The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-06-27
Ana Incident OGTrnvel.

Nlght before last, alter had regis
tered at the hotel and been assigned
"the last room in the house, use
the language Of the hotel cIerk-I
went into the dining room to tea.
After | had reganed my confidence
among strangers, and curled myself
up in as abject a manner as possible
in the presence Of the head waiter, |
began to look around me foran oppor-
tunity to beam on some unprotected
woman with my sunny smile. 1t is
not my custom while travelling to
smile on one in whose heart II hope
might spring up to be dashed to earth
by my departure. Ii have caused
pain in that way | did not intend to
do SO. | can joke and carry on and
have real good time, but ! do not
wish to inspire in any breast IL hope
which may be blasted, ah, alas! too
soon.
1t was not long before | discovered a
beautiful blonde Of the female sex at
the farther end of the room beneath
the chandelier. Her skin seemed to
be of a delicate sea-shell color, and
her hair was corn colored, Her
clothes also were entirely new, |
should judge, and made especially for
her. On her finger she wore a dia-
mond ring with perfect ease. She
knew just how to work that finger in
order to get the most possible glitter
out of her diamond. Every little
while / would look over and revel in
her beauty, and | thought that she
was not entirely insensible to my
charms. Still, she looked at me in a
kind of half reproachful manner,
which gave me the idea that l did
not know whether it was intentional
or not.
All that evening she was in my
mind. J dreamed that night that !
swooped down upon her and carried
her away to the remotest boundaries
of the world in special car The
next morning | awoke hungry, for
didn't eat much supper the evening
before. | went down to breakfast
waiting and fooling away my time
hoping that she would come while
was at breakfast and would
fill myself up with the beautiful yisior
and cup of coffee.
Anon she came. She sailed into
the room with calm disdain and ar
air of hduteur, and such things as that
The head waiter waved his hand likt
II self-acting duke in a theatre, ant
gave her II seat at my table A thrill
passed up through my graceful anC
delicately-moulded spinal column
and | laid down the vulgar sausage
with which | was about to feed my
self when she dawned upon me.
/ ventured then to look across tn
table at her in the full glare Of tn
newborn day. (Stereoscopic view
of this last sentence will be forwarde,
to any address at 81 per glare.) Tn
first thing that | discovered was tha
she hadn't put her sorrel wig Of
straight. 1t was little higher o.
one ear than the other which gay
her the mir Of young man who ha
overmonkeyed with the flowing bow
This showed the casual spectator
glimpse OF her own moth-eaten, sag
brush hair peeping out like the fade
tail on an old buffalo robe.
Then | knew that we could nevt
: be more to each other than friend
> Her nose was red also, and she hadn
: been properly kalsomined. In til
hurry of dressing she had missed hC
nose with the powder-rag, and tn;
organ-meaning, of course, the nos
not the powder-rag-loomed up r.
! bust and purple in the ghastly was
J of cheek bones and other osseous 70
II nations.
All, what a pain it gave me to st
Il my beautiful vision fade thus hefol
my eyes! Then | thought how hG
u smiled upon her the evening befor
and how, perhaps, new hope hG
" sprung up in her heart, and feart
that when she knew it was all ov
II between us the shock, at her time
Z life, might kill her.
: left my hot pancakes, with Il
\ maple syrup all over them, and file
Out into the din, the hurry and Il
tireless rush Of the mad, mad worl
trying to stiae the memory Of tn
q broken heart. Should she see the
a lines | hope she will not think bite
'k ly OF me, | still admire her as we
preserved ruin, but love in such
S. case would be hollow mockery