The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-14
AN AWKWARD MEETING.
How a Pretty Brunctte's Curiosity
Got the Best of Her discretion.

They boarded in the same house. She
was a sparkling brunette. with a plump.
shapely figure, rosebud lips and deep
red cheeks. Her raven locks fell in
pretty clusters over her noble forehead.
and were gathered into a massive coil,
artistically braided, in her neck. Her
deep, glorious eyes were resplendent
with a warm light. and had in their half
shy expression q charm which fascinated
for veal or woe. She was endeavoring
to enjoy her dinner, but was nervous
and restless.
He was a blonde, with q quantity Of
mustache and whiskers close cut. He
sat at q table opposite the charming
brunette, and, do what he might, he
could not avoid gazing at her. Every
two minutes their eyes met, at which
she regularly blushed, fdgeted and
frowned, and he inwardly blessed the
good fortune which had placed him OPP
posite such q revelation of loveliness.
They were, ere long, introduced, but
their acquaintance seemed not TO pros
per. Que thing and another occurred to
separate them. She had other friends
and needed him not; he was busy and
cared not for her.
Gossips will circulate in q boarding
house-mysteriously, to be sure, but still
it goes. And one day while she was in
her little room-his room was at the OPP
posi5e end of the hall-she overheard
two Of the servant discussing certain
photographs. She learned they were in
his room, She also learned that they
were photographs of ladies.
'sCan he have another girly' she asked
herself, and then quickly answered it:
.Of course he has. But perhaps he is
engaged Think of i'll Is such a thing
possiblesr
And. fully impressed with the horror
of the thought, she flung her door open,
There was no one in the hall; the door
Of his roo was open, for it was the day
after Christmas and he was ont of town
gone to see that other, perhaps. Her
mother wSs out-noc chance for detection
from that quarter. She remembered
that the occupants of the other room
were also away for Christmas-no one to
discover her there. Surely the coast
was clear.
Yes, she saw it, and with a rapid step
walked boldly into his room. All how
she flushed at her own pretty face in the
mirror-a dainty, hand painted thing
doubtless the gift of that other. But
what other? She looked around and
saw, not one feminine face, as she ex-
pected, but many. But there was one
which seemed TO have the most promi-
hence. Ikis stood on the bureau, and
she bent over to examine it closely.
The upper drawer of the bureau was
open a little way-all else was in good
order. She had been studying the photo
graph, perhaps q minute, rapidly and
critically, when she was Mortified by
hearing the front door in the hall below
open and shut heavily and a rapid step
come hurrying up the stairs.
She turned pale with fright, for she
recognized his quick step, and never had
it seemed 80 dangerously quick-never
had she experienced such a sensation of
perfect dismay. Not pausing longer she
turned abruptly to hazard a run into her
own room, for he had climbed bat one
fight of stairs-there was yet time.
At her bosom she wore a dainty glove
buttoner of oxidized silver-a pretty
thing, the gift of a dear friend. 1t had
become dislodged from its resting place
as she sat reading in her own room, and
when the thought of those photographs
came to her she rose so suddenly that
she still further loosened it. While bend
ing over his picture on the bureau it
hung by just the slightest thread, and,
when she turned quickly to fly, it fell
into the partly open drawer. She heard
the noise as it fell, but could not pause
to find it at SO critical a moment.
When she entered the room-his room
she easily lodged around a chair
which was placed a little awkwardly in
the center of the room, but in her eager
ness to escape she thought not of that
obstruction, but rushed into it, over
turned the chair, which fell with a
crash, and, humbled most ~piteously, she
sprawled full length upon the floor, a
dozen hairpins flying in all directions.
Alasl for her lordly dignity.
Just at this juncture he, a little wear
led with the climb, reached the upper
hall and swiftly approached his room.
1t would be utterly false to say that he
was not surprised. 1t would be equally
false to say that he was literally thun-
derstruck.
He pauSed abruptly upon the thres-
hold as if spellbound. His valise and
umbrella fell to the floor, and he swayed
back and forth until he was forced to
grasp the casing of the doorway lest he,
too, might fall.
This weakness of course lasted but a
moment, and us he realized the situation,
as he saw the chair upon its back, the
proud girl motionless upon the floor, her
aid for hair dressing scattered about in
profusion, a faint smile lit his face
surely this was pardonable.
Then next moment, however, his express
sion changed, for she remained so quiet
that he feared she might be dangerously