The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-09-03
FRIENDS OF A DAY.
They Net By Chance and Parted
Under a MisapprehensioD.

. A@AA 9 00@ ~ .Oe4 N[0
| Immediately perceived that our recog-
milton had been mutual; for he came to-
ward me with a frank expression of
pleasure and held out his hand, saying,
"Hello, old fellow, who'd have thought
of seeing you here?" don't know why
he said this, and Of course ! don't at
tempt to defend it, but it is a style of
address affected by some men who are
as profoundly astonished if they meet
you in a restaurant as if they had run
across you in the mines Of Siberia. /
felt a little bit annoyed at his want Of
originality; however | smiled pleasant
ly and said as | shook hands, "Well, if
you come to that, who'd have thought
of seeing you here?'
We stood opposite each other for a few
seconds; | simpering somewhat emptily
at the nature of u greeting and strug-
Cling to recall his name; and he with his
head slightly on one side and an ex-
preston of courteously suppressed amuse-
ment on his face, as if my presence on
the steps Of the postofice was one Of
those inexplicable freaks of chance for
which it is hopeless to seek to assign any
reasonable law. i gave him a few
seconds to digest his establishment, and
then, feeling that the silence was be-
coming a little embarrassing, ] said in
consequently, "Well, what have you
been doing all this timel" "Well," he
replied, "Fve been in Australia, you
know" "Oh, ahl" ! calculated, as if it
had for a moment slipped my memory;
"why, you went there and l hest
tated, as though calculating the exact
day of his departure. "Three years
ago." he put in shortly, land quite long
enough, too"
ran over in my mind my acquaintance
of three years ago, but could recall no
trace Of a recollection of my new COM
panion; SO, to gain time and to gather
fresh information, l asked, Sand what
sort Of a time haveyou had?" "Oh, much
about the same as before" he answered,
with a slightly puzzled air.
! candidly admit that the sensible
thing for me to have done would have
been to own up and admit that ! had
forgotten my friends personality. I'M
fortunately, | am of those painfully
constituted people who shrink with nerv
GUS horror from anything in the nature
of an explanation, and, in addition, Ifelt
that had gone too far to cry off with
out some appearance of sincerity, Be-
sides, he seemed to congratulate himself
SO warmly upon what he insisted upon
looking on as our providential meeting
that my lips were sealed and | felt con-
firmed in the idea that If let things
slide a little longer his name would re-
cur to my mind.
He had slipped his arm through mine
as we walked up town, with an easy
sense of good fellowship, and said: "Of
course you'll dine with me this evening.
Now, don't you say You are 6 aged,"h he
added, as hesitated for an slant be-
tween my desire to have more of my
companion and my Discrimination to dine
under false pretences; you know they'll
be awfully disappointed II they hear |
have met you and let you off without a
long talk n JOIN them tomorrow"
felt constrained to consent against
my better Judgment n added, IN a
playfully sollcltous manner, And how
are they alls'
"oh, they are all tiptop-an except the
colonel, after a pause and with a slightly
subdued air; 81 don't think he has ever
quite got over that affair"
"Ah," re]oined, shaking my head
sy1npathetically, "one doesn't get over
that sort OF thing ! a day; but the
others"
What otherss he said bluntly.
hesitated. and reJoined vaguely:
"Were there not some others"
He pondered heavily for a few sec
onds before replying, Eyes, l believe
there were some others, but they made
no Inference"
l was just murmuring, Every likely
not" when he turned to me abruptly
and said, Il hope you don't think he
came badly out OF that business
His hand seemed to relax its pressure
OH my arm, as If he was preparing him
self for some censure or GOODNESS on my
part.
l felt touched by this little proof of his
sensitiveness to my good opinion, and
pressed his fingers as I r~ejoined warmly,
81 never heard any one speak otherwise
than highly of his conduct in the mat
ter
He stopped and said shortly: why,