Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-05-24
GRIPMAN M'CHUNK.

Through the rough Woot and warp
that made up the character Of Gripman
Andrew McChunk there ran a silver
thread Of sentiment To those who sim
ply saw the unCouth exterior Of the
man, as day after day he stood upon the
front platform Of the car over whose
performances no presided, playing rude
ly on the alarm gong, swearing ut the
truokmen who would block his trium-
phal passage this would have seemed al
most impossible. But the thread was
there nevertheless and showed itself on
every afternoon when he was Off duty.
and with two youngsters, the property
Of his landlady, Mrs. Halligan, hang
ing to each hand, no left tho small fat
on tho fifth floor Of 5O54 Ninth avenue
and betook himself to Riverside park.
Gripman McChunk loved nature, not
as she reveals herself in the dollhouse
atmosphere Of the so called gardens that
line the Harlem, but as she discloses
herself on the Riverside. Ho loved the
broad, silent stream, the high, wooded
palisades, the green grass at his feet,
the green leaves above his head, in
which the birds chirped and futtered to
and fro on tho balmy summer days.
Many q pleasant afternoon as he stroll
ed along the narrow gravel pathways he
would close his eyes to shut out the
sight Of the endless line Of equipages
rolling by, and trusting TO the guidance
Of the children at his side would listen
to the twitter of tho sparrows aud rob
ms and to the swishing Of the breeze
among the carefully pruned branches
and imagine himself back mp country.
Now, had no not had some little senti-
mont he would have spent those same
afternoons sitting in his shirt sleeves by
the open window of Mrs. Halligan's
stufFy fiat smoking his pipe and gazing
stolidly down Of the elevated trains as
they ratified along below.
To the man who delights in wander
ing among green trees and over green
grass, where ho can see overhead q few
thousand acres of blue sky dotted with
white clouds, unsoiled by black smoke
and unbroken by the rough outlines of
factory chimneys, the time always comeg
when in imagination a purely ethereal
some one gazes with him on those same
beauties. Perhaps it takes form of a crea-
ture clad in light, airy drapery, with
long, golden hair, deep blue eyes and
seraphic smile. Andrew McChuDk, when
no first began to stroll OH the Riverside,
went alone, with the exception of the
two Halligan children. Then, as the
days few by, the purely ethereal crea-
tion walked with him, and those were
the times when no used to close his eyes
and squeeze little Miss Halligau's hands
quito tenderly. Later the ideal form
took upon itself a change; the golden
hair assumed a duh red hue; the eyes
once blue became snappy black; the
form shortened a little and spread out
in proportion; tho airy draperios were
changed into solid rcd calico. In fact,
the ideal some one that once walked by
the side Of Andrew McChunk became
tho exact counterpart of tho bnxom
young woman who dispensed lemonade
and knotty apples from a small stand at
the southeast corner of Trinity church.
yard.
Who was this creature? Andrew Nc
Chunk did not know her namo. He al
ways thought of her as ''hor'' aud
''she." Her customers knew her as
plain Annie.
McChunk had presided over a cable
car for q whole year before no first came
beneath her softening influence. For
that year no had been tho most daring
gripman Oh the whole line. His con-
science never smote him in the loast
when no few by forlorn females as on
rainy days they stood on tho corners
frantically waving their umbrellas. No
look of compassion ever passed across
his stolid face whom he left behind him
q truckman helplessly douoing about
broken wheels and axles.
Then the change came-slowly, sure
ly. One day as his car was spinning by
Trinity churchyard his eye fell upon
the form OF her. She had taken tho
place Of the old woman who for years
had kept the stand there and was sit
ting beneath the shade Of a greon UNI
brella. With one eye she kept watch
upon her glass covered case, in which
glistened the surfaces Of numbcrless
blocks Of chocolate Of various sizes;
with the other upon her customers, to
whom. she was dispensing 1 and 2 cent
glasses Of lemonade. She was a short
woman, not over SO perhaps ana bad
wavy red hair, a complexion not unlike
that OF the apples in tho basket before
her and a broad c-ountenance beaming
with good nature.
The worry next day ON his down trip
Andy McChunk looked her way again,
and the next day, and the noxt day, until
at length he acquired tho habit Of
straining his eyes to see her from several
blocks up the street. But she never no.
ticed him until ono day when passing
no petulently Jumped on the gong pin.
Then she looked up, and their eyes met.
She smiled, and he smiled, and tho car
banged into a truck. A moment later
as be spun by Andy McChunk smiled
his %unconcern at a profano and injured
driver. II was for tho first time in his
career on the road.
After that as he olattored along to-
ward the churobyard BIO used TO pound
the alarm. Then she would look mp and
smile. and his JOY was complete. And
thus his love grew up IN him Then