The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-04-10
MY NIECE CICELY.
A Girl Not to be Thrown at ANY
Mans Head"

Ego to 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
did not go to sit among the ghosts. The
greatest ghost of all is good Seur Often
backs whose gay spirit ruled the boards
in my old times of mirth That is a long
time ago.
But that is beside the question. I stopped
at the foot of the inanity steps last
night, for saw the face of man knew
coming to me through the crowd on the
sidewalk. 1t was Robert Martin. His ell
bows were stuck out somewhat. He wore
a short English topcoat and he plunged
along at that knock-kneed iope which is
now thought generally necessary to the
social salvation of young men. He plunged
past me with half nod, and was about
to enter the theater when he stopped sud
denly, turned and came back and touched
me on the shoulder 80, l say, old man.
be said, lis that true that your niece
that Miss Draper, mean-is engaged
There was little flush on the young
mans cheeks and his stammer was not his
usual fashionable stammer | smiled and
said mo, Robert, she is not dead, and
she is not wed, nor likely to be, and per-
haps you remember the rest of the line"
know exactly how to go further, for | did
not want to appear as an ambassador from
my niece Cicely, even if had been one,
which was not. Finally l concluded my
broken sentence by saying as kindly as
could without dropping at the same time
a conventional tone, II would straighten
chat matter out, Robert, if | were you.n
Robert had completely regained his form
while had been talking, ''Ah, that's very
kind, old man, very kind" he said, in the
same tone as il he had been acknowledging
the surrender of the last cab to be had on
wet night. II just wanted TO know, you
know-member Of your family-anything
about you, you know, matter of interest.
Good night
He buttoned up his coat, switched his
cane, and, giving me another half nod, was
off again. You unmannerly young
brute" 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 a pair
of terra Gotta gloves under an English top
coat as a Spartan boy who covers the fox
gnawing at his vitals under his Lacede-
monian cloak! II is simply 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 malevolence
or the stupidity of fate. knew, too, that
the smart of it, revived by the story about
my niece Cicelv, 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. a
1t is a little strange to me that Cicely
should have made the mistake about Rob
ert that's she did, for they used to play to-
gether in Rittenhouse square when they
were forty inches high, and once, having
strayed outside the ratings and into the
territory of the B9otians, 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. do
not wonder that Robert has that feeling
fOr my niece that makes the gentlest
wound from her harder TO bear and slower
70 heal than the savagest stab from other
hands. There is all that old childish rela-
ton, and besides it is rather the fashion
involuntarily for all the young men know
TO be, or TO have been, or to be about to be,
desiring introduction, in love with my
niece. A mau does not generally like hie