Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-09-27

kee dialect. 1t gave him the effect Of being
| conyersant with several languages.
Il have sometimes found it rather dull
waiting here, but to-day l quite reckon on
! it,'' he replied, with his most polished man.
ner.''
Ibid you ever try to make the time pass
away by imagining the pursuits and destina-
| tions of the various persons you see around
you!" he added.
'No,'' she added, quickly. She still seemed
nervous from her shock. l should think ii
would be very interesting. Let's begin
now"
Mr.. Dunlap looked helplessly around the
room.
Their few fellow travellers seemed Of a
hopelessly neutral, non-committal cast of
| countenance.
Nobody here looks ez eff they'd ever done
any thing of much account an couldn't eff
they set out to- he said, after pause. 81
tell you what less do,'' he added, brighten
ing, ''lsss put ourselves inter a story. To
begin with, we met by chance, the usual
way, an while settin here take an awful
shine to you. What d. yer sayr' and he
nudged her in what he considered a jocose
but not indicate manner.
She had looked at him sharply as he
l 7,
and then apparently made up her mind that
he was acting some part.
"Don't you think that the beginning would
lack originality just a trifle!r she suggested.
There are so many stories that begin just
that way. Now, perhaps, if 1 fell in love
with you it would be less obvious"
MIR Dunlap had an idea that she was
laughing at him.
'Such things ez that hez ben known to
! happen" he said rather sulkily.
80. certainly.'' she assented. 81 have
| heard of such instances, but we must i'm
agine some rather unusual causes and cir
cumstances-for instance, suppose that am
married."
'Be you2" he asked abruptly; 81 took you
| for single woman"
This is make-believe story" she an
swered with a bright mischievous smile.
its gittin' rather common for married
women to fall in love with other men, now
a-days," he observed, rather revengefully.
Il accept your objection" she said; 'but
| of course there must be alternating cir
cumstances,' as some one says. My hus-
band, for instance" she added, with a far
away, inscrutable look, well suppose, for
sake of argument, is cross-brutal to me.
He strikes me on the slightest provocation."
''Git out" murmured Mr.. Dunlap, with
sympathetic incredulity.
He takes delight in thwarting all my
wishes, he makes my life wretched. meet
you-you are kind and don't swear at me
when l tumble against you, and YOU pick
! up my bundles, which is something so for
eign to all my experience that fall in love
with you at once But of course / don't
know it, people are not apt to know those
| things-in stories-so l don't dream of it.
| Then by a series of condolences which
| couldn't happen anywhere except in stories
we'll fill the details after we've sketched
out the plot-we met accidentally several
times, and all the time out of Difference to
the opinions and prejudices of the reader l
still don't suspect the state of my feelings,
and you of course are equally in the dark
"Well, now, about that time, something
must happen to reveal to us as by a lightning
stroke that we love one another, for by this
time you, moved by the spectacle of, not
| beauty in distress, but by more distressing
exhibition of ugliness suffering trife more
than her just deserts, are feeling that pity
| that is said to be akin to a commoner SEN
| timent.
''Now we must find some situations that
will reveal all this to US without shocking
the delicacy of the most rigidly conven-
tional reader, who must be made to see and
admit that we couldn't have done differ
emily.
LET me see, the presence Of death gen.
| orally comes in to countenance people in
similar situations"
1--WE might be drowning suggested Mr..
| Dunlap. You fall in, rush to save you,
YOU know, an jist ez We was sinkin' for the
10
was comm up before US, we both re-
member the time when l rescued your
bundles and then it comes to us both that
we love each other Folks couldn't find no
fault with that, couldn't they:"
'sWell, no." said the lady, thoughtfully,
az don't think the most rigid moralist could
object to two people finding out that they
love one another when they are sinking for
the last time with their lungs full of water,
and the proverbial straw ofthedrowning man
| is Slipping from their nerveless grasp. But
what object to is that it makes the story
too short. haven't suffered enough yet to
satisfy the practiced reader. We must be
| brought near enough to the verge of this
world so that we feel ourselves beyond the
reach of ordinary regulations and still
be left with articulation enough to reveal
our innoxious love. Then there must be a
rescue and resuscitation for the purpose of
overwhelming US with shame, contrition
and remOrse."
Somebody can come along and pull US
out of the water" suggested Mr.. Dunlap,
who felt that he was not contributing his
share to the story, land bring US to by roll
ing US on barrels"
Rolling on barrels may be the scientific
method of resuscitation, but science is no.
toriously unavailable for poetic purposes.
Besides" she continued, with extreme
gravity, sit seems to me that two we'll
meaning persons like ourselves are going to
suffer sufficiently from our consciences
without the additional anguish of being
rolled on barrels. Let US be Just before we
are generous even in punishments. Now,
think, as our acquaintance began in a rail-
way station, we might preserve the unities
by mixing up the railroad with our affairs
whenever we can. A railroad accident at
this point is necessary to the evolution of
the story Can you arrange one that will
be about what we required
The lady had been talking so rapidly that
Mr. Dunlap had followed her in rather a
gasping condition. This wolsd never do in
a man who prided himself on his converse
tional ability, and he dashed boldly into the
breach.
1.-The train must be derailed and thrown
down steep embankment. We are caught
together under the seats and debris. (Mr.
Dunlap rhymed this word with remiss), and
to add to the horrors of the situation the
car takes fire from the overturned stove,
and there we arel clasp you in my arms
and say 4 would save you if / could. darling,
but as can't we will die together;'" and he
for hot ha hoI
established his reputation as a man who
cnnld saw ..nraffv things ss well as the naxt