The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-11-16
A LOVE AFFAIR.

H' hiAi q hhf bRihk W t'it 1Oh hbbut
n rather pretty, and her name is Edith.
She has dark hair. and her eyes are bloc.
and she dresses we'll She has been
graduated from seminary Of good re-
pute. and her disposition is nmiablo 10 a
degree which more than 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. Whit | can recall among
her most pronounced accomplishments
l will put down here later on. | met
her 80 long u time ago that | have for
gotten the circumstances Of our meet
ing. but | guess they were Of the ordi.
nary sort. | live two doors from her
house, and drop in 10 see her and Mrs
Burke mt least once week Even her
marriage. 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 be-
ginning 10 believe that IL was good
thing after all. that she didn't marry
me.
What | want TO tell-and il won't
take long TO tell 1t in my dry fashion
Is the story Of old Brownies courtship.
| make my living by keeping the cash
accounts of n big Market street whole
a..I. n
whose desk is next to mine in the count
ing room. Our salary is about the same.
and although he is two years younger
than | am. | being 81 now. we both
have held the same positions for 20
years. Browne weighs more than 600
pounds, and | weigh trihe less.
Mrs. Bun Ike, who IL Edith's mother,
came to me this summer and had quite
a long talk with me about her personal
affairs. She said that her late husband 5
estate was pretty much entangled, and
that TO keep her present establishment
on Arch street going she would have to
rent some of~ho handsome rooms in the
house to boarders. OF course she didn't
want To do that, and OF course depre-
Gated the plan. but in the end it turned
out that we both had 10 give in
Old Browne rented the second story
front room the day after | told him
about II. He had been living away up
town, and he was glad to get a little
nearer to the Office, besides enjoying all
the social prestige which geographical
conditions could give him. He moved
into the rooms with dozen trunks and
a 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, and Edith
smiled upon him when she gave him his
night key.
thought n good deal Of Edith, and
every night or two we played cards in
her mothers rooms. She and played
partners against young Bob Smith and
Mrs. Burke. We were pretty evenly
matched. too, for Bob played stiff
game of whist. and well, you may
remember that | was one of the Pente-
cost clubs prize team last tall. Edith
and | won most Of the games. though,
for Bob was too Internally lazy ever to
do anything well. And then he never
/ 0'tthtN " ulluu IL III ne LOST.
The presence of old Browne annoyed
me great deal, aud don { mind say
ing 80. About a week after he took his
rooms there | found him occupying my
seat at the whist table when | called.
He was fumbling the cards in his awk-
ward fashion, and Edith was laughing
at him. Bob was engaged in giving an
imitation of me telling n war story. and
even Mrs. Burke was approving the ri.
diculous proceedings. coughed. and
that stopped the game. but l was I'M
comfortable all the evening. But Boil
had the good sense TO apologize. but old
Browne simply Uttered for an hour over
what he seemed 10 consider a good jok,
ON me.
After that all my affairs seemed &c
20 wrong, and | began 10 seriously con.
slider whether | shouldn't rent every
room in Mrs. Burke's house myself.
was actually contemplating this propo
sition one night in my own apartments
smoking my last bowl of tobacco tn,
while, when the colored girl who watt
on the door said that man had callet
To see me. have few callers, and
thought II might be Mr.. Phipps. tn,
managing partner OF my house. whom
had invited TO come TO see me moro than
month ago.
With this idea in mind told the cir
to delay the man below stairs for mo
ment while slipped into other clothes
Then the door opened. and old Brown,
came ambhng in. | was disgustcd OF
the instant. hnt | managed 10 concea
my real feelings and invited him TO b,
seated. He looked all around him {,
see II was alone, set his hat on III,
floor and then accepted my Invitation
with a kind Of sigh.
Thank you, " he said. Il only wan
10 see you tor moment"
offered him pipe. and he decline,
II. told him my cigars were out.
" IL doesn't make any difference, " h,
said. I'D rather not smoke. cam,
here to ask you,scne things about tn,
Burkes.
Tho Lord only knows how looked a
him as he hesitated Ton moment.
Il have seen enough OF them," IA,
went on. 4" to believe that they are por