The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-04-08
MY NIECE CICELY.
A Girl Not to be Thrown at Any
Mans Head"

/ go to a light opera sometimes to sit
among the ghosts. They are the ghosts of
those that sang and those that heard, and
of what was sung and what was heard when
1 did not go to sit among the ghosts. The
greatest ghost of all is good Sieur Often
backs, whose gay spirit ruled the boards
in nv old times of mirth. That is long
time ago.
But that is beside the question. l stopped
at the foot OF the inanity steps last
night, for saw the face of a man knew
coming TO me through the crowd on the
sidewalk. 1t was Robert Martin. His ell
bows were stuck out somewhat. He wore
q short English topco2t and he plunged
along at that knock-knrad lope which is
now thought generally necessary to the
social salvation of young men. He plunged
past me with half a nod, and | was about
TO enter The theater when he stopped sud
denly, turned and came back aSd touched
me on the shoulder 20. | say, old man -
he said. lis that true that YoEr niece
that Miss Draper, Imean-is engag ad!''
There was a little flush on the Young
mans cheeks and his stanmer was lot his
usual fashionable Stammer. l smiled and
said: No, Robert, she is not dead, and
she is not wed, nor likely to be, aud per-
IL was delicate matter and | did not
know exactly how to go further, for | did
not want TO appear as an ambassador from
shy niece Cicely, even if had been one,
which was not. Finally l concluded my
broken sentence by saying as kindly as l
could, without dropping at the same time
a conventional tone, Il would Stral ghten
that matter out, Robert, if l were you"
Robert had completely Tegained his form
while had been talking, "Ah, that's very
kind, old man, very kind he said, in the
same tone as If he had been acknowledging
the surrender of the last cab to be had On a
wet night. Il Just wanted to know, you
know-member of your family-anything
about YOU, you know, matter of interest.
Good night
lie buttoued up his coat, switched his
cane, and, giving ME another half nod, was
OFF again. You unmanBerly young
brute, 4" said to myself, and then smiled
quite cOmpaSSionately, think. For why
should not a man have the same credit for
buttoning up a gaping wound with pair
OF terra Gotta gloves under an English top
coat as a Spartan boy who covers the fox
gnawing at his vitalS under his LacedR-
monian cloak? 1t is simply q question Of
times, manners. costumes. / knew that the
wound under Roberts topcoat was wide
and deep, and inflicted in a manner that
makes us believe either in the malevolcnce
or the stupidity of fate. knew. too, that
the smart of it, revived by the story about
my niece Cicely, had sent him after me to
my club and thence after me to the theater.
His ideas of form and the necessity of
self-repreSSion had made him try on me
that shallow ruSe of chance encounter
and query.
It is a little strange to me that Cicely
should have made the mistake about Rob
gether in RittenhouSe square when they
were forty inches high, and once, having
strayed outside the ratings and into the
territory of the Buotians, beyond the
western end of Delaney place, Robert
gave battle to the barbarians for her sweet
sake. and brought her safely off with a
bloody nose to his own account. Doubtless
they had lovers quarrels then and kissed
and were friends without being child. l do
not wonder that Robert has that feeling
for my niece that makes the gentlest
wound from her harder to bear and slower
20 heal than the savagest stab from other
hands. There Is all that old childish rela
ton, and besides it is rather the fashion
inyoluntarily for all the young men know
to be, or to have been, or to be about to be
desiring introduction, in love with nv
niece. A man does not generally like his
relatives, but am very fond of Ciceley.
SIN told that she is a very impressive
woman, and part of her charm lies in the
fact that she is sort of q bugaboo &c
youn- men, with whose foohshneSs she ha:
no pr tience. Patience she has none fol
me, and says that am a trivial old child
when laugh at her new fads and notion:
about music, art, philosophy and what not
for all book theories seem very absurd K
nae. who find all my knowledge OF men II
streets and honses, and to whom art mat
tiers are matters of amusement and not th'
peine forte and dure that people make O
chem nowadays with their struggles K
comprehend all the various masters"
do not know whether or not Robert took |
real interest in the things that interested
} her that summer six years ago at Alexan
dria Bay. He may have done so, for b