The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-03

BOYS and girls won't oel1eVe me- per
haps, but was once painfully. horri-
bly, shy and sensitive. Bashfuli Why,
you can't imagine how l felt as a lad
of sixteen or eighteen even at a church
sOciable, and yet for the life of Inc l
couldn't keep quiet. I was always
feverishly anxious to be paying some
one Notwithstanding around refresh
ments, you know, generally managing
to spill chocolate or ice-creem over
some ones newest dress, and distin-
gushing myself variously. Oh! you
don't know how much / suffered"
We all laughed. because no moro
self-possessed man ever existed than
our uncle, and, whether IN his public or
private life, he gave one the impression
of shrewd, calm, totally una ffected
nature, in every way the reverse OF
what he pictured himself.
Aunt Kitty looked up from her knit
ting with twinkling eyes,
You ought TO tell them the nose
story" she said, smiling. LET them
/ Judge from that whether you were
bashful or not"
''Oh, yes, yes" laughed Uncle Joe.
''Sure enough, that wds an experience. J"
Waiting to fill his pipe, uncle settled
himself comfortably in his arm chair
and began:
"Well, l was about nineteen at the
time, just young enough to feel old, you
know, and old enough to have known
better. I was starting for town in
the western part of New York state,
where | had been invited to spend a few
weeks of college vacation, and my
| Cousin Sar all was to accompany mo.
Just as we were geing to the train a
gentleman knew slightly stepped up
TO Us to ask whether we would take
charge of his elderly aunt She was go
ing to the same town, but wes not only
in poor health but in deep affection ow-
ing to the death Of her brother, Here
was an opportunity for me TO display
my usual eager politeness, nnd soon
had Mrs. Jones settled by Sarah's side,
opposite me in the train, end in ten
minutes had bought half dozen comic
newspapers, which l had fairly forced
upon her before l RENE n beTed that her
frame of mind was too melancholy to
be soothed by iterature of that kind.
subsidized only to buy her a package of
prize candy when the boy came through
the train, and but for Sarah's stern
looks in my direction don't know what
other tomfoolery l might have in
dulged in.
Now, I must tell you that Sarah
had, and has, / am glad to say. re-
markably large nose-uot an ugly one,
! but prominent to an extent which has
often made her the target for family
joking. had given Mrs. Jones, who
by the way, was the most detected
/ looking creature you can imagine, a
/ brief rest, when my thoughts turned TO
| Sarah, and knowing her tinidity on
some points, resolved to have a little
/ sport in the very dark tunnel we were
nearing. Accordingly | leaned back
( with half-closed eyes and the air OF
/ calm, for which. no doubt, my compan-
/ ions were grateful, and then no sooner
. were we well in the darkness than I
/ bent forward silently, and. taking
/ Sarah's nose between my thumb and
/ finger. I tweaked and twisted it back
and forth, finally giving it a little slap.
I'VE emerged into the daylight Mrs
/ Jones seemed to glare on me. Saran
/ remained absolutely unmoved and
/ looked out of the window near which
she sat ! bore the horrible suspense
! fM about five minutes and contrived to
write on = paper which Ismuggied into
( her hands: Did anyone pull Your nose
( in the tunnel?'
''She looked at me in blank amaze
I ment. Her expression seemed 70 say:
Are you entirely crszy?' while she
/ almost indignantly shook her head,
I and tossed my paper out of the window.
Il sat sJonily still, II you'll believe
me, for fully two minutes, as the awful
/ truth dawned upon nv mind. think
/ my face must gradually have grown
! purple as l looked at Mrs. Jones aad
/ realized what had done here was a
poor old lady in time OF affection,
+ whom | had been asked TO safely es-
cort to her home. and whose-sIso
/ prominent-nose l had not only pulled.
I but tweaked in that tunnel. To sit
I there facing her. knowing WHIST she
( must be thinking and what she would
I probably tell our mutual friends in
| b, grew az last intolerab,e. and
I making the best excuse ] could went