The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-03-29

frst part Of myu1ssasus came to . wel-
come end. II ieNA gfsss Impression on
slant dread Of fIling Il With Maggie !"
again. To syeidthis / availed myself Of
roats by 'bus 70 aud from my ofice,
which sntailed wAsse of time and . cold
in the head. Fok Maggie might be in
but scarcely on 1sbus, and the weather
was cold and oapficioua.
Miss Jackson Il almest the only lady I
know upon whom, / voluntarily make
calls. She il very old friend Of mine;
she In. in fact, ons of the few women in
whose company / do not feel shy. went
to see her about . fortnight after the epi-
sode of the hat The servant showed me
in without announcing my name. The
room was lighted only by the fire, and as
| walked in I heard voice that seemed
somewhat familiar finish narration with
these words: "Lackily he got out At the
next station, and / live in hope that I
shall never see him again"
Let me introduce Mr.. Garden to you.
Miss Henderson," said my hostess, who
had risen to reeaiye me. bowed in the
darkness, not without grave fears 10 to
the identity of Miss Henderson with the
Maggie of my adventure. However, that
may be, she uttered some usual common
phrase to which I replied: "Oh, yes -
jerkily, not being able to think Of any
thing more original on the spur of the
moment.
"Well," said Miss Henderson, after an
interval in which raked viciously round
my mind for q remark in vain, think
/ must be going. Where do you think /
put my hat before it got dark, Miss Jack
son? I've made disgracefully long
call; it was quite light when I came.'
Miss jackson lit q candle, while l
hunted desperately about for the miss
ing hat, not daring to look up at Miss
Henderson. At last / found it close be-
side me on low chair, with furry con-
trivance which, I have since learned, is
called boa. 1t was 80 close to me, in
deed, that to this day regard it as
special mercy that l had not sat upon it.
I picked up the hat aud the boa, and as I
stepped over with them / said, without
looking up, " this is your hat, believe"
Then 1 looked up, as was inevitable. Of
course, as you have guessed, Miss Hender-
son was the Maggie of the railway car
riage. / had just time to gee her flush
crimson before I lowered my eyes.
What happened before she left the room
l cannot say, as was practically uncon-
scious.
Well, after this l got desperate. 1t
was of no use, it seemed, to fly from this
hat and its wearer. abandoned my bus
route and patronized the Underground
again, haunted by the dread of seeing
Maggie, but sure that no amount of srata-
gen could long keep me from doing 80.
In the evening when had just got home
/ used even to imagine scenes in which /
had crushed and humiliated her by the
naughty politeness of my manner at a
chance meeting. [ can certainly confess
that the reccllectien of her face was con-
stantly very vivid, and that sometimes
visualized nit without any hat or frame
Of stuffed partition.
One fine morning about $50 was on
my way up to the office in q smoking car
riage. It was quite full of business men,
each with his paper and pipe. was en-
joying q cigarette in that state of semi
consciousness that the Underground fa-
vors when, just before the train left l
knew not what station, Maggie opened
the door. This is a smoking carriage"
remarked the man next the door, who
with the odious selishness of his sex re-
garded the entrance of . lady as the
violation of sanctuary. 81 am sorry"
Maggie answered, " bat there is no time
to find another. I will stand aud change
at the next station" had known that
it was Maggie before I looked up when
/ heard her voice at the door. The pro-
pinquity of no other being would have
accounted for the sudden aura that passed
over me. These nine dreadful, clean,
shaved and outwardly respectable city
men complacently sat and allowed Mag
gle to stand in the reking atmosphere
that they had contaminated with their
smoke. l am not man who loves to
push himself forward ON such occasions
as this, but could not take share in
such conduct. and after . seconds blush
ing I extricated myself from my neigh
bors and offered my seat by gesture of
the hand. It was not 80 to be; was
bound to speak, as Maggie was looking
at the window by the bar of which she
was holding. "Prsy take my seat," l
said, in q voice as gru6 and deep as l
could make it. "Thank you, Mr.. Cas-
den," Maggie replied, after startled re-
cognition at Is shame to deprive yoa
of It in smoking carriage" She bit her
lip and blushed, but took the vacant
place.
Isuppose stood there for some three
minutes in state of agony, conscious Of
having rebuksd the city men by nay act
and Of having once more obtruded, As It
were, my existence upon Maggie. At
the next station got out !; 30 did she
!" Mr.. Garden" heard her say close be-
hind me- What new torture was hooked
for, wondered but escape there was
none. 80 I turned and faced the foe, rails
ing my hat and no doubt looking much
surprised. "Mr. Carden," she said, I
wish to beg your pardon, ifyou please"
"Beg my pardon, Miss Mag-Miss
Henderson I mean," stammered.
"What on earth for?"
"You must know" Maggie answered,
studying the platform meanwile, that
have twice been very rude to You the
first time when disturbed you in the
train, and the second time when you over
heard me giving . vicious account Of
what happened then to Miss Jackson. /
made up my mind to apologize when and
where happened to meet you, and 1
hope that You win excuse me?" she
aueried. looking At me with beautiful
hut troubled face.