Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-08-21
A TALE OF RUE.

night express bound eastward over the
Old Colony road, perhaps there was
not one more thoroughly used up than
John Coleman, Esq, of the law firm
OF Coleman & Riggs, Ashland, Massa-
chusetts. From the morning of Nov
smber !, when be had started for San
Francisco, till the evening of this De-
sember I, he had been constantly on
The wing. TO aggravate his fatigue,
the trip, in a business view, had been
highly unsatisfactory, # not unneces-
sary.
But as lie drew nearer home his
scowl vanished, and the lines about
his firm mouth sottened. Stretching
his long suffering limbs across the
seat, he spread the Evemlng Journal
between his aching eyes and the glare
of the bobbing lamps. and INDUCED in
tender speculations. How would Rue
look when he appeared before her
next morning, two days earlier than
he had promised? She mi ght be wat
ering her plants in the bay window,
and he would walk in nonchalan,ly, as
if he had left her the evening before,
and say, Good morning, Rue and
she would drop her watering-pot and
rush toward him, all smiles and
bushes, crying, Oh, john! John! how
glad l am to see you! how I've missed
you''
Dear, warm-heartcd, impulsive little
Rue! She certainly was fond of him.
He wished he had never been such a
brute as to reproaeh her about Mr..
Lypde. lie was convinced now that
she had not really cared for the fellow.
She had not only been cordial with
him in her free, girlish way. What
charming, inimitably WAYS she had!
The lovers reverie merged into a
dream. Mr.. Coleman was unconscious
of the Stacking up OF the train at B.,
and Of the entrance OF two young gen
tlemen into the seat in front; but the
name of Miss Rue Haywood, spoken
almost in his ear, aroused him like an
electric shock.
mir. Lvnde is bewitehed with her,
that's plain" continued the voice.
''He is having a Tine time out of Cole.
mans absence"
''Pluperfect, saA an answering
voice. They say Miss Rue wouldn't
mind Coleman's taking himself Oft for
good
Hes IN able man. You know there
is talk of running him for congress-
"Oh, yes; mes dig, and all that;
but hos crotchety old fellow. Makes
Miss Rue walk Spanish, hear BY
the way, how are she and Mr.. Lynde
coming on with the operettap I had
to rnt Ia st rcha4rsnj n
''Famously. Miss Rue's solo will
bring down the house. Lynde thinks
the entertainment will root up at least
one hundred dollars toward the new
organ. He is jubilaut. / believe that
instrument comes next to Miss Rue in
his affections. Can't l,e get the music
out of it, though? Halloo, here's
Ashlandr'
Wincing beneath his newspaper,
Mr.. Coleman had recognized the voices
as those of two college students re-
turning from the lecture at b.
Forgetful at last of travel-staln, wear
mess and headache, he waited till the
youths had left the car, then walked
out at the opposite end, his whole en-
erSies enyrossed in weighing the evil
dence SO gratuitously afforded. How
far could he rely on current gossip?
What attitude should he assume
toward Rue? Morning found him I'M
decided. He must be governed by
Kue's own manner. AS O test of her
feelings toward him he would ask her
for his sake to withdraw from the
operetta. If she loved him she would
DO this cheerfully. If she would not
do it-Mr. Coleman had not provided
for the latter contingency when Bird
get ushered him into Mr.. Haywood s
parlor. Miss Rue and Mr.. Lynde were
practicing 4 duet for the operetta,
both too wrapt to observe the intruder
"A fact inexplicable on musical
grounds to poor Mr.. Coleman, who
did not know the notes apart, or care
to know them. According to his in
ference, the young people were ab-
sorbed in each other, and he was OFT in
limbo. Under these circumstances it
may not be strange that his face, that
instant sped by Miss Rue, was not the
face of an amiable man. 1t promptly
reminded MIR. Lynde of a waiting pu-
pill, and having congratulated Mr.:
Coleman on his safe return, he hustled
his music under his arm and departed
in haste. - .@.~
Miss Rue wheeled the big easy-chair
in front of the CRATE, playfully forced
her sullen sutton into it, and perched
herself on it's arm to hear about his
journey. Had he been i'll? Mop Then
he must be fearfully tired. She knew
his head ached. Shouldn't she try to
magnetic it and put him to sleep?
No, he preferred that she should
not. He had kept his eyes closed too
long already. 3Es8'
AS well might q zephyr have at
tempted to pet an iceburg. With q
shiver Miss Rue slipped from her
perch, and seated herself with her
work in a neighboring rocker. What
had come over JOhnP She had never
seen him like this before. He did not
seem a bit glad to meet her. He
turned away from the distractlng VS.
ion, mentally preparing his brief.
this astute hwyer, as ignorant OF the
nature Of Girl as an elephant OF the
structure OF q rose. Presently he be-
gan about the festival He admitted
that Rue had once confded to him her
intention OF participating il an oper-.
eta, but he had supposed an oPeretta
TO be something like an oratorio, not
a iumblisg 81 silly love songs. Did
she think II becoming il herself, an n
engaged young lady, to carol amor
Gus ditties from morning 70 night with
a tuneful swain 81 n. 4
8 .sEhev ara 81 bnrlesnI,es. John. only