The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-06-20
AN INCIDENT OF TRAVEL.


 Night before last, after had registered a, the hotel and been assigned the last room in the house - use the language of the hotel clerk-l vent into the dining room to tea.
 Alter had reEained my confidence among strangers, and curled myself up in as ablect manner as possible in the presence of the head wai,er, began to look around me for an opportunity 10 beam on some unprotected woman with my sunny smile. IL is no, my custom while travelling to smile on one in whose heart a hope might spring up to be dashed to earth by my departure. If l have caused pain n that way did not intend to do so. l can joke and carry on and have real good tune but do not wish to inspire in any breas, hope which may be blasted, ah, Aias 100 socn.
 !: was ncs 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 Selieate sea shell color and her hait was corn -olored Her clothes also were en- ,irely new, should judge, and made es- pecsaily for her. On her h5ger she wore a diamond ring with perfect ease. She knew just how to work tha; finger ID or der 10 get the most possible glitter out of her diamond. Every little while would look over there and revel in her beauty, and though, that she was not entirely in- sensible to my charms. Still, she looked at me in a kind of half rtproachful mauneT, which gave ne he idea ,ha, l did not know whether 1t vas intentiona al or not
 All that evening she vas in my mind dreamed that ni ght that swooped down upon her and earned her away 10 ,he re notes, boundaries of the world in a spe cial car. The next morning awoke hungry, for didn't eat much supper the evening before. went down to break. fast. wAiting and fooling away my time, hoping that she would come while I was myself up with the beanuful vision and a cup of coffee.
 Anon she came. She sailed into the room with calm disdain and an air oi Eaatray. and such things as that The head waiter waved his hand like a self acting duke i, a theatre, and gave her a seat a, my table. A thrill passed up through my graceful and delicately- moided spinal colur a, and laid dosn the vulg ar sausage with which was abou, to feed myself when she dawued upon me
 ventured then to look across the ta- ble at her in the full glare of the new born day. (Stereoscoplc views of this las, sentence will be forwarded to any address 2. sI per giarel The first thing that discovered was that she hadn't pu. her yellow wig on straight. It was lit- tle higher on one ear than the other, which gave her the air of young m an who has overmonkeyed with the flowing bowl This showed to the casual specta- tor a glimpse of her own raoth-eaten, sage brush hair peeping out like the taded tail on an old buffalo robe.
 Then ] knew that we could never be more to each other than fl ends. Her nose was red also, and she had not been properly kalsomined. In the hurry oe dressing she had missed her nose with the powderrag, and that orean-mean- ing, of course, the nose, not the powder. rag-loomed up robust and purple in the ghastly waste of cheek bones and other osseous formations
 An. what pain if gave me to see my beautiful vision fade thus before my eyes. Then thought how had smiled upon her the evening before, and how, perhaps, a new hope had sprung up in her heart, and feared that when she knew it was all over between us the shock, at her time ot life. might kill her.
 left my hot pancakes, with the maple syrup all over them, and Sed- Or, into the din, the hurry and the sireless rush of the mad, mad world, trying to s,iHe the memory of that broken heart Should she see these lines hope she will not think bitterly of me stIll admire her as a weil-preserved ruin, but love in such a case would be hollow mockeEy.