The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-12-25
CHAPTER II.

TO the eastern emu Oh Ine uOWu' Hall
way along the Commercial road he dis
missed the cab, and, walking q few
PAGES farther on, paused before an an
cient low-browed coffee house, dingy
and dull-loolling externally, and eX-
hibiting in it's window two dusty chops
and steak on q small plate, a selection
of eggs, half dozen stacks of tea cakes,
a piece of bacon, framed price list and
some theatrical bills.
There was shabby, inferior air
about the shop that gave him quite a
shock and rather dampened his ardor;
he wondered he had never been struck |
by the meanness of it's appearance
when he had been so familiar with it
years ago.
He entered with Il strange feeling of
reluctance. Within, the shop was
closed and dark, and filled with unen-
couraging odors of miscellaneous cook
ing. 1t was long and narrow, with
gloomy, high-backed boxes on either
side, for the accommodation of custom
ers, and, at the end, low counter be-
hind which was u private space where
the frying and boiling and washing-up
was done; piles of plates and dishes,
cups and saucers, stood on long dres-
ser, and similar articles adorned the
wooden rack above it, while from an
end of the recess which was out of
sight, q thick steam hoated dreamily
and hung in an attenuated cloud alS
along the ceiling of the shop.
Hesitating, and overcome by an un-
accountable nervousness, Mr.. Ben Hill
yer slipped aside into one of the boxes,
instead of going straight to the coun-
ter, as he had at first intended, and
when the frowzy waitress came to at
tend upon him he ordered cup of tea.
From where he sat he could keep
watch on part of the space behind the
counter; there was TN ancient female
washing crockery in large tub, and
the frowzy waitress drawing his tea
from an urn; from the invisible depths,
whence the steam foated, arose high
pitched feminine voice, monotonously
scolding somebody in connection with
disaster to some baking operations.
All the while he was slipping his tea
that scolding continued, the rancorous,
intolerant tones grating on his nerves
like the snarling of hand saw. He
was yearnlng for glimpse of that
face whose portrait had been his con-
stant companion, and comforter in the
tedious years of his absence. He had
looked forward to this day with unut-
terable longings; in his sleeping and
waking dreams he had lived through
this hour, through this meeting that
was now so near, more often than he
could have said, and if, so far, the re-
ality was not comparable with those
dreams-surely the actual seeing her
touching her hand, hearing her speak
must surpass all imaginary rapture.
His thoughts were broken in upon
by the frowzy waitress saying to q man
in the adjoining box:
"Oh, she's in one of her usual tan,
trums. It's sickenin'. She's been at i
like this all day, very near"
"Kate!"
1t was the complaining voice raised
to higher pitch; and, answering the
call, the waitress scuttled off, vanished
round the counter, and could be heard
out Of sight involved in dispute.
She reappeared, later, subdued ant
sullen, and presently the owner of tn,
scolding voice became visible at tn,
counter, and proceeded to make fresl
tea in the urn.
At the first sight of her face Mr.. Be-
Hillyer started, peculiar choking sen
sation rose in his throat, and he shranl
back as if he feared she might observ
him. She was stout, full-faced won
; an, with an anxious, discontented eS
pression; large, coarse apron cor
, cealed most of her faded print dres,
and her sleeves were rolled up above tn
elbows Of her red, rough arms. To
stranger, the resemblance between thi
more than buxom female and the photo
!. graph in Mr.. Hillyer's pocketwould hav
: been imperceptible, but to Mr.. Be
! Hillyer himself it was ut once apparen
He could even trace something vaguei
familiar, now, in the altered voice; yt
/, he made desperate effort to beliey
that he was mistaken, that this robus
. practical termagant and the daint,
. tender-hearted, sympathetic girl he ho
: loved could not possibly be one and tt
= same person.
The dear ideal he had enshrined
his most sacred thoughts during q
these years was not to be removed al
= replaced by such reality as this. I
y knew ten years must have changed he
but he had come expecting, neverth
less, to find grace and sweetness, al
a something at least Of the beauty tn
\ had first enchanted him; he found i
= stead-
! The disillusion stunned and bew
! 'dered him. He was in no mood just th'
"a TO remember how constant she hi
y been; how nobly she had faced the SC
% did business of life when she and h
e sisters had been left alone in the worl
% or how impossible it was for the me
A. delicate-natured to engage in such ste
combat without becoming harden
7 and coarsened, and perhaps embitterC
n. Nothing Of such changes had reveal