Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-09-12
THE CALICO FROCK.

It wasn't hot day, nor cold day,
nor q damp day, but it was an atrocious
day, clsmmy day, an unbearabie day,
. day that made your clothes stick to
you like poor relations, that brought
out cold sweats on pitchers and goblets.
that made your back race-course for
contemplate little chills and the rest
of your body target for thousand in
visible pins and needles, that made the
Grasshopper a burden and the dusty,
begrimed city a pandemonium, that
made Solomon Griggs, bachelor, of the
firm of Griggs, Makem & Co., the great
clothing merchants, shut up his ledger
with bang and start for the country
by the next train, remarking to old
Grimesby, the head clerk, chat the city
was sitting"
To which that worthy replied:
$50 it is, but how about the fellers
that can't get out of it and must stay to
be choked?"
A problem which, ! suspect, our
friend of the firm of Griggs, Makem &
Co., troubled his head very little about,
being just then busy in looking into the
dusty recesses of that picture gallery,
which memory furnishes and arranges
for us all as single landscape, hanging
there.
A low house with messy, overhanging
caves, standing on the slope of q green
hill, shaded by branching elms, with
level fields stretching off in the fore
ground toward the sparkling water on
one side and dusky woods on the other,
and there dusty, sweating and tired,
Solomon found himself just about sun
set. Out came q ruddy-cheeked. smil-
ing old lady in cap and apron that had
attained state of snowy perfection I'M
known to city laundresses.
why, bless me, if it isn't little Sol
Why, who'd a thought of seeing you?"
and she folded the stslwart, bearded
man in as warm an embrace as though
he were in reality still the little Sol of
former days. "And how do you do,
Sol? Come in, come in; don't stand
out there. You know the little path
and the way to the pantry yet, I dare
say. Come in; you needn't start back /;
ats only Rachel"
But I didn't know you had any
young ladies with you, Aunt Hester"
Its only Rachel, I tell you-Rachel
Hart, the seamstress. Are there no
women in your city that you are afraid to
face little country girl?"
Little, indeed" thought Solomon,
ss he acknowledged his aunt's some
what peculiar introduction not
pretty, either-with large eyes of that
uncertain gray that sometimes beams
darkly blue and then deepens into
brown, with smooth, low forehead and
light brown hair drawn tightly across
each ear, just revealing its crimson tip;
q face irregularly featured, and rem
dered still more striking by the singu-
lar contrast between its extreme pallor
and the intensely scarlet lips-the per-
sonitication of neatness, the embodi-
ment of reserve.
An odd little person" thought Solo.
mon, "but it's none of my business"
Dismissing her from his mind, he pro-
ceeded to the much more important
business of making himself perceptible
at Aunt Hester's tea-table.
Solomon did ample justice to the
snowy bread, golden butter and luscious
strawberries, and later, Is that worthy
was indulging in stroll across the field.
he lifted up his eyes and beheld the
little seamstress, whose existence he
had quite forgotten, under . venerable
cherry tree, making desperate efforts to
seize . tempting branch on its lowest
brough, revealing in her gyrstions a
very neat foot and ankle, and looking
almost pretty with her flushed cheeks
and sparkling eyes.
Now, Sol. was 6 gallant man-decid-
edly the preux chevalier of the firm of
Griggs, Makem & Co.; 80 that when
ever, Is had once or twice happened, q
petticoat ventured into the mouldy
shades of the establishment, Sol was
the man whom destiny and the other
partners selected to parley with the en-
envy.
Advancing, therefore, with . happy
mixture of confidence and condescen-
sion, Sol plucked the cherries and was
about to present them. when Indepen-
dence in q calico frock stepped back
with . cool:
Keep them yourself, sir; I don't care
for them"
Il thought that you wanted them, !"
stammered Sol.
$50 I did, because they were difficult
to obtain; had they been on your aunts
table would not have touched them.
II il the glow of triumph that gives .
pleasure to its zest. Eat the cherries
yourself, and good evening, sir!'
Stop . moment!" said SOL, not .
little astonished; shat isl mean
permit ne to accompany you