New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-04
TWO OF A KIND.
A LITERARY EXPERIENCE.

A LITERARY EXPERIENCE.
| | had come on from New FORK that morning.
and was lucky in not having before read klpLng's
one short story TO the next, as had fallen into
the pounding meter OF the eXpress-traln, ana, al
the while, was tortured By sab-conscious,netss
angry with myself for squanderlng oil the stories
! in one morning. The extravagance was worse
than foolish, for was missing the best OF 1t by
not giving myself, after each story, that pause OF
smiling "Reminiscences In which the bouquet OF the
drained cup comes back with suffusing sense OF
delight.
| Philadelphia, laid the book down on the pit of
its stomach; more than halt the pages were on
| the wrong side.
| There was the usual shifting of passengers
| Most of the old lot got of and new ones came on
| but the slight woman who had sat In 'front.' or me
| since we left New York did not move. had only
noticed that the contour of her cheek fiat, and
| that her manner had the unexacung passlvlty OF
! a woman who makes no claim to attractiveness.
| picked up Kipling at the Bisara OF Poorie," "
| and wished that we might get out into the light
The car.door opened, and large woman came In
She walked up the centre of The car, passing sew
eral vacant haf-seats, and sat down, with a sharp
angling of her jet wrap, in the seat III front or
nc beside the small woman, who yielded her room
Perhaps she chose this seat because she took up
| She had well-groomed fairness, which she car
ried off, in her tight.6ttting clothes, with some
thing OF n swagger. She looked little handsome
The engine ierlted al the slack coupling-pins
taut and we began that long, backing manoeuvre
that the Pennsylvania trains make IN going south
from Philadelp hia AS VIC came ont INTO the light
the large woman shone like freshly gilded sign.
Her hair was well blondined, only showing a
shade darker at The roots than at the bEas'y ends
II was very perfectly arranged IN layers of Hat
curls beneath her small bonnet OF twisted black
and-scarlet velvet. The thick lobes of her ears
were penetrated by fine diamond screws. Her en-
broidered handkerchief unfoldcd scent OF hello
trope. There an air OF prosperous vitality
about the whole creature After little while
&. a nj dad hap irbh o.rar b11
gone back to my book, when heard her say, good-
BEN travclin' longPn
No; only SSout two hours
YES; came from New-Yorlz.'
"New-York's fine place. / know it we'll
| Lived there over twenty years"
lost the answer, and the large woman went on /:
Yves, indeed | ought 10 know it pretty we'll,
and | do. like it; | like the people. In. I'm
that would have rode by you all the way to Dalti-
more and never once opened their mouth. l
amt that kind. I'm wllln to talSs and get ms
good as [ take, and better too" Then lowering
Rer voice TO a whisper, that had three times the
carrying power OF the wello ed voice which she
had been speaking she added: "You see, it's in
my line"
| The other started and turned toward her. 50
that for the first time saw her full face. 10
was very thin and long, with that beauty of skin
| tful, and looked out from the painful sensitive
ugliness Of the other features rs II IN perpetual
appeal from it,
well, don't care II do tell you. You Sec
write stories and novels, and when l talk IKE
Pm talking to YOU. hear things that give me an
idea That's all | want, an idea; when once get
the start, Pm all right
= That is very Interesting. Have you always
been an authorcssY >.
| :" For the last ten years. ! have been nj IL
prcttv consant-and vet you wouldn't think IT,
| but IL IL hadn't been for kind of an accident
never would have dreamed had IL in me. Never
had notion that had the gift, ana that makes
me say you're d fool 70 ever say you can't I'LL
| you've tried"
AN accident?'
Afacy's, corner of Fourteenth-st. and SiXthavc !?
| But OF course. you do-iust listen 20 me IL for
| cot YOU said you were from New York. Wen. !
| was o great reader. | used TO read everything l
| had chum at Macys an awful nice girl, ana
| when business was sort Of slack, ! would tell her
! about the stories | used to tell en- IKE they
really had happened-you see, we were at the per
| fumery counter You know Macys-the per-
fumcry counter Is right by one OF the Fourteenth
| st. doors Well, we conld see everybody that
came In and won't out. I'd say: Maud. see that
lady in the seal-plush wrap know all about
| how she came ~ get married. and IA start right
in and tell the last story I'll read. Hike IL was Al!
gospel truth Then the girl6 would get round,
and they sortvr hnif believed II was all so. but
| Maud she knew better. One day we were sort
| Of running each other little and Maud said:
Il suppose YOU know all about 203s family
knew her mother, intimately before she was mar
| ried, didn't y0uT
She was the ugliest, worst little knot ever saw.
| All cash-girls are aggravating, but 20S was the
worst girl on our floor. never could see why
! thay didn't disobarae her. She keDt her apron