; and so we hooted him down, witt
threats that he would be turned out i
he didn't quit ''those COMPOUNDED
American politics."
He subsidized, and drank his grog il
silence thenceforth. 1 noticed a Iittl,
Chicago drummer with a yellow mus
tache, deliberately ''taking i'm thu
gentleman with the moist eye-it wa.
moister now, as the two a confronting
each other, and at length the drummel
moved across and took a place next tt
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 a trowel-by having
the others glass replenished. The