Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-12-02
From the New York News.]
THE DRAMA OF A DAY.

gree, had a balance at my bankers.
The blue blood of the Knickerbockers
coursed through her veins. By an
uncles legacy was the proprietor of
patent hair dye.
had but one secret from her. 1t
was the hair dye!
She had importuned me many g.
time and oft to reveal TO her the pro-
fession which supplies her in lavish
excess with bracelets, bouquets and
bonbons.
answered evasively. I told her [
was something in the city,
She WINGED even at that. The blood
of the Knickerbockers curdled at the
mention of trade. What would it
have done had I revealed the truth?
Ny beloved Alicia had never been to
Monmouth Park, and never did she
express desire but at once FASTENED
to crafty it. | would have had a
special race on purpose for her had 1t
been necessary.
However, to my disappointment, l
was not to be privileged to escort her.
She had made other arrangements.
In point of fact, g. horrible cousin,
with g, big brown mustache, from q
place in Maine with an unpronounce-
able name, was to drive a party of
ladies and gentlemen to the park in
his drag, and had invited her.
She accepted, though there was no
seat for me. However, they asked
me to join them on the course and
share the luncheon provided in honor
of the occasion.
L fatter myself there was not a
neater dressed man at the railway
station that day than the writer of
this melancholy narrative.
A word about my personal appear
ance. [ am OF medium height; / am a
blonde; my hair Is straw-colored and
Ipart it in the middle; my eyes are a
shade darker than my hair, and I am
near-sighted. On this account / wear
pince-nez. I amnot as q rule account
ed muscular.
In a gray suit, with q light overcoat,
q red tie with diamond pin, white
hat, and a narrow black band-even
without the rose in my button-hole-I
datter myself there was never Knick-
erbocker of them all who could
have found fault with my personal
appearance.
Preached the park an hour or more
before the time when [ was to meet
the drag, and, in order to enter thor
oughly into the sporting spirit of the
day, | backed horse for one of the
minor events.
had no knowledge of horsefesh,
nor did | understand the manner in
which the money was customarily
risked upon a race. but an obliging
gentleman with husky voice and a
placard in his hat to the effect that he
was Blank, of Albany, undertook to
instruct me.
My horse won To this day have
never been able to understand how or
why-I most devoutly wish he had
done nothing of the kind. 1t was the
cause of all my subsequent Woe
asked Mr. Blank, of Albany. if he
would please pay me the money which
was my due, and Mr.. Blanks reply
was rude. urged that should really
like to have it, whereupon ne put the
stool on which he had been standing
beneath his arm and walked rapidly
away. I followed, and again asked
him to give me the money.
He replied that if / followed him he
would give me all l wanted, and per-
haps something more. was UMPIRE
pared for such generosity, but ofcourse
1 followed him, fancying he was taking
me to his home-or his bankers.
When we had left the grand stand far
behind and had reached q distant and
'unfrequented part of the park, with
out provocation on my part he gave
me a sudden blow behind the ear which
knocked me senseless.
How long lay in that little hollow,
shaded by a few gorse bushes [ have
no idea; but when recovered / found
that all my new garments, my button
hole, my diamond pin, my purse,
my watch-everyth ing-had vanished.
The suit, only home from the tailor's
the previous night, had disappeared,
but with kind consideration for my
feelings the thief, whoever he might
have been, had left behind some
remarkable looking clothes, the
like of which I had never seen before.
mony. I was penniless and shivering.
10 meet my adored Alicia was out of
the question. My only idea was to
ge6 home to my Long Branch lodgings
with all possible speed, but when, on
closer inspection, l discovered the gar
ments left in exchange for those which
had been my morning pride, consisted
OF one OF those spangled suits-and an
old one at that-in which acrObats
are accustomed to go through their
:gynnastlc exercises, you may perhaps
imagine what my feelings were.
put 1T on. 1t did not even fit well
Fancy the misery and shame felt at
the knowledge that l had to walk to
Long Branch thus attired Luckily
the robber had left me my pince-nez,
or / should not have been able to see
q yard ahead, but even as crooked
them on my nose could not help
fancying they were rather out of char
acter.
| thought of spending the day in
.concealment among the bushes and