The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-02-08
THE ONLY MAN IN THE WORLD
An Old Lady's Remark Which Moistened
the Eyes of Every Hearer.

the Eyes OF Every Hearer.
In one corner of the car, near the door,
sat very old lady, says the San Fran
cisco Call. Such plain, almost shabby
old body, with queer black bonnet,
of style of years gone by, and rusty
black wrap. Her face was wrinkled
and scanned and worn with age and care,
and her slender old shoulders had begun
to bend beneath the accommodating bur
den of years and the sorrow of this
world. Behind her steel-bowed glasses
her faded blue eyes shone dimly and the
soft bands of hair beneath the recessed
roof of her ancient bonnet were silverey
white. But the faded old eyes were
full of calm peace, the wrinckled old
face bore not a line of impatience or
annoyance, and the gentle smile that
lowered about the sunken, withered old
lips were certainly not suggested by
anything connected with the cherries,
dispiriting scene of broken cable car
standing silent in the drenching rain.
She was accompanied by lively, pref
ty girl of perhaps 1S years, whose smart
gown and stylish coat showing beneath
the storm coat that she had unbuttoned
and thrown back presented a sharp con-
trast to the old lady's antique attire.
The girl had been fussing impatientiy
for several moments, and finally, after
an irritated study of her companions
face, she burst forth with:
"I declare, grandma Idon't see how
you can sit there and take things SO
quietly It's too provokiugl 1t seems
as though all the tiresome things in the
world saved themselves up to happen
between Christmas and New Years."
There was no reply, and after an in
slant the young girl spoke again;
doesn't it seem so to you, grandma2"
The blue eyes that had been looking
afar through the mist came back to con-
sciousness of the impatient child. The
wrinkled face bent itself tenderly to-
ward her, but the smile about the faded
lips was strangely wistful.
81 don't know, child" she said. "The
season is always pleasant so me-" And
then softly, as though she had forgotten
her hearer and was speaking to herself,
81 was married between Christmas and
New Years sixty years ago-to the only
man in the world"
There was hush, during which the
young gave quick, startled glance
had overheard grandma's speech. Nc
one looked at her. The conductor was
briskly wiping off a few troublesome
raindrops that had driven into his eyes
The clustering passenger in the oppo
site corner was gazing iutentlJ dowr
the street with curious culver of this
chin that even his pugnacious black
mustache'could not hide. The mother
of the impatient little boy suddenly
lifted him into her arms and huggei
him to her heart. The facetious young
mans face was illumined with tender
glow, and he made no pretense that the
rain had gotten into his eyes. Outside
the heavens still swept torrentially, ant
not sound came from the motionles
cable. but within the car hatred hal
been banished, and every passenger
heart warmed with a sudden sense o
brotherhood with every other one. Th
steamY, heavy air seemed to tighten
, and not a soul there but felt its burden
! lifted and its sordid gloom brightene
and purified in the holy radience tina
shown in the wrinkled face of the pas
senger who had been married sixty year
, ago to the only man in the world.