The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-05-29
A GAS-PIPE ROMANCE.
Why "Teddy Jones" Is Set
Against" Literary People.

s.Iiterary people Faugh! don't speak
of them. If there's any thing detest more
than another, it's q man or woman who
writes"
Hooked at my friend Teddy Jones and
smiled. What in the world could have
caused this outburst against the fraternity
to which it was the height Of my ambition
to belongl-and from Jonesl
Jones and literary people! What could
be more absurds Fancy it! Jones and
mon and women who spend their time
reading Emerson, wondering at Carlyle's
ssimmensities' and "eternities," and asking
how far George Eliot really went in her
following of Comtel The idea was SO pre-
posterousl
But / must introduce Teddy Jones. He
was in the dry-goods trade. Originally he
had been what people call counter
Jumper" Now he was the principal buyer
of one of our largest dry-goods ''enipori-
ums." Il quote Ted in using the word; it
But as for reading-certainly he had never
read any thing but a newspaper since / had
known him. His conversation-and he
was as garrulous as Tennyson's brook, go
ing on forever and forever, until some
strong. force usually reprimand from
his wife) stopped him-was always shout
one of three things, his business, the next
election, and what was going on at the
theaters What could Jones know about
literary people! Where had he ever met
any such, and what could he have had to
do with theml / was anxious to know,
and the only way to crafty my curiosity
was to ask. did ask. The first answer
got was a suppressed litter from Mrs.
Jones.
'Oh he'll tell the story fast enough" said
Ted's loving spouse, ''if you'll only listen, y
Lets have the story, by all MEANS" /
cried. ssif there is Oup.D
Jones looked half pleased half mortified.
Evidently there were features to the story
which disinclined him to its relation. Yet
between his own fondness for talking, his
wife's urging, and my evident interest in
what he had to tell, there seemed to be no
escape for him. After little more parley-
ing we both took cigars, and he began:
"You see, Bradford, was brought up to
trade"-as il every cubic inch of his body,
line of his face, the set of his collar, and
the fit of his trousers had not borne testi-
mony to that fact from the beginning.
''Never in the course of my life did have
anything to do with people who live by
their wits, take it. which means stealing,
or by their imaginations, which j have
since found out means writing, until had
got married and come to town to live.
"You must know that at that time was
not as well off as am now. Eliza and y
Ia theatrical gesture OF Ted's right arm
toward Mrs. Jones assured me that she was
in a clearinghouse.
svThe mansion in which we sought refuge
was kept by Mrs. Smith, and we arrived
at her establishment one evening just in
time for dinner.
when we stepped into the dining room
we saw long table with about a dozen
people ranged around it. First came Mr..
and Mrs. James Sterling, two sons and a
daughter-of no interest whatever. Then
there were two young men, clerks in a
neighboring drugstore: the last two were
utterly unimportant. But at the left hand
of one of them sat a young lady"
At this point Ted glanced at Mrs. Jones.
But apparently that bright little woman
had no idea of being jealous. She smiled
back at her husband.
"Well Bradford, if ever saw a beauti-
full woman, there was one. You know
cSu judge of women"
thought of Jones' experience behind the
counter, and assented.
'.Such blue eyes Such a head of golden
hairp' (Another surreptitious glance at
Mrs. Jones) ''Weil, / won't go on. She
was just the very model of that woman
with the baby up in your room.n
o dear! oh dear! That was the way in
which Jones alluded to my photograph of
Raphael's Madonna del Granduca
THE very moment looked at her began
to think of angels. But did not dare look
long, for there, right at her elbow, sat the
most hideOus old woman you ever saw in
your life. How could it be! Was that
dreadful old woman the mother of that
introduced us to Mrs. Marvin and her
daughter, Miss Emily Marvin. Oh! how
beautiful Miss Emily was when she lifted
her eyes! l actually felt my heart go pit
a-pat."
What woman Mrs. Jones wasl Even
this did not disturb her.
well. we had not sat at that table long
before began to feel that we were in an
atmosphere of romance. AT our landlady's
left hand, and just about as far from Miss
Emily as he could be put, sat young man.
He was handsome fellow, too His eyes
and hair were dark, and he had a strong,
solid look, as If he had been brought up in
the country. He was just the kind of man
I'd sell a bill of goods to and send them
home without any &. o. ID. mark. Our
landlady introduced him as Mr. William
Graham.
1T did not need very sharp pair of eyes
to discover that Mr.. Will Graham was in
love with Miss Emily. Eliza and / both
understood it fully before the evening was
out. When we got to our own room we
talked it over, and we also decided that the
two young people were very unhappy.
Eliza said il was because Miss Marvin's
mother was opposed to the match. had
not got quite as far as this, but in the course
of few days, when had seen consider
ably more of the young couple, / felt sure
''One day when came home from the
store little earlier than usual, Eliza said
to me, Ted, l think there is something very
mysterious about Miss Emily
"'What is itr l asked. st
why, she is always so preoccupied. /
spoke to her to-day at lunch. and she
answered me in such way that Ifelt sure
she didn't know in the least what had
said. Then she is always so busy Our
landlady asked her to go out for little
walk to-day, by way of recreation, and she
made some hurried excuse, saying she
couldn't go anywhere, she had so much to
do
Il told Eliza that women in boarding
houses were always hunting up mysteries
to gossip about. There was probably moth
ing more remarkable about Miss Emily's
,preoccupation than that she was busy over
some new dress, and couldn't make the
over-skirt fit. But the next night when
came home Eliza had a new story.