Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-05-10
BROWNIES COUkTSHIP.
Why He Didn't Marry the Girl OF
His Choice.

She has dark hair and her eyes are blue
and she dresses well. She has been
graduated from a seminary of good re-
pute, and her disposition is amisble TO
a degree which more than n year ago
brought all the young men Of the neigh
borhood at her feet. think she won
tennis championship in singles some
where last year, but am not certain
about that. What can recall among
her most pronounced accomplish ments
/ will put down here later on. met her
so long a time ago that / have forgot
ten tho circumstances of our meeting,
but guess they were Of the ordinary
sort live two doors from her house,
and drop in to see her and Mrs. Burke
at least once a week. Even her mar
rage, which hurt me SO much at the
time, did not separate us for very long,
and think / have lived to forget my
first rash determination never to look
upon her face again. called the night
OF the wedding and have been calling
regularly ever since. am beginning
to believe that 1t was good thing alter
all that she didn't marry me.
/ What 1 want 10 tell and II won't
take long 10 tell II in my dry fashion
is the story OF old Brownies cour tship.
! make my living by keeping the cash
accounts of big Market street whole
sale house, and Browne is the man
whose desk is next TO mine in TIE
counting-room. Our salary is about the
same, and, although he is two years
younger than | am, l being fifty
one now, we both have held the same
positions for twenty years. Browne
weighs more than two hundred pounds,
and weigh a trife less.
Mrs, Burke, who was Edith's mother,
came to me this summer and had quite
long talk with me about her personal
affairs She said that her late hus-
bands estate was pretty much en-
tangled, and that to keep her present
establishment on Arch street going she
would have to rent some of her hand
some rooms in the house to boarders.
OF course, she didn't want to do that,
and, of course, l deprecated the plan,
but In the end it turned out that we
both had to give in.
Old Browne rented the second story
front room the day after l told him
about 1t. He had been living away up
town, and he was glad TO get n little
nearer TO the office, besides enjoying all
the social prestige which geographical
conditions could give him lie moved
into the rooms with dozen trunks
and wealth of bric-a- brac, which, to
my mind, did not become his age. Mrs
Burke was glad to accept the reference
to me which he gave her, ant Edith
smiled upon him when she gave him
his night key.
thought good deal of Edith, and
every night or two we played cards in
her mothers room She and played
partners against young Bob Smith and
Mrs Burke, We were pretty evenly
matched, too, for Bob played q stiff
game of whist, and I-well, you may
remember that ! was one Of the PEN
tecost clubs prize team last fall. Edith
and won most of the games, though,
for Bob was too internally lazy ever to
do any thing well. And he never seemed
TO mind II If he lost
The presence of old Browne annoyed
me great deal, and / don't mind say
ing so. About week after he took his
rooms there found him occupying my
seat at the whist table when called.
lie was fumbling the cards in his awlt-
ward fashion, and Edith was laughing
at him. Bob was engaged in giving an
imitation of me telling a war story,
and even Mrs Burke was approving
! the ridiculous proceedings coughed,
and that stopped the game, but | was
uncomfortable all the evening. Bot
had the good sense to apologize, but
old Browne simply Uttered for an hour
: sI.N L.. al 30 d.
, good joke on me.
I After that all my affairs seemed Il
: go wrong, and | began to seriously
consider whether shouldn't rent every
q room in Mrs Burke's house myself
6 was actually contemplating this prop
osition one night in my own apart
ments smoking my last bowl of TO
bacco the while, when the colored CIR
who waits on the door said that maj
had called TO see me. Ihave few callers
and thought 1t might be Mr. Phipps
+. whom had invited TO come TO see M
Z more than a month ago.
4 With this idea In mind told the cir
q to delay the man below stairs for
a moment while | slipped into othe
y clothes Then the door opened, an
y old Browne came ambling in. wa
q disguised on the instant, but / man
aged TO conceal my real feelings an
: invited him to be seated. He locke
all around him TO see II l was alone
= set his hat on the floor and then &C
? copied my invitation with kind @
L sigh
r Thank you," he said, II only wan
to see you for moment"
offered him pipe, and he decline
, II ! told him my cigars were out
'It doesn't make any difference" h
said. "I'd rather not smoke. / cam
y here 10 ask you some things about III
Burkes."
The Lord only knows how l locke
~ at him as he hesitated for a moment
ICE ~ have seen enough of them" !
ih- went on, "to believe that they are pc
20, fectly responsible pcople-otherwise
al would not have taken lodging Their
:. You and are old friends, and you wi
.nS take away even the slight doubt thel
Is in my mind. Are they perfectly r
Rpectable2"