The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-04-27
A BRIDGE ROMANCE.
My Blunder and Apology, and
What They Led To.

When l come to think it all over
hardly know where it began myself
Naturally / am % very observing man,
and have "a nose for news" other
Wise | should long ago have been
looked upon as unreliable, and would
have received notices in various shapes
that sowing to circumstances, ETC.,
etc; !" but such has been my fate but
once, and that was the beginning of
my romance.
Notwithstanding my observative
habit / must confess that there are
moments when / lapse into periods
of what might be termed thinking
back" and then I do not "observe
more than half of what l notice" 1t
was In one of these moods that I left
my home, and, to this day oan not
recall how l reached the Brooklyn
bridge, on my way to New York; but
suddenly awoke from the reverie
was in, and saw standing in front of
me Q female figure. My gentlemanly
instincts awoke at once, and Isprang
from the seat | had occupied, and
with a touch of my hat, said: beg
pardon--take my seat"
The lady, for she was lady, any
one could see it in q moment, as she
wore hat that you could look over
the top of, and you could pass around
her without disturbing her rearward
drapery, looked at me in @ half-sad,
half-qutsical manner, and as at the
same moment the shadow of the New
York terminus came over the oars, and
realized that we had reached our
journeys end, / am satisfied that /
bmshed, and said again: al beg your
pardon. was preoccupied. -" She
bowed to me and smiled in sad way,
as much as to say she did not doubt
me, and we went our several ways.
was not so distract when l went down
the stairs leading to Park Row as not
to observe that she crossed the foot
bridge leading to the park.
In the confused moment that had
to look at her, my usual observative
habit came into play, and l noted that
she wore q gray stuff dress, not at all
new, but we'll cared for and neat, and
not so tight in the arms as to pull out
In the back, and while she had on the
usual brown kid gloves, the backs
could be plainly seen through the
stitching, and the finger ends were
neatly darned and showed long and
constant wear. As l descended the
stairs, and she kept on the even foot
way l could not help but notice hel
foot. 1t befitted her height and must
have been q liberal three at the least
but it did not run back at the heel OF
slope over on the outside, and had nc
pinched look about the toes, while the
heel itself was low and broad. When
reached the street paused for mo-
ment for another glimpse of her, bu
failed to get it, as she was lost in thu
crowd or took the uptown elevated
road.
Invent through my duties that day
In an entirely mechanical manner, and
was somewhat surprised when the city
editor said; what the dickens is this
You have been writing about 'gray
dressP" ! fastened to his desk, and
looking over my copy, said: AZ meant
It for great Distress" and with !;
grim look he said: "Why didn't yor
write it sop and went away sore al
heart, for l am rather proud of my
"copY," and know that the typos like
to set it, as it Is so clear.
did not know that / had beer
thinking of a gray dress, but it seems
that | had, and as crossed the bridge
that night-it was nearly midnight
looked in a vague way for gray
dress, which did not appear, and I let
myself in my home with. feeling
that had missed something. After
that night | seemed to live in a gray
atmosphere. The hazy days of In
dian summer had come, to be followed
by the misty ones of the close-follow-
ing winter. 1t grew to be a habit o.
mine to time my bridge trip as nearly
us ] could to the time when first saw
her. ] scanned the faces on the plat