The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-07-03
A LADY'S ADVENTURE.
| am a single lady.

/ am a single lady.
There is no disgrace in that, [ be-
lieve. | Nigh have married, more than
once, had pleased, when was silly,
rattlepatted girl, with more yellow
curls than ideas, and general mania
on the subject of waltZing and band
music. | thank my guardian stars that
have outgrown that callow and silly
age. am quite Independent now, and
beholden to nobody. | make my living
by lecturing, and very little snug liv-
ing it is. | came to be success. after
little practice. and II good deal of
hard work, and made money. | took
suit of pleasant rooms in a quiet
family hotel, and kept my own little
coupe.
But one day there came request
that | wonld deliver my lecture upon
The Woman of the Period" at Baggs-
vile.
sent the waiter for an atlas and a
gazetteer. and hunted up Baggsville.
1t was an unpretentious village, among
the hills well up towards the northern
lakes.
''Baggsyille, indeed;;n said | to my
Stil ~ pllCC Will tHulCIls pOSt-
office, and seven or eight young men
who call themselves Lyceum. They're
mistaken in the lectures they want
They never can afford to pay my price"
So | wrote back to Squire Jones-at
least fancied from the bic fat shapes
of his capital letters, and the general
pompousness of his phraseology, that
the ''Orville Jones' who wrote to me,
as Chairman of the Literary Com
mittee,n was an esquire, with bald
head blunt nose and light blue eyes.
| politely mentioned my terms and
straightway forgot all about the matter,
until a letter came back, asking me to
fix Il date for the delivery of my lect-
ure at Baggsville Lyceum.
L looked over my engagement book
i had become so popular Il character
that it was quite necessary for me to
keep such volume-and settled on
the night of the twenty-third of De-
cember.
The twenty-third of December was
a day of driving storm and tempest,
and it was nearly six o'clock when we
reached the station at Baggsvile.
Thank goodness" | said to myself,
Il shall have time for good rest and
cup of strong tea
But TO my dismay, when | got out
ut Baggsvile station, blinded bv the
lights that tlared through driving
rain, confused by the everlasting groan-
ing machinery. | learned that the vii
lage of Baggsville itself was ten miles
further up the hilly road.
'We've just been telegraphed from
there" said the station-master. 1.-The
Lyceum is filling up fast. You'll have
IA good audience, miss, in spite of the
weather.
But how can possibly get there in
time?' l demanded, in hopeless per-
plexity.
Squire Jones, the chairman of the
committee is here with his close car
rage said he complacently.
''And you'll find it mighty snug and
comfortable" added the little man,
rubbing his mittened palms together.
Here it is now"
Through the flying snowilakes. l
could just discern the dark Opaque
body drawn up close to the platform.
| stepped into what seemed to me
bottomlcss pit of blackneSs. guided by
the station-master's hand; and was re-
lieved by finding myself in a warm
carpeted carriage, with well-Stutfed
cushions, and a figure seated opposite.
Here she is squirercried the station
master. banging the door to. Now.
90 ahead, Perkins, ;" to the driver, land
don't let the snow drift under your
horses feetr'
There had been so much noise and
confusion that | felt awkwardly con-
scious that | might have been adj
dressed by the squire without answer
ing, and as silence reigned in the car
riage, l said hesitatingly:
Il beg your pardon?n
As | received no reply to the remark,
key. Then | waited little, and haz-
| arded:
"A very stormy night?"
Still received no acknowled gment
of these conversational efforts. | be-
gan to feel somewhat offended, but
then l remembered Just in time to
assuage my rising choler that Squire
Jones might very possibly be deaf. l
| could always get along well with deaf
people Ny voice was clear, and my
enunciation was distinct; so l tried
| again.
| Bad weather for the lecturer" l
| bawled out in stentorian accents. The
| driver stopped, and leaned down to
| the carriage door:
"Eh, miss? said he, did you want
anything?n
No | said somewhat confusedly.
Thought | heard you holler." said
the driver, Must ha' been the wind
bowling down the gorge"
As we started again l began to think
| must have been mistaken as TO the
| fact of there being anyone in the
carriage with me. Determined to
solve the problem, put my hand softly
out towards the opposite side of the
carriage. To my embarrassment, it
| encountered another warm human
hand, which was drawn away with
| electric quickneSS.
Pardon me-" | said awkwardly
enough. IL dropped my bag. and
was feeling for it,"
Still no answer. l began to feel SER
iously angry.
If you do not feel disposed for con-
versation." said /. with some spirit,
.prav. hold your tonguer'