Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-11


LIZ E1sSHSe% or two at the hat stand
80 sdlms,SS and finally decide not
A e.: !: ::-; y. :;,' vi. .; :S'; 3:
SXfr 1t was one Of those fine
&1 it@N- raIns-I am not prais-
~ j; ing Il ,'. wi { ,s We, i yss
seconds. A sharp twenty-rninutes walk lay be-
tween my Office in Court street and NV rooms
in Huntington avenue. i was standing medita-
lively in the doorway of the former establish
ment on the lookout for a hack or a herdic.
An unusual number of these vehicles were
hurrying in all directions, but as each APP
preached within the arc Of nv observation the
face of some fortunate occupant was visible
through the blurred glass OF the closed window.
Presently a coupe leisurely turned the corner
as II in search of fare. | hailed the driver,
and though he apparently took no notice of my
gesture. the coupe slowed up and stopped. or
nearly stopped, at the curbstone directly in
front OF me. | dashed across the narrow side
walk, pulled open the door and stepped into
the vehicle. As did so some one else on the
opposite side performed the same evolution,
ana the two of Us stood for instant with the
| crowns of our hats glued together. Then We
seated ourselves simultaneously, each by this
token claiming the priority of possession.
II beg your pardon, SIR l said, but this
| Is my carriage"
II beg your pardon, SIR" was the equally
frigid reply; 1.-The carrisge is mine"
- hailed the man from that doorway" l
said, with firmness
and hailed him from the crossing"
But L signaled him first"
MY companion disdained to respond TO that
statement, but settled himself back on the
cushions as if he had resolved to spend the rest
of his life there
Va Mill -
The subject of this colloeuy now twisted his
body round on the dripping box and shouted:
Where to, gentlemen?
lowered the plate glass and addressed him:
There's a mistake here. This gentleman and
both claim the coupe. Which of us first
called your But the driver couldn't tell
I other from which, as he expressed it. Hav-
ing two fares inside, he of course had no wild
desire to pronounce a decision that would nee
| essarily cancel one of them.
The situation had reached this awkward
phase when the intruder leaned forward and
inquired, with a total change in his information:
Are you not Mr.. David Willis?''
THAT is my name
II am Edwin Watson; we used to know each
other slightly at college"
All along there had been something familiar
to me in the mans face, but l had attributed it
| to the fact that L hated him enough ut first
| sight to have known him intimately for ten
| years. Of course, after this. there was no fur
| ther dispute about the carriage Mr.. Watson
wanted to 60 TO the Providence station, which
was directly on the way to Huntington avenue
The affair arranged itself. We fell into pleas
ant chat concerning the old Harvard DAYS,
| and were surprised when the coupe drew I'D in
| front of the red brick clock tower Of the sta
| ton.
The acquaintance, thus renewed by chance
| continued. Though we had resided six wears
IN the same city, and had not met before, we
were now continually meetng-at the club, at
the downtown restaurant whore we lunched at
various houses where We visited in common
Mr.. Watson was in the banking business he had
| been married one or two Years, and was living
out OF town, in what he called IA little box, $
on the slope of Blue Hill He had once or twice
invited me to run out to dine and spend the
| night with him, but some engagement or other
| disability had interfered. One evening, how
| ever as we were playing billiards at the st Bo-
tolph | accepted his invitation for a certain
| Tuesday. Watson, who was having a vacation
4 at the time, was not to accompany me from
town. but was to meet me with his pony cart a,
Green Lodge, small flag station on the Provi-
dence Railway, two or three miles from "The
| Briers," the name of his place.
II shall be proud to show you my wife, " be
said. land the baby-and Goliath
GOLIATH"
That's the dog" answered Watson. with a
laugh. "Iou and Goliath ought to meet-Dayid
and GOLIATH
If Watson had mentioned the dog earlier In
the conversation l might have SHE'D at his
hospitality. may as well at once confess that
do not like dogs, and am afraid of them. OF
| some things am not afraid; there have been
| occasions when my courage was not to be
doubted-for example. the night | secured the
| burglar In my dining room, and held him until
| the police came, and notably the day had an
interview with young bull in the middle of a
| pasture, where there was not so much as a bur
dock leaf to fly to; with my red silk pocket
handkerchief l deployed him az coolly as If |
had been professional matador. state these
| unadorned facts in no vainglorious mood If
that burglar had been a collie, or that bull a
bull terrier, l should have collapsed on the
spot.
No man can be expected to be hero in all
directions. Doubtless Achilles himself had his
secret little cowardice. if truth were known.
That acknowledged vulnerable heel Of his was.
perhaps, not his only weak point. While / am
thus covertly drawing comparison between
myself and Achilles, will saw that that same
extreme sensitiveness of heel is also unhappily
mine. for nothing SO sends a chill into il and
thence along my vertebre as to have a strange
dog come up shifting behind me. Some in
scrutable instinct has advised all strange dogs
of my antipathy and pusillanimity.
The little dogs and all
Tray. Blancheeend Sweetheart, see they bark at me-
They sally forth from picturesque verandas
and unsupported hidings TO show their teeth
as 1 go by. In a spot where there is no dog
one will terminate if he happens to find out
that l am to pass that way. Sometimes they
follow me for miles. Strange dogs that wac
their tails at other persons growl at me from
over fences and across vacant lots and at street
corners.
$50 you keep dog?' l remarked carelessly,
as dropped the spot ball into pocket.
.Yes," returned Watson. What is a coun-
try place without q dog?"
L said to myself, II know what a country
place is with dog; it's place should prefer
to avoid"
But as had accepted the invitation, and as
Watson was TO pick me up at Green Lodge
station, and, presumably, see me safely into
the home, l said no more.
Living as he did on a lonely road. and likely
at any hour of the night to have a burglar or
two drop in on him, it was proper that Watson
should have a dog on the grounds In any
event he would have done so. for he had always
had a maniacal passion for the canine race. L
remember his keeping at Cambridge a bull
pup that was the terror of the neighborhood