The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-16
OVER-THE-WAY.


woman, isn't it? 1t was big jim Gray
he's telegraph operator on morning
newspaper-who gave her the name. OF
course we found out her real name after
ward, but none of US at Mrs Smiths
ever spoke Of her except as Over-the-
Way. 1t was at the breakfast table
I'VE are all night workers, and the break
fast hour at Mrs Smiths is noon-and
Jim sits where he can look out of the
window. Hiss Elliott-she "does 60
ciety" on another morning paper and is
quite vivacious-noticed that Jim was
neglecting his plate of buckwheat cakes
and staring with all his eyes across the
street. Now Jim is a master hand at
buckwheat cakes, and Miss Elliott, hav-
ing reputation for vivacity to sustain,
was perfectly justified in remarldng that
Mr.. Gray did not seem quite himself.
We laughed, as in politeness bound, and
that brought Jim back He got up and
made a flourish with his napkin and
said:
LADIES AND GENTLESlEN-It now
gives me great pleasure to present to
you the neighbor we have long been ex-
pecting, Over-the- Way"
We were so interested that we got
right up from the breakfast table and
crowded to the windows. Even that
reserved and sarcastic Elizabeth Haw-
1ins-she's telephone girl, and sup
pose she's justified in having poor
opinion of mankind, and trying to get
even out of Office hours-forgot her dig
nifty for once and was as interested as
anybody. You see, the workmen had
been busy on little cottage right across
the street for two months or more. We
did not pay any particular attention to
it until they began to Put in second
story bay window that was almost as
big as the rest Of the cottage. After that
bay window had done duty as a family
joke for two or three weeks we fell to
wondering what sort of people had built
it, and who would occupy such funny
little house.
Handsome Henry Roberts-he's win
dow dresser in big State street dry
goods store, and great hand with the
girls-said he knew some woman was
responsible for that window and hoped
she would be good looking; it would be
a pity to spoil such fine window.
Whereupon dear old Miss Brooks-she's
nice looking even if she is forty, and has
come down from better days to proof
reading-reminded him, in her precise,
genteel way, that young men who had
no eyes for anything but pretty wom-
an sometimes came to grief. The grace
less Harry responded that homoly
woman was a real grief, and a pretty
one JOY forever. Here the scamp
looked hard at Elizabeth Hawkins.
Elizabeth Hawkins looked back at Har-
~, and l thought she was going to say,
BUSY, what's your NUMBER" And John
Berry-he's some sort of an editor and
doesn't say much, being as reserved as
Elizabeth Hawkins and peculiarlike-
saw Harry and scowled.
Well, as l was saying, we had many a
discussion over that little cottage, and
finally came TO feel sense of proprietor
ship in what we called cover the Way"
So you see it was great day for US
when Over-the-Way herself appeared.
To be sure, there wasn't much to see
when we did get to the window-just a
big transfer wagon loaded with new fur
niture, an express wagon heaped high
with household belongings, two drivers,
an old negro woman with a gorgeous
tErbau, and a dear little woman in a
smart jacket and awide brimmed hat.
Harry Roberts declared he was simply
perlshing for exercise and fresh air, and
put on his overcoat and strolled past the
cottage. He came back and reported
that the little woman was a beauty; in
fact, he grew quite eloquent over her
charms. And then, of course, we had
TO talk it all over-whether she was
married, and if she was, where was her
husband, and if she wasn't, was she go
ing TO live all alone with the old colored
aunty, and so on.
Over-the-Way was evidently capa-
BILE little body, for she had the furniture
in and the house to rights in no time
And the way OLD Aunt Amanda-that's
the name we gave TO the colored woman
and her turban-made things fly moved
Mrs. Smith to wish, with tears in her
voice, that the days Of slavery were back
again.
But though the nest was ready, no
male bird appeared. After a week had
gone by we women began to hate ''him."
as we called the man Over-the-Way was
waiting for. We knew there was a
him" by the way. She few to meet
the postman and fairly Rugged the letter
when she got one, and kind o drooped
when she didn't. And there were mighty
Few days when she dropped too.
But his absence didn't seem to bother
Over-the-Way a bit. She was busy
morning and night fixing up the cottage
for him. The big bay window was evil
IDENTIFY the pride of her life. Every after
noon she'd put on pretty house dress,
snuggle down in a big arm chair right |
in the middle Of it, and read over her
letters. Harry Roberts thought it was
all for his benefit until he found. after
repeated trials, that she had no ewes for |
him except to find his glances and atti-
tudes subject of mirth And then one
day we found out why it was she had DO |
eyes for Harry or any other man-except |
one.
1t was the second Sunday, Just before
dinner time-her dinner time-and she /
was IN the window as usual But she /
had on a new dress, and to save her she |
couldn't sit still in her chair more than |
thirty seconds at time. All of sud- |
den she clspped her hands, and gave a
little jump. and kissed her hand to |