Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-11-21
Mr.. Dunlap looked hslplessly around the

room. in -irI
Their few fellow travellers seemed OF q
hopelessiy neutral, non-committal cast OF
countenance.
Nobody here looks or OF they'd ever done
any thing Of much account an couldn't OF
they set out tor he said, after pause. 81
tell you what less do" he added, brighten
Ing, "less put ourselves inter u story. To
begin with, we met by chance, the usual
shine 10 you. What d. yer sayr and he
nudged her in what he considered q jocose
but not indicate manner
She had looked at him sharply as he
dropped into his ordinary habit Of speaking,
and then apparently made up her mind that
he was acting some part.
"Don't you think that the beginning would
lack originality just trifie" she suggested.
There areso many stories that begin just
that way. Now, perhaps, IL 1 fell In love
with you IL would be less obvious"
Mr.. Dunlap had an idea that she was
laughing at him.
"Such things ez that hez ben known to
happen" he said rather sulldly.
90, certainly" she assented. ~ 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 youi" he asked abruptly; ~ took you
for single woman"
"This is a make believe story" she an
swered with bright, mischievous smile.
'Tts gittin' rather common for married
wemen to fall inlove with other men, now
a-days," he observed, rather revengefully
al accept your objection she said; shut
Of course there must be alternating cir
cumstances,' as somo one says. My hus-
band, for instance" she added, with far
away, inscrutable look, 'we'll 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 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 II, people are not apt TO know those
things-in stories-so don't dream of It..
Then by series of condolences which
couldn't happen anywhere except in stories
we'll fill i'm 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
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 alightning
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 trifle more
than her just deserts, are feeling that pity
that Is said TO be akin TO a commoner SEN
timent.
snow we must find some situations that
will reveal all this TO US without shocking
the deicacy 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"
"We might be drowning" suggested Mr..
Dunlap. "You fall in, rush to save you,
you know, an jist ez we was sinkin' for the
last time, while every thing in our past lives
was comm up before us, we both re-
member the time when l rescued your
bundles and then IL comes to us both that
we love each other. Folks couldn't find no
| fault with that, couldn't theytn
"Well no." said the lady, thoughtfully,
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 theproverbial straw of the drowning man
| is slipping from their nerveless grasp. But
| what object to is that IL makes the story
too short. / haven't suffered enough yet 10
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.n
"Somebody can como 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, at seems to mo 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 lust before we
|
think, as our acquaintance began in rail.
way station, we might preserve the unities
by mixing up the railroad with our affairs
whenever we can. A railroad accident al
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 q
gasping condition. This would 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 dcrailed 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 are l clasp you in my arms
and say Il would save you If l could, darling,
but as / can't we will die together;'" and he
paused for breath, convinced that he had
established his reputation as a man who
could say "pretty things as we'll as the next
one when he took notion to-
"That's IL exactly" replied his compan
ion. II murmur some appropriate reply
and Just as the fire Is getting so uncomfort-
ably hot we hardly know where we are
some one breaks in the window and rescue.
US. am so mortified at my ill-timed con-
fession don't know what to do, and you
say that rs we can never forget our declara-
tions, suppose that we go to Europe TO-
gether Now there's a strong situation.
horribly brutal husband in the background
and love and Europe urged upon my &C
ceptance. Europe, that have always pas
sionately longed to see and the man love
to go with me-ah--"
She drew long breath and her keen,
restless eyes grew soft with look of mex.
pressible gcntlcness her odd, anxious feat
ures wore an expression of infinite yearn.
ing and tenderness