Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-03-07
A Pipe ROMANCE.


corncob or clay sort, but a respectable,
aristocratic pipe
My bowl Is of finest meerschaum, colored
most artistically, the yellow blending with
the brown just enough to suit fastidious
smoker.
My stem, which is carved with minute
marguerites, Is so delicately fashioned
that all who see me exclaim, "How beau
tiful" Then, as they rub their fingers
over my amber mouthpiece, they ask,
wherever did you find such beautyi"
And the woman always answers, "Oh,
/ was in musty old curio shop one day
and discovered IL In pile of rubbish'--
How well remember that day
For months / had lain there among Pile
beian metal Jars and unwieldy teapots and
heavy sabers-I, who had been so careful
ly made and put together. But was
quite helpless.
My case and had become separated. A
cumbersome bronze leaned against me un-
til 1 feared should be crushed.
had almost forgotten that was 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
felt the bronze suddenly being remov-
ed. A little hand hauled me out of the
dusty pile, and heard a laughing voice
say: "It's just the thing i shall buy 1t
for Newton. Bless his old heart.
Now, IL 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. i Twas
then rolled up In bit Of tissue paper,
and she tucked me under her arm along
with blue and gold rose jar.
It seemed an endless time before l was
taken out, and when her fingers pulled the
paper away was thrilled with happiness.
She hung me on nail along with a
chamois skin tobacco pouch and rabbits
foot. We all seemed more or less out Of
place in that dainty parlor where every
corner showed that the room belonged TO
q woman.
Right near me were tea table, a 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 filled with rugs and com
Portable rookers--it was what a woman
calls "cozy den."
had already begun to hate Newton
whoever he might be-but / made his ac-
quaintance sooner than l expected.
That very evening, just as i 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. "I
know you're tired, and this is such rest
ful place." and she dumped all the sofa
cushions on the little lounge.
"You'n find box out in the hall, " re-
marked the man quite unconcernedly as
he sank down with sigh and rubbed his
hands through his hair.
She was off like a 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 fraudp'she exclaimed. "How
dare you remind me that / have a birth
dayl stopped having birthdays two years
ago. IL you were really, truly brother
now, I'd be half inclined to-to-punish
you. Indeed 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 me 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.
"Therer' 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 smokei Hereafter
you shall smoke all you pleasel No, don't
thank me. l won't have itl'
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 puffed 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 CRATE 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.
"Yes, I'm 90 years old today" she re-
marked, Just as IL she were answering a
question. "What an age IL Is since you
and used to trot of 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-
hindf'
"And you do remember how we used to
save our pennies to buy house with when
we 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 8.
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 note 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 he
gan with: "I expected this. It's three year,
since we talked the matter over and decid-
cd that two persons--a man and a woman
could be 'just friends;' that we would
never be sentimental or silly. And you've
restful to know somebody who wasnt al
n sAl a aVRA