Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-29
TALK OF THE TIME.

dressed, sparsely built man with gray hair
a grave and thoughtful face, and keen, in
telligent eyes He was reading o paper and
looking neither at his neighbors nor at
those who came and went from the ladies'
restaurant. The man had q touch of pre-.
ciseness and primness about him that in
! some way suggested he was bachelor
The waiter brought him a chop, baked
potato and a pot of tea-confirmation of the
bachelor theory.
As he threw back his coat and made ready
to begin his lunch, a folded paper showed
itself protruding from an inner pocket 1t
had legal look, suggestive of a bill in equity
and a long train of attendant troubles. As
he folded up his newspaper and turned to
his food, he drew forth pair of glasses
dangling from slender gold chain and
began to eat as II it was a duty and not
pleasure.
There were three OF them in the party
which came to the next table. There was a
middte-aged and stoutish man, rather
showily dressed and with an air OF pros
perity and good living. He was not particu-
larly interested in his companions, and sell
dom said anything unless spoken to- 1t was
he who studied the menu and wrote the
order, which turned out to consist of lobster
la Newburg, q lot OF things with rich
sauces, n salad, a claret and a quart OF
Ayala, ices and berries. Beside him sa { an
othermans immaculate of dress and get-up,
smooth Of tongue-if one could judge from
ence in social matters. He was good look
ing, but withal had a bring-me a brandv-and
da-and-let-me-alone air. The third men-
pretty, strikfngly stylish, strikingly ele-
gant-a brunette with delicious eyes, and
although doubtless in the later 2Gs or
perhaps 3D. she had the lips and cheeks of
girl OF l6 She was languid and loved and
life evidently was too full of com Tort and
ease to be thing to be taken seriously. The
was apparent, the other man was merely on
duty.
Romance OF the Mountains.
AWAY off in the mountains there is an
old farm house capacious, comfortable and
clean. Through the orchards you can get
a glimpse of the river, beyond the meadows
the hills rise tall and gloomy. A pretty
city girl came there years ago for three
months rest and quiet. They were old
people at the farm but there was a neigh
boris boy who was handy and useful. He
knew the places worth seeing, the loveliest
rides, the pools where the trout lurked and
there were many things in his programme
to vary the dull country life. And so the
girl spared him no trouble and he gave |
willingly OF time and attention. The next
summer she came again and did the same |
thing once more except that she was not |
clever enough to keep him quiet and they |
were engaged when she went home. She |
wrote occasionally, he wrote frequently. |
Then she was married and the correspond |
ence ended. He studied law at the |
country seat and as time passed became
profession. He had bachelor rooms and |
habits and leans toward bric-a-brac and |
study. Once he declined a case because |
other side.
She looked at him indolently at first,
and then with curiosity and at last with !
recognition. He notices the look He knew
her as she entered, 1t was ut the railroad |
station in the hills that he saw her last.
What was that he was reading when he be- |
gan to eat his lunchf Some story of a decis-
ion In that Treasury case-and he took up
the paper and read it with deliberate cool \
ness until sip by sip he had finished his
conee and then he put away his glasses-he
could not recognize anyone without them
and walked out of the room. You see these |
things in novels and the lnaea zines often.
but they rarely come to you with your lunch. |
The Man With a B,us Pencil.
"A MAN who plays an important part in
affairs and yet who is usually in the back
ground, who is modest, yet authoritative.
brief, yet clear, who in short Is masculine In
yet feminine because he has
the last word, is the man with the blue PEN
Gil. A great many people have no knowl-
edge of his existence. but he is there, never
theless. If the public generally could come to
O full comprehension of him and his doings he |
would have to fit himself out with spring and |
fall underwear of link armor to be as bullet
to be in mind. There is an Old fable that
there are those young women in loose
clothes and with Clytie knots who are the
Fates, and one of them is supposed to do
ones business for one with pair of shears;
but we have changed all this. / suppose
somebody objected to the capriciousness of
sence of data at once suggestive and tanta-
lizing. In any event. the man with the blue
pencil has arisen as power in the land and
he seems to have come to stay.
He of the cerulean crayon Is as omnipotent
as he is omniscient. 1t is little way be has |
Sometimes he is the 'rnan in charge of the |
,redits.' very potentate OF poientates.
Upon your modest request for a big bill of
goods he writes according to your deserts Or |
perhaps, his dessert 20. 4. or IN. G." or
some other nSyotb;nn7r mystlG; fGrmulS and you are
those pencilings-they are for the man who
writes you nice letter, short IT all is well,
onger II all is wrong. Then again he is the
awful parsonage on whose nod hang rail-
,oad passes, or orders for box seats at the
opera. Up in q corner of your note he dabs
,ome marks modelled after those of the late
lpon them the odds are you would not know
" he ther your name was Dennis or something |
more agreeable to the ear. Perhaps he is
reader and II IN he Is LOOK nhof out Tor him He
innocent looking stick OF blue. A reader"
you must know, is not one OF that long SUI ,
erlng ana patlent muItltude belonging TO the
yell-known family OF "dear reader" or 1.-THE
'eader" whose footprints we hnd in the
pages of the earlier novelists. Nor is he at
Ill akin to "many rea ders" Of the daily and
weekly press. This gentleman has neither
citations nor bowels of compassion. He
tands Between you and your public by virtue
If q merceDary alliance with the editor of q
magazine or the members of a publishing ;
Irm, You do not find traces OF him on the
iSS, which comes home as directly as though
t were of the breed OF carrier pigeons. Oh
10! He is above that. He does you upon
crap of his own or on your letter, but he ,
oes You just the same.
Being Published as millionaire.
THE Little Brothers of the Rich" do
ot have it all their own way by any means,
nd what is generally regarded as a public I
lessing Is in the opinion of the millionaire c
T. millionairess, something quite the oppo- 1
ite. For example, most people are glad to G
ct letters, but the class I have spoken of c
re prone to look upon the mall Us source
I great ANNOYANCE.
The other day The DISPATCH published o. h
st of Pittsburg millionaires taken from an 4
rticle on that subject In the country gen Il
rally printed in the New York Tribune. One 7
fair example of the demands OF all sorts of u
eople upon those known to have wealth. a
his gentleman has twice been alluded to f
newspaper articles being very rich.
he first time was some years ago and the
ssult was that he received over 1900 letters v
skiing either for loans. for presents or max &
" suggestions for investments or threats Q
all sorts. p
bear fruit For day or two the mails :,
ave been bringing in prospectuses of min- VI
ig, land. railroad and many other kinds OF a
appeals for aid, tickets for n
huroh iairs, strawberry festivals and all
'rts Of money-raising entertainments. Such =.
les OF woe as pour in and such wilu-oyeI I "