The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-30

times, choking up her pretty throat with stiff
necktie but her throat was SO soft it made you
laugh to see it. Then she had notion one time
of running her hands into her sack pockr
sOfa-that way But you'd have laughed
it was SO round; she couldn't
square off at the elbow to save her. She had o
dimple, tool liked that And she had the big
gest eyes you ever see blue eyes. She was al
ways laughing, Annie was. And when saw her
put on those little ways. those mans ways
tell you of. didn't scold her. Mebbe I'd ought
to; but couldn't, for it amused me. / used to
think Of when played house MP country, when
was little shaver, with some other young one,
and if she was girl young one maybe she'd say:
We'll take turns I'll play husband this time
AS if Annie was up to some such game There
wasn't much man in my girl. No
Nor she wasn't that way so much to me, I'd
have you understand. see it more with other
folks She was different with me. That was
what liked about it. She'd treat them other
men as If she was another fellow But she kept
company with me. She kept company with me
like she girl.
Now the time I speak of was this time. Tt
was in winter come January, two years ago. 1t
had been a very cold winter, if you remember
1t wasn't q lineman's winter, you better believe
1t come hard on US. But it come toughest on
the trouble men. I'll tell you about that when
/ get to it. We'd had great deal of snow and
blow. There'd been power of sleet. They'd
kept me pretty busy.
Maybe it was along of being buster than
usual and of not seeing her quite so regular that
Annie and him made up 80 far l thought so
afterwards. Girls like bein' remembered Of
Lord knows I never forgot her-used to wish
could. But there's one thing I've noticed about
girls They want to be told things-they're that
way. There's another thing seems if their
minds was insulated on the subject of business;
they don't make connections ON it. Seems as
if they thought man could earn his bread and
butter maxim love- If it come this way, SOS l
was on duty and he was off, he'd run over there
Then he boarded pretty nigh her. She lived in
East Boston. lived in Russell street. myself
with my married sister. She's wilder lady,
and my board helped her along He had chances
against me Of running in by spells. Come to
think of it afterwards, guess he made the most
of 'em.
Now, this time tell you of I was going to
take her to the theayter. She was very fond of
the theayter and I'd said we'd 60 first evening /
could fix il. So it was to be of Wednesday or
Saturday, and if l couldn't let her know-her
being in East Boston, was to do the best 1
could her being ready to go one OF them two
nights quite agreeable, and me tc cali for her.
So, of Wednesday, couldn't 60, for my chief
he sent me out tracing trouble under Charles
river bridge, for wire was down from the ice
that bothered US considerably and Il was to
work late, and drenched though-and it was
tarnation cold-and when got home to Russell
street, and got my supper, and into dry close.
and decent to show myself to her it was going on
to o'clock, so I had to put it off. So it come
Saturday night, and got ready early, for it was
a mild night and pleasant. and was in hurry
and hurried over to East Boston, and l felt
happy the way a man does when he's going to
his girl, for / hadn't seen her since Monday. and
il seemed to me as if it was good while.
So when got there to her fathers house-for
her father is a stone-cutter in Digger and Down
ses marble-yard, and he does steady business
and brought her up most partkkeler, and sent
her through the grammar school and talked
Tt~xo met
only for marrying of a step mother that Annie
didn't like, don't knows I ever blamed her for
she had the neurology done up in flannel band
ages of a gray color like to make you wish she
wasn't there-when / got to her fathers house
this night tell you, to take my girl to the theay-
ter-ma'am, she wouldn't 60 with me.
"rm obliged to you" she says, "but amt a.
going. don't feel like it."
But I've got the tickets" says I, for she'd
never spoke like that to me before. Its the
play you said-its the Pearl of the Neckte Fac
tory" For she had shine to see the pearl of
the Necktie Factory" it had run a hundred
nights; she'd talked about 1t sight, and so
I'd got the tickets give dollar for them two
tickets.
ssWhy, what's the matter. Annie4" says I. for
she didn't say much to me. 'What ails you,
dear2'
She was sitting on the sofa in her fathers
sitting room for her step-mother was scolding of
the baby in the front chamber, and we was by
ourselves
So she turned her pretty head and looked at
me and then she looks away. Seems as If she
did and didn't Seems as if she would and
wouldn't Seems as il she should and shouldn't
the way woman does.
'You didn't come a Wednesday" SO she says
to me-"
~ couldn't come on Wednesday," says I to
her, 81 done my best. You'd ought to know it.
| was clearing trouble under Charles river
bridge. done the best could"
all oho wa n WadnaSdaV I've
seen the play. I've seen the Pearl of the Neck
tie Factory and don't knows care to see it
again." she says "You could have come if you'd
tried hard" she says. "a smart fellow like you
see?) he can do thing IL he set out to"
"There's one thing" says I, very slow, for l
was that cut. there's one thing the smartest
man can't do; he can't make a girl reasonable, if
she won't be-"
IF it's so bad as that, says she, II wouldn't
waste your vallyble time sitting here Maybe
you can spend it better says she, land SO can
l. sir"
And up she gets and leaves the sofy, and off
she goes up stairs.
.You'll be SO polite as to excuse me-" she says,
my step-mother desires me to scold the baby
for her this evening on account of her neurology
having struck to her brains.
''You went to the theater with Charley Scat
tergoodw cries I, like that.
II amt that bound to you not to go with who
please" she says, nor won't be in hurry
neither"
Ma'am, they seem little things to get between
man and the girl he liked Don't think they
ever did seem so small as they do now come to
tell 'em. If it had been a big thing I'd have
known what to do with it-something like run
away horse, or an avalanche, or a fellow could
have hit. something like that But 1t wasn't
nothing but that little thing-the way girls
mind worked. I'm big fellow you see; but ali
my muscle wasn't good for that! against that
strange small pretty creature in the working Of
her mind l could have carried her in these
here arms from Boston to San Francisco; could
have climbed to the top of seventy five foot
telegraph pole with her and held her there in a
thunder storm-but there / set like baby on
the sofy. beaten by the working of her mind.
got my hat and left. There wasn't nothing
else to do. got my hat and cleared, and out
into the street, and there walked and walked.
l was raging mad. / was mortal hurt. / went
from mad to hurt aud back again from hurt to