Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-12
A SHANTY ROMANCE.

Z Don't come a Monday, but come a. Tues
day, and don't bring anybody wild yez but
vessel"
Thus spoke Mistress Maguinnis, standing in
the doorway Of her cabin among tie rocks Of
Shantytown, where lean and hungry goats
clambered and cropped the scant herbage.
Mrs. Maguinnis was the sole ''boss" Of this
humble abode. There had been Ar. Ma
Euinnis, "a bad lot,n as the neighbors would
have told you, but one fine morning be left
home never to return, and several days later
the East river gave up all that was mortal Of
Tim Maguinnis.
s shrewd business woman and a frugal
body, Mrs. Maguinnis had purpose il saw
ing her capital, much or little as II may have
been She had daughter, Mary Ann by
name, who lived ct service with one OF the
most rispictible families on the avenir," as
the mother often told her circle Of acquaint-
RnceS
Being dutiful girl, Mary Ann had filial
regard for her mother, but she very naturally
felt that it III became one Of her station TO be
seen too often In familiar. chat with the old
apple woman ct the corner. But Mrs. Ma
guinnis did not lack company when she sat
beneath her white cotton umbrella and dealt
out fruit Of remarkable glossiness. The la
borers going TO and from their work all had
a CHEEKY word for her. Dapper young clerks
and portly old merchants stopped TO chaH
with her about the state Of trade and the
prospects Of the next years apple crop, and
Mrs. Maguinnis was quick at repartee, and
could hold her own with the best Of them.
Sometimes well known broker, who lived
not far from the apple stand, would lnger
there awhile, and then there would be sundry
winks and whispers and mysterious refer
ences TO ''the Stock ell Of which limited at
some treasured secret, with which you and
have no concern.
Among the customers Of Mrs Maguinnis,
she had one especial favorite. Tom Kelly
was his name, and be worked in the great
machine shop hard by. A civil spoken and
good looking young fellow he was, with curly
hair and frank countenance Many
kindly act he had performed for the widow,
and once, when on an errand TO her cabin, he
had met Mary Ann and had straightaway
fallen bead-over-ears in love with her. For
the past six months he had been most assidu-
Gus in his courtship. Mary Ann was really
very fond Of Tom, but she was bit Of flirt
in her way, and delighted in keeping him on
tenter hooks. Besides, there was a certain
Jimmy Dolan, bartender at Alderman Gil
hooly's guided ''gin palace" who was not in
sensible to Mary AIMS charms, and who was
very pressing in his attentions TO her.
The widow threw the weight Of her in
fuence in Toms favor. But Mary Ann was
fond of gay society, and while she treated
Tom with q certain coquettish kindness she
saw fit to accept many an invitation TO balls
and parties from his rival And so matters
stood at the time our story opens
Now, Tom Kelly was something of a me-
chanical genius, and often when his hands
were busy tending his machine he was cud
Ceiling his brains to contTive some improve
ment in this or that piece Of mechanism For
some time he had been devoting his spare
hours to the invention Of an apparatus which
he firmly believed was destined to I'll long
felt want If he only had the means to build a
machine, II he could only once put it TO a
practical test, if he could demonstrate its
worth to the manufacturer, then a tidy for
tune lay within his grasp. Alas, there were
SO many Ifs" that they formed a strong bar
rier in the way of the young inventors sue
cess.
Tom had often discussed his plans with
Mrs. Mag1linniS and he found in her warm
svmpathizer Not that the good woman
knew the difference between piston rod and
O fly wheel. Every machine was the same to
her-an undesirable part of a mighty and
mysterious whole. But ignorant as she was
Of mechanical principles, Tom was very
grateful for her words Of encouragement and
her expression of confidence in his schemes at
times when hope with him was at low ebb.
One morning when he was passing the
apple stand on his way to the shop the widow
hailed him.
"Eow do the invention git orr she asked
ooh, Mrs Maguinnis," cried Tom, If
had little money I'm sure I'd make go Of
1t, and then I'd sell patent rights, and then
then I'd have enough TO begin housekeepin',"
blushing at the bare thought of the happy
possibility.
and how much money might there be
necdedln urged Mrs. Maguinnis.
"a thousand or two thousand dollars, and
his face heightened desI>ondently.
Mrs Maguinnis fell into a reverie, which
lasted SO long that Tom began TO think she
had forgotten the subject, and several would
be customers left the stand in despair of be
ing waited on
''Yez have no work the morrow after
NOON" she said, finally; why but yez come
UP 10 the house and tell ne all about the ma
chine"
So Tom promised The next afternoon
found the two IN the widows cabin, bending
over O table on which were various diagrams
and pieces Of mechanism; Tom eagerly point
ing out the merits OF the apparatus, deScrib
ing how this wheel here moved that wheel
there, and how q screw il this place con-
trplled something somewhere else doubt
IL Mrs Maguinnis was any the wiser for the
explanation; but she listened intently and
kept nodding her old head sagely, and when
he had finished declared emphatically that
the man who couldn't see that the invention
was worth its weight in sold had no since
at all, bad luck TO him.
''Mebbe l know somebody wild money TO
invest she continued, while Tom stared won
deringly. Anyhow come again a. Tuesday"
And leaving him still in a state of wonder
rnent she bade him good evening, with the
PARTING injunction recorded at the beginning
Of the story.
For the next few days the apple woman e1-
hibited seriousness quite at variance with
her usual IghtsoIne mood, and when at length
her broker friend made his appearance Ct the
booth an earnest colloQuy took place
Inventions are risky things, Hrs. Maguin-
MIS- remarked the gentleman
Some OF thin is and some Of thin isn't,
replied Ms. Maguinnis, sententously.
Wen, it is your money and you must DO
with il as You think best, " sid the broker.
" hat she decided 10 do must be inferred
from what followed Certain it is that when
Tom raped at her door Tuesday evening she
drew him inside and thrUs. a pile OF bank
notes into his hand.
Take thin. ne lad she said. "but dent
tel a ivin' soul ebOut II laste Of sll Mary