The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-10-18
round, astonished eyes North read not .

round, astonished eyes North read not .
little iisinay ana suspicion. s8r*
n Nothing at all, colonel, except the
siimculty that have mentioned" re-
turned North, reassuringly. "The case
\ IS Is plain as q pikestaff. I wish to go
TO Delaplaine street, and have not the
faintest idea where Delaplaine street is
!, Now, is not that coincidence that
appeals to your helpful sympathies?"
S# Are you sure. Mr.. North quite sure,
you know" ventured the colonel,
nervously apprehensive lest he might
not put the case with sufficient delicacy,
that you are in a-exactly condition,
you know, to call on q lady?" @
North's first impulse was to resent
this imputation; then he reflected how
much ground there was for the colonels
suspicion, and amusement became up
permost in his feelings. He smiled as
he answered.:
ooh, yes, colonel, I am perfectly sure
of that" r,-,. ,n, rs
1 ''Well, said the colonel, still with the
! air Of one who darkly suspected that he
was being imposed upon, you go up
Main street, ten squares beyond the
courthouse, and then turn into Della
PLANE street at your left. And if had
silver dollar for every time that
you've been over that route in the last
three years, I'd be rich manv' he
/ added, with q reproachful scowl, as he
drew his brows together and looked
down sharply at North. ''Think you
can make out, now, how to get there?"
sob, 1 think shall have no difficulty
now, colonel, thank YOU" And with a
wave of his. hand North turned away
again. III
"Why didn't you let him go on in. the
first placer" snarled the gentleman
with the eyeglasses, before Northwas
beyond the reach of his voice. 'sPer-
haps you had better send a small boy
along to show him the road! The fell
low has been either drunk or as crazy
as Hamlet ever since he got back this
morning. What to make of him don't
know, I'm sure!" Is
''Don't try to make anything of me,
my amiable friend. i" murmured North
under his breath as he proceeded up
the street, land then you'll not have
crushing failure to stagger under. 1t
is indeed cruel fate which compels me
to enter upon my career in x with
such damaging suspicious atloat con-
corning my sanity, or my moral char
acter, they seem to be about equally in
volved in doubt. However, my tri-
~ %1>,
natural course of events. When the
colonel has had full opportunity to OBJ
serve the poetic beauty and innocence
of my daily life, he will doubtless
acknowledge that he has done me a
cruel injustice. Let me see now,
where am I? This is probably Main
street; they usually bestow that
name upon the most insignificant
thoroughfare in the city. Ten blocks
beyond the courthouse;' that ought to
be good landmark. Why in the name
the names of the streets on the lamp
posts? Under the impression, no doubt,
that everyone whose convenience. is
worth considering was born and brought
up in IL, and, consequently, is well
up in the geography of the place. No
policemen, either, SO far Us have been
able to observe. How is a stranger to
get anywhere, or to know it when he
does get there? Verify, x, is the
city Of magnificent disadvantages
There was one thing that especial
" impressed North during his first
public appearance in x: his own
unmistal<ablep popularity. Almost every
one on the street seemed to know him,
and he received the most enthusiastic
greetings on every side. He responded
to them all with a suppressed hilarity,
the cause of which was known only to
himself, entering with reckless enjoy
ment, into the masquerade which evil
IDENTIFY no one else suspected. 80
"Really, have 2 host of friends in
KS city in which 1 never set foot
before! / wonderGif this well-ftting
mantle of ready-mudc popularity, is
warranted not to fade nor shrinls?" he
unused, as, having traversed the ten
squares beyond the Courthouse, he
turned into beautiful wide street at
81, ..:@ "a. I.