Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-09-21


Gray-he's a telegraph operator on
a morning newspaper-who gave
her the name. OF course we found
out her real name afterwards, but
none of us ut Mrs. Smiths ever
spoke of her except as Overtime
Way. 1t was at the breakfast
table-we are all night-workers,
and the breakfast-hour at Mrs.
Smiths is noon-and Jim sits where
he can look out of the window.
Miss Elliott-she docs society
on another morning paper, and is
quite vivacious-n noticed that jim
was neglecting his plate of buck
wheat-cakes, and Miss Elliott, hav-
ing a reputation for vivacity to sus-
tain, was perfectly justified in re-
marking that Mr.. Gray did not
seem quite himself.
We laughed, as in politeness
bound, and that brought Jim back.
He got up and made flourish
with his napkin, and said:
Ladies and Gentlemen-lt now
gives me great pleasure to present
to you the neighbor we have long
been expecting, Over-the-Way."
We were so interested that we
got right up from the table and
crowded to the windows. Even
that reserved and sarcastic Eliza
beth Hawkins-she's telephones
girl, and l suppose She 5 justified ii
having poor opinion of mankind
and trying to get even out of office
hours-forgot her dignity for once
and was as interested as anybody.
You see, the workmen had beer
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 tc
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 "a funny little house.
Handsome Henry Roberts-he's
window-dresser in a big State
Street dry-goods store, and a 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 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 re
minded him, IN her precise, genteel
way, that young men who had no
eyes for anything but pretty
woman, sometimes came to grief.
The graceless Harry responded
that homely woman was real
grief, and pretty one a JOY forever
Here the scamp looked hard at
Elizabeth Hawkins. Elizabeth
Hawkins looked back at Harry, and
| 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,
as reserved as Elizabeth Hawkins,
and peculiar-like- saw Harry and
scowled.
Well, as was saying, we had
many II discussion over the little
cottage, and finally came to feel a
sense of proprietorship in what we
called "Over-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 heaped
high with household belongings,
two drivers, an old negro woman
with gorgeous turban, and a dear
little woman in a smart jacket and
a wide-brimmed hat.
Harry Roberts declared he was
simply perishing 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 whether she was
married, and if she was, where was
her husband; and if she wasn't
was she going to live all alone with
the old colored aunty, and so on.
Over-the-Way was evidently a
capable little body, for she had the
furniture in and the house to rights
in no time. And the way old
Aunt ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the name