Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-11-27

lt944e
Zen. IntgO arose, took the telegram from
the table, and handed it to his friend.
One morning in the early autumn
gentleman was performing his toilet il
one Of the handsomest bedchambers of {
certain hotel near Union square in the
city Of New York. He was apparently
shout so years of age, of medium
height, stout, with a broad, fiat head
from the top of which the hair had dis
appeared, leaving a bushy ring round
DIE sides and back. His face, which was
Fuddy and broad. with large nose and
9 thick mouth, indicated coarse good
nature and shrewdness. tempered by
hritability.
At the moment we come upon him he
was standing in his shirt and trousers
before the looking glass, endeavoring to
adjust a scarf necktie of brilliant colors.
Something seemed to be wrong with the
eAStenings, and after few Intellectual
Struggles he wrathfully flung this i'm
poFtant article Of a gentleman's attire on
the floor, emphasizing the act with an
audible expletive. He then walked to
ne mantelpiece and poured some of the
contents of decanter into a tumbler.
gazed at the liquor for a moment, and
tossed it down his throat. He turned to
the table, upon which, among various
other articles. was lying a foreign cable
gram. He took this up and glanced over
q glooinily, then thrust his hands into
his trousers pockets and strobe heavily
30 the window, where he remained, MAX
ing inarticulate grunts and mutterings,
and occasionally puckering his thick lips
TO whistle few bars of some operate
air.
After a while his wandering gaze was
arrested by the figure of a gentleman,
fashionably dressed, who was coming
along the street in the direction of the
hotel He stepped hastily across the
room, and pressed the button of the cleo
tric bell beside the door.
Tell the clerk, he said to the servant
who presently answered the summons.
"to ask Mr.. Hamilton Jocelyn if he'll
come up here; l want to see him. |
guess you'll find him i'll the Office. Look
alive now!"
"Al right, general, replied the ser
want, who was complacent negro, and
seemed to entertain a kindly regard for
the stout gentleman. ''Nothin' else, sah?'
'Go to the devilr the general an
swered testify; upon which the colored
person smiled indulgently, and gently
withdrew
An interval of several minutes fol-
lowed, during which the general march
ed up and down the room with a preoc-
cupied and impatient air, like a lion
modify pacing his cage. At last there
was loud and brisk knock on the door,
which opened at the same moment, and
Mr.. JOcelyn came in, with jaunty
smile and cigar in his mouth.
'Halloo, Signor Don General Impre-
sario Inigo!" he exclaimed, as his gaze
perused the wrathful and lugubrious
figure Of the owner of the room; s'who's
been crumpling your rose leaves now?
Do you know it's half-past 10 o'clock and
you ought to be-
81 ought to be! Oh, yes; of course
ought to bel l shall be, too, before long
with such a gang of thieves and scoun-
drels as I've got to deal With Now,
look herel"
I'm looking" said Jocelyn, seating
himself in rocking chair and crossing
one knee over the other. "Have a cigar?
Why don't you put on your vest? de-
clare, general, you're getting stouter
every day. Why don't you adopt the
Turkish costume? 1t would suit your
figure to dot, besides giving your inno-
cent victims warning of your charac-
ter. When | was in Stamboul"-
'Now, just you listen here" interrupt !
cd the general, slight Jewish pronun-
citation becoming perceptible in his |
speech. He drew up chair in front of |
his guest and sat down on it, with his /
feet drawn up underneath, and his fat
hands on his knees Just you listen
here. I'm an honest man, amt 1? nav
my way cash down, don't p I'm no
slouch nor deadbeat, am p When I
sign contract, and find I've got left, l
don't go back on it, do l? Oh, this is a
sweet world for honest folk. this is,
Eye been in this business fifteen
years, by Jupiterl I've run all
the big singers in this country
and in Europe, and if you Americans
have ever seen an opera decently put ON
the stage you may thank me for il
Where would all these blessed stars and
divas, with their three and four thou-
sand dollars night, where would thew
be If Moses lingo hadn't shown 'em IN
and worked for 'em, and kept EN- straight
and humored 'em, and stepped out and
told lies for 'em to the public's face. by
Jupiter? And here 1 am, a poor man
today, and they rolling in riches! And
haven't l Just gone and built the finest
opera house in the world for a million
and a half of dollars out of nv own
pocket and"-
YES, for poor and virtuous man
you've done pretty well. general" put in
ocelyn, removing his hat and yawnino
But what's the matter7 Has the cborns
truck for higher wages? or won't the
.ectrlc light work? or didn't thas fellow Il
the club pay you the five dollars Won =
ron OF hin2 or haven't you had your {
Ocktail this porninsl or what'' :