The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-03
~ OLD
The Hoop or Gold. and what Happened
to Jonah.

to Jonah.
All the men In the party wero in evening
drcss. and they were gentlemen in other re-
spects as well, which being elucidated means
that not every man In evening dress is a gen.
tleman. They were sitting about a table in n
Washington club house where gentlemen land
others) congregatc, and they were having a
delightful time telling over the stories OF their
past ummer's experiences.
You may say what you please about tho
Coming Woman. the Fin do Steele Maid. and
the Summer Girl" said the hnndsomest fellow
In the party. but I went up against q combins.
tion this summer that beats them all."
1T must have been O woinan's convention OF
son'o sort" suggested a young naval officer.
Possibly II was merely an old. fashioned
girl. said q shy secretary 10 n Senator.
Not exactly either OF the two. but nearer
the latter" smiled tho narrator. 1T was
only one girl. and not a very big girl NJ that.
In fact. she was quite petite. though plump to
atone for lack OF length"
80" do not love a dumpy woman says
Byron" remarked an oldish man with a Van.
dyke whisker.
she wasn't" commended tho talkor. vigor-
ously. o the contrary, she was the daintiest,
prettiost, cheeriest, cutest creature at the ho-
tel where I spent four glorious weeks in her d.
Ninc anu eAnllhrutlnV pTescnCcs
There was n chorus Of applause. and some
body had presence Of mind enough to ask
when they were going to got to the point where
the story came in.
A ! WAS on the eve OF remnrking." proceed
ed the talker, II put in my vacation at n
charming place not more than twenty-five
thousand miles from the capital OF the nation.
AID among the guests at the same place was
this lovely creature ! am talking about. Tho
first few days after my arrival l was not feel
ing at all we'll. and | met no ono until the de-
and then / met everybody. How
ever. tho very first sight thai delighted my
vision was this girl, whose brown eyes ia sci
mated me before ! had been In the hotel n half
hour. Who she was l had no idea. but whose
she would be before l left the place / began to
dream that very night. As / said. | was feel
ing 80 in the dumps when I made my appear
anse at the place that I studiously avoided all
meetings except among the men several OF
whom l soon became on very agreeable terms
with. and TO whom | raved at times over the
brown eyes.
One afternoon rs I passed along the hall. l
struck my foot against something on the floor
which | could not distinguish In the semi.dnrk-
ness Of the place. | picked 1t up. and carving
beautiful SILK garter with a gold buckle,
adorned by a single diamond Az white and pure
Ss truth To f % ssE that si%pE pHT RnS ' a e0 w5SIs
tion nt, and as soon as l recovered my mental
sluilibrium; ! began casting about in ny mind
fair owner. q difficult task, AS most OF the
guests lived on, this came floor. In line with
took the beautiful baublc from my inside
pocket, and after swearing my four best friends,
whom had Joined In tae smoking room. 70
handkerchief in which l had sacrtdly wrapped
Il. and asked II, they knew To whom IT bc-
thing. for.thoy were nil men OF family. and
wouid consider the matter as n solemn trust.
but none OF them recognized II.
After some discussion. during which time I
had inadvertently held IL In mi hand without
noticing that the door Of tho smoking room
opening on the main hall was not closed. so
that any one passing might easily look In. they
offered Ia, put It In the hands OF the ladies' OF
their families. so that II might thus reach its
owner. ] was about to turn II over to them as "A
Committee on Honisoitauimal pense when my
cute little maiden stuck her curly head in the
door and called out the oldest man in the PARTY.
/ hastily thrust the bauble into my pocket.
thinking she would merely suppose IT 10 be ono
OF those brilliant silk hat bands or something
like that that the girls are alwavs making the
men unhappy with. and In about two minutes
the elderly gentleman returned with the start
on important business. and that he had been
deputed TO escort me To her. lie had no idea
knew. In any event. II was my duty to 90.
sick or well. That settled 1t, and l went with
him. and in the hall | met my charmcr. who
looked at me In such a roHuish way that | fell
in love worse than ever.
The presentation having been duly accom-
plished. IN" sent the other man hack TO his
Eel ,ows, anG 'IkinG me by the arm, she walked
me out on The piazza. where the moon peeped
through the clustering vines and winked itself
into fairy grimac-s in shadows on the floor.
" i brought you cut here. Mr.. NJ she said.
smoke as IL was in there. and also to tell YOU
that YOU have something of:inine, and TO prove
PROPERTY, here Is the match 70 H. and before
my eyes flashed the resplendent twin OF tho
bauble | had found that afternoon In the h I'll.
u surrendered on the spot. and was about
dies. and things Ike that which arc 20 delight
fully apropos OF moonlirht nights and pretty
girls. but as abe took the glit,ering bauhle from
potato and disappeared into the house. leaving
only a faint little feminine shrek or squeak
meteor flying Wild"
when did YOU say the cards would be out?"
inquired the naval officer most Unexpectedly
but. not most nnppropriatelv for it was alla
true story, and the cards will he out before
the lockwood blossoms in the spring.
There was n revenue marine officer. a retired
naval officer. n judge, a ne wspaper man. and
several other OF tho titulnr diEnitaries that
grace the hotel board OF Washington, and they
were congrcGatcd around an open fireplace
that evening during the early part OF this week
WHEN II seemed as II Borcas had bou 4ht him.
self a Christmas horn and vas trying to blow
his lungs through II.
The subject OF the conversation was Ash. due
largely To the TACT That the gang thought they
Lad a sucker in their midst from the great and
gro wing State OF Indiana holding down n
Twelve hundred Government Job in the War
Department.
Speaking of tho South Mountain Rod and
Gun Club of this town" said the revenue on
Ger. aud the fish up at Great Falls which
pulled tho President OF tie club out OF tho
boat and saved his life by swimming ashore
with him | am reminded thai the greatest
herds and focks and shoals OF fish | ever wit
messed are to be found in tho salmon season on
tho Columbia River, At Astoria the river Is
very wide. and the fish are not noticed. but up
at the Dalles. where the stream nnrrows
Town TO n merge gorge. | have many q time
seen the water 30 crowded with salmon going
up the river that foot, passengers could easily
walk across on them"
True" put In the retired naval officer. 'and
I have seen them 50 thick that teams were
iriven across on them. In the smaller streams
of that same section, out among the woods, |
have seen q bear come down 10 the shore and
pull ont a breakfast of fish without more thnn
getting his toes damp, while In hundreds OF
places along shore have seen piles OF fish
bones where the bears had eaten their 'lcals
out of the streams ana u the debris. ro-