The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-07-09
HE WAS POLITE.

The Henpecked Little Man Was Not 40
customed to Artificial Women.
She was d sumner, and as she swung
into the well filled bridge a every man
in the car felt in duty bound to keep
his seat in order to have a better view
of her ~queenly figure and her exceeding
ly attractive face.
She moved on through the car until
she reached the center, then she paused
and glided gracefully into the space oc'
cupied by the sliding doors in the side,
and leaning her splendid self languidly
against the glass gazed in d dreamy, far
away fashion at the grayish blue river,
with its ever changing panorama of
moving vessels, with their putting smoke
stacks and Tapping sails.
The car had begun to travel on its
way to New York, when Il small man,
who looked as though he might have
been a very much married man and a
much more henpecked husband, and
who occupied the end seat near where
the divinity was leaning against the
door so gracefully, noticedt the interested
chances of the other male passengers,
and looking up quickly from his paper
became suddenly aware that a very
pretty woman was, as it Were, on exhi-
bition, and also that he was, to use a
slang expression, mot in it" as he had
to almost twist his neck out of joint in
order to catch even a teeting glimpse OF
her.
Accordingly the small, ~henpecked
looking man determined to be polite, in
order to obtain a position where he
could enjoy an uninterrupted view OF
the vision of female loneliness; so he
stood up, and reaching over, touched
the statuesque blond gently on the left
arm.
She never moved; it would seem that
the panorama on the river had so chained
her attention that the mere offer of a
seat was a matter so trivial that it did
not rouse her.
The little man looked confused, but
thinking he had probably touched her
arm too lightly, he laid his hand more
heavily upon the fair ones wrist, in or
der to call her attention to the fact that
she could sit, instead of standing, for
the three minutes of time which would
elapse before the car reached the New
York side, as the train had by this time
travelled almost half the distance.
But the fair maid kept her eyes fixed
firmly upon a ferryboat which was
vending it's old fashioned, weary way
across the river, and paid &c more at
tention to the little mother-in-lawed
looking mai than if he had been at the
north pole.
The understood individual, however,
was not to be ignored: he had made up
his mind to give up his seat, after due
deliberation, and no 6-foot blond, how
ever beautiful, could freeze him out of
his polite purpose. His face was a pic
ture of determination of the now or
never sort as he reached over ono more
and took a firm grip on the young wom-
ans forearm at a point about midway
between the wrist and the elbow.
AS he did so al ashy pallor o~verspread
his face, which was quickly followed
by a beetlike redness. and the little man,
dropping the arm, made his way to the
door, followed by the smiles of the rest
Of the passengers, who enjoyed his dis
comfiture immensely.
The pretty girl remained standing
until the door was opened on the New
York side, when she walked out with
the rest of the passengers. AS she
moved along the platform she swung
her left arm in a careless way, and, as
the knowing passengers heard the joints
in the artificial member squeak, they
realized why the little man had failed
to make any impression upon it's other
wise stunning owner.-Brooklyn Eagle.