The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-02-13
THAT MITT."
Miss Alice's Cunning and Success.
full Device.
CHAPTER

u
portioned, blonde and mustached, stood
with watchful, albeit rather sleepy
looking eyes, near a crowded corner of
State Street in our busy, bustling. we'll
bepraised city. He was leaning. with
languid grace. peculiar to his kind,
against one of those aesthetic posts inn
pressed of late years into the postal
service of our country. and as he leaned
there he softly hummed q verse of
which the only audible words were
good night, ladies'"
The young and talented gentleman
here introduced tcas q gentleman.
courteous, brave and kind, and one of
fortunes favorite sons. He was also
the city editor of The Morning Scoop
emup. most brilliant and influential of
our city journals, and he was in that
particular place at this particular time
in patient search after that thing which
his soul loved--an items
The sun was shining with almost
southern intensity, and Sylvestre, who.
I should have told you, was of southern
birth, had only to close his eyes little
more than usual and stand near one of
Italia's palatial genealogical emporiums
to be transported. Aladdin-like, to his
childhood's home, had he so willed it.
In the throng Of pedestrians and the
hurrying Of vehicles this cynical young
man saw nothing that to his intelligent
eye was more than an oft-told tale. He
continued his observations from force
of habit, or. rather. from that in
stinct born with the rightful member of
the fourth estate. He stood las one
who slept and dreamed; all things to
him unreal seemed" when, 10! one of
those fortunes that favor the brave. A
rustling of silks, atapping of tiny boot
heels. gay but subdued chime of
charming laughter. bewildering
glimpse Of scarlet lips and eyes that
suggested black velvet. and black dia-
monds. all those distracting things in
fact that have disturbed the peace of
mon since Lilith. first beloved, dawned
on Adam. II was but moment. and the
vision had passed him before our hero
had fairly opened his eyes. His mind
was for once rippled, and like some
''inspired idiot" it feebly intermixed
girls and houris and other mythology
cal absurdities. Had he, the ubiq,iit-
Gus reporter for long. long days and
weeks. who had worn out innumerable
pairs of shoes tramping the city from
end to end uutl his present dignity
was fairly won-could he have dwelt
within knowledge Of that thing of love-
illness and failed to make her his by
right of discovery Out with the
thought! She must be stranger, per-
haps Peri from the gate of Eden wan
dering disconsolate.
In fact, the passers-by were two very
goodlooking Chicago girls (they would
have been rare beauties elsewhere), but,
by the bow of Cupid. one had he seen.
and only one, and she had fired his
Southern soul. He started forward In
time to catch the last glimmer of silk
as she passed into the dry goods palace
on the corner, then with sigh was
sinking back into his old, restful posi-
ton (Sylvestre was born tired), when,
oh. rapture! there at his feet lay adainty
kid mitten!
"'Sdeathr' CSdeath. oh, uninitiated
into the mysteries of newspaperdom,
is the customary ejaculatory utterance
of the well.formed newspaper man of
the nineteenth century,
'Sdeath" he calculated. It was
hers. Instinct told him that He seized
it with even more avidity then If it had
been an item, and with heart exultingly
beating, he hastily followed the ladies
into the busy hive. where people were
packed like pickles in a Jar" Up
stairs and in the basement; glowerinp
at the cash-boys and forgetting to smile
on the lady clerks, from aisle to aisle,
he pursued his fruitless search, forget
full of the fact that it was corner store
with doors on two streets. Exhausted
with such labors and the heat of the
day, he muttered a-vocabulary word,
and reluctantly abandoned the search,
pocketed his precious find" and be-
took himself to his Office, here to seek
forgetfulness in his accustomed way.
The next morning in the columns of
the paper whose staff he so brilliantly
ornamented, appeared conspicuously
this Legends
wANTED-1he lady who yesterday lost on
State Street, near -, red stitched fur
trimmed, fieece-iined Kid mitt viii confer a
favor on the finder by sending the other one
to x %. Daily Scoopemup.
CHAPTER II.
Pretty Miss Alice Bingham, in her
own especial room next morning, sitting
bolt upright. with stare of astonish-
ment, read the above modest request
Alice was child of wealth, fashion and
refinement, hut she had brother. and
in. her moment OF surprise, we regret to
say, her language was modelled In thst
of this near relative. She said, with
emphasis. too: well. he has q gallr'
Suddenly she leaned back in her chair,
and peal after peal of laughter fioated
around her beautiful room.
How successfully this fair fisher of men
had baited her hook and caught her fish
will be seen further on. Having laughed
10 her hearts content she unused q mo-
ment then rose, attired herself to 20
forth conquering and to conquer, and
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