The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-08-31
A Middle Aged Romance.

rather rotound elderly person, with
n wide waistcoat and q choleric tenn
per. Indeed, this choleric temper was
his most prominent characteristic he
was always %quarreling with the
postman, and accusing him of tam
perjag with his mail, and he was con
SANITY changing his butcher by rea-
son Of al unpleasant habit he had of
returning cooked roasts which were
not tcIder, and demanded that his
money be refunded. He was also
constantly engaged in a fiery contro-
versy with somebody o r other and
threatening to them overhauled
by the board of public works, or the
Legislature-and he wrote many in
dignant letters to the newspapers
signed Citizen" Taxpayer" or
"Veritas." | confess that | used to
be awfulIy afraid of Mr.. Dobbins,
and when Charlie and l
were first engaged I would
walk squares out of my way to avoid
him, but fortunately he was very
busy just then proving to council that
somebody or other was an infamous
scoundrel. SO he only called us a pair
of young fools, which a very mild
condemnation indeed for him. Some
how | always thought Mr.. Dobbins
was an old bachelor, even when he
was q little boy, until one day about
a year ago, my cousin Kate came
over in 81 great state of excitement.
"Well, Grace Royson, l have some
thing to tell YOU" she began as she
bounced into n rocking chair.
"Has Charlie been smoking those
horrid cigarettes?" | asked.
Charlie, indeed" said Kate, un-
kindly; I'm not always thinking
about Charlie. No--old Miss Susan
Thayer has been spending the day
with us"
"Ohl" l groaned in sympathy.
"And she told us that Mr.. Dobbins
and Aunt Grigson used to be en-
gagged" went onKate
"Well, l never, said l, without re-
gard to grammar.
"Ofcourse not, nor anybody else
but he must have been just as quar-
relsome then as he is now, for it was
broken off three times-once because
she wanted to be married in blue,
and once because she assisted at a
church fair"
1.-THE idea," l said. "Charlie and
once didn't speak for ten days be-
cause l would take the bag booth at
our church fair"
eyes, and the third time Miss Susan
wasn't sure, but she thought it was
because Aunt Grigson expressed a
preference for bakingpowder, instead
of soda, in biscuits. However, she
finally threw him over and married
Uncle Grigson. And, o Grace l do
believe that is why he is always SO
cross-he has a broken heart"
"Oh! poor Mr.. Dobbins," [ cried,
81 am sure now that he is more sor-
roWful than cross"
Eyes, indeed, and Miss Susan says
that he went on awfully and threat
ened to cut Mr.. Grigson's throat.
BY the way, Grace, have you heard
from aunt and uncle lately?"
Yes, | had a letter from aunt to-
day. They are in Florida for his
health, and he will go sailing all the
time, and insists on collecting pet
chameleons and alligators until aunt
is afraid that he will be drowned and
she devoured alive"
That night when Charlie came to
see me [ told him all about his poor
Uncle Dobbins, but he wasn't q bit
sympathetic, and it was agoodt thing
for him that they hadn't been mar
ried.
ooh, you selfish boy" I said.
"When it broke poor Mr.. Dobbins'
heart, and how do we know what
poor Aunt Grigson suffered, too"
Bother his broken heart" said
Charlie, unfeelingly.
ooh, Charlie"
"Well, you don't suppose that
Uncle Dobbins ever loved your Aunt
Grigson as ] do you," and then
don't believe we talked about then
any more.
But 1 kept on thinking about it, il
was SO romantic, and when [ got g
telegram about ten days later, an.
nouncing Uncle Grigson's death il
Florida, it did seem like the hand O
Providence. Kate and | consulted
about the best way of telling Mr.
Dobbins that his old love was free
Kate thought it would be best fol
Charlie to break the news.
"Oh, l do hope he won't go right
off to F1orida;" 1 said, ''for that
would not really be proper"
But Charlie laughed.
"Best not tell uncle too soon after
dinner" he said, che might get apo
pleXy."
ave won't discuss the matter any
further" | said with dignity. II de
test a hard heart"
Then he tried to explain that he
couldn't be sentimental over his
uncle's affairs when he had had two
fingers knocked out of place by a hot
ball.
Served you right, too" Iretorted
"Why, l thought you liked base
ball, Oracle"
$50 l do, in moderation, but if it is
going to force all your feelings into
your fingers, l shall hate it."
So after all l had to tell Mr.. Dob
bins the news. He came along next
day when l was on the front steps