The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-03-16
A PIPE ROMANCE.

smoker.
My stem, which is carved with minute
marguerites, is so delicately fashioned
that all who see me exclaim, Chow beau
tifulw Then, as they rub their fingers
over my amber mouthpiece, they ask,
"Wherever did you find such beauty"
And the woman always answers, ooh,
was in a musty old curio shop one day
and discovered it in pile of rubbish''--
How well remember that day
For months / had lain there among pie
beian metal jars and unwieldy teapots and
heavy sabers-I, who had been so careful
ly made and put togeth4r . But was
quite helpless.
My case and had become separated. A
cumbersome bronze leaned against me I'M
til feared l should be crushed.
1 had almost forgotten that was a pipe
and had ceased to dream of that blissful
day when my bowl should be filled with
tobacco and should inhale its delicious
aroma.
Then she camel
l felt the bronze suddenly being remov-
ed. A little hand hauled me out of the
dusty pile, and l heard a laughing voice
say: "It's just the thingl | shall buy it
for Newton. Bless his old heart"
Now, if my anatomy were possessed of
a heart, should have felt sure that her
last remark was meant for me, for as she
said it she stroked my red tassels. l was
then rolled up in bit of tissue paper,
and she tucked me under her arm along
with blue and gold rose jar.
1t seemed an endless time before l was
taken out, and when her fingers pulled the
paper away l was thrilled with happiness
She hung me on a nail along with a
chamois skin tobacco pouch and rabbits
foot We all seemed more or less out of
place in that dainty parIor where every
corner showed that the room belonged to
a woman.
Right near me were n tea table, guitar
and low settee filled with sofa cushions.
Hanging beside me were pretty etch-
ings, water colors, photographs, Javanese
knickknacks and big japanese doll.
The room was 6lled with rugs and COM
Portable rockers-it was what a woman
calls "cozy den."
l had already begun to hate Newton
whoever he might be-but made his &C
quaintance sooner than l expected.
That very evening, just as l had begun
to feel at home and was wondering how
to introduce myself to my two compan-
ions, the tobacco pouch and the rabbits
foot, he came. Such a creature as he was
tool A great broad shouldered fellow, who
looked quite strong enough to tuck the
woman under his arm without the least
bit of trouble.
"Sit down here" said the woman. 81
know you re tired and this is such a rest
full place." and she dumped all the sofa
cushions on the little lounge.
"You'll find box out in the hall. a." re-
marked the man quite unconcernedly as
he sank down with sigh and rubbed his
hands through his hair.
She was off like gust of March wind
and when she returned her arms were fill
ed with great red roses that sent an odor
through the little rooms. To my mind
the odor was almost as sweet as that my
friend, the tobacco pouch, boasts of.
"You're a fraudp'she exclaimed. elbow
dare you remind me that l have birth
day stopped having birthdays two years
ago. If you were a really, truly brother
now, I'd be half inclined to-to-punish
you. Indeed l should" And she took a
tiny bud and pinned it on the lapel of his
coat.
All this time the mans eyes had been
centered on ma and my two friends. The
woman noticed that he was looking my
way, and with a funny little laugh she
ran and took me from the nail.
"There!" she cried. "Look at it. Did
you ever see lovelier one? And it's for
you Nobody else shall ever, ever smoke
it love to smell the smoked Hereafter
you shall smoke all you pleased No. don't
thank me. l won't have itr'
She tugged at the strings of the tobacco
pouch. She filed my bowl with the brown
contents. She handed me to the man and
went to get match.
"You must light it the first time, !" he
said when she returned "Just for good
fellowship's sake"
And she actually put her lips to my
mouth and tried to draw the smoke
through my stem. She pulled but mo-
ment, and then she coughed and made wry
faces as she gave me back to the man.
He laughed at her, too, the wretch
Then she drew a low rocking chair close
to the gratO fire and propped her feet up
on the brass fender. They were both ST.
lent for some time, she studying the jump
ing flames, he putting diligently away and
blowing rings of smoke into the air.
eyes, Pm % years old today" she re-
marked, just as if she were answering a
question. "What an age it is since you
and used to trot off to school together
every morning. Don't you remember how
the neighbors used to say that they never
saw Newly Pierson on his velocipede but
what Priscilla Davis was perched on be-
hind?'
"And you do remember how we used to
save our pennies to buy house with when
I'VE got old enough to be married?" asked
the man. And then for full hour they
Chatted about things that had happened
when the woman was years old and the
man only s.
After awhile the fire in my bowl went
out. Their voices got so low that could
scarcely catch their words. The man SEEM
ed to be very earnest. He did most of the
talking too.
By and by the woman arose. She stood
directly under the chandelier. My friend,
the rabbits foot, nudged me and told me
to rote how pretty she looked standing
there. answered rather rudely and told
him to keep quiet; that wanted to hear
what she was saying.
At last she stopped twisting the ring
around her finger, and very softly she be-
gan with: / expected this. It's three years
s,inoa tua o1Ea6 tho f,,offor. ova,. a nj Jaofa