Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-06-09
AN INCIDENT IN REAL u,Fs.
Showin: How Unpleasant People Can Make
Themselves by Their Talk.

Showing How Unpleasant People Can Make
Themselves by Their Talk.
lsTcppcd upon Broadway car at tho
Low er end of Broadway and rode in it
along that fast changing highway rs far
as Nineteenth street. At the corner Of
Chambers street and Broadway n man
of perhaps 40 and a woman not more
than %. he carrying huge portmanteau,
a collection of wraps, two umbrellas
and a cane, she leading by the hand
S-year-old baby, Joined the partially
crowded patronage already seated. A
cleud of dissatisfaction rested upon the
brow of the man. The frown of an al
ready born rumpns fast unfolding into
fruitage made forbidding and ugly tho
comely coUntenance of the woman. Her
nervous disposition made itself known
TO every one in the car and particularly
to the little boy as she yanked the child
by the arm into the seat beside her. Aft
er q moments silence the woman said.
lyon might have known how it would
be-" to which he responded, well,
might have known, but didn't, SO shut
upv'
Another passenger entered the car at
that moment and stumbled over the port
malteau.
Hang that bag!" said the man.
IF l were you, would keep my cuss-
ing for home," said the woman, and so
on and on and on.
The ensuing half hour was passed by
these two in Il strain which would have
done credit to the most pronounced bag
in the dirtiest quarters of third rate
fish faarket. The little boy, thank heav-
en-, went fast asleep. Much of the con-
versatiOn between the two was inaudible
| save to the three or four people in imme-
date contact with them, but every once
in awhile the shriH voice of the female
bird scared into upper attitudes of def
| ance, making discordant the entire at
mosphere and attracting the attention
| of nearly score of people. They got
ont at the corner of Fourteenth street
and Broadway and entered a cafe-he
sullen, ejaculatory and profane; she
keyed up to G in alt, defiant, shrewish,
cbock full of scold.
Well, what of it? 1t is not such a very
uncommon thing for man and wife-for
lovers even, for daily intercoursers-to
| quarrel and to vent serpentlike misses
from the unruly members that wag with
curious motion as they distill poison
from bitter and j-undiced hearts. 1t is
not so uncommon. admit, but isn't it
always suggestive? thought as looked
at the man, with a good. square, clean
forehead, well marked brows, a clear
skin and an air Of self poise, that he was
! hardly doing himself justice. Save that
his hands We're rude and rough and that
his boots Were country made, that his
portmanteau was considerably older
than the ordinary hill and that his UNI
brella looked as though it might have
been utilized by Mrs Noah when she
came from the ark, he was n man of the
world i'll appearance.
And the woman had pretty face.
Her hair was parted i'll the middle, as
wolnen's hair should be, and revealed in
its old fashioned brushing a tiny ear, not
SO small rs to indicate utter selfshness.
but. on the other hand. not SO large as to
rival q genuine Saddle Rock oyster in its
vulgarity. Her eyes were brown, sof,
at that; her teeth were regular and
clean: her dress was neat, her hands and
feet well clad, and an occasional pat
upon the boys shoulder as he lay mes
ting against her, fast asleep, indicated
the feminine nature, the affectionate ten
derness of the mother.
Listening under the circumstances was
not rudeness. 1t was compulsory. sat
next the boy. Some Of his banana skin
ornaments my coatsleeve until this mo.
ment. As he lay semicoiled up noticed
the copper nails in the bottom of his shoe
and the copper toe upon the same. The
group was easily and perfectly within.
my vision. As word after word fell red.
hot thought: How odd this all would
have sounded in that shell-like ear five
years ago. How strange it would have
seemed to the lover had he heard it or
had it been suggested to him that ever
it could be possible for him TO hear such
language from such hps.-Howard in
New York Recorder.