The Louisiana populist., 1897-01-01
A POSTMISTRESS PRO TEN,
By Tom Hall.

vi tue St. TAU. Glr, dllu Ut ,tIlc peTlOu
Oh these events visiting in New York
10 be as brief in explanation as pos
slb.e, my friends had concluded that
1t was high time for me to be married
My protestatioIs We're oveTr,Iled, and
although my heart had never expert!
eIced The gentle passion for any par
ticular girl. l eventually picked one
out from the number of my fair ac-
quaintances. and decided 10 offer my.
self to her Miss Violet pieqson, OF
New York, was rs good as she was
beautiful, and was tn beiress besides
arranged with my partner for short
vacation, and proceeded to New York
and offered myself. one fine June day,
to the young lady, in person. Violet
received my proposition with as much
dignity as / made it, assured me OF her
esteem, told me she would cCilSult
with her parents and give me an an
swer on the next day. AS had never
had the pleasure of meeting either fa-
ther or mother, left with rer pho
tograph of myself with my autograph
on the back, that they might in some
manner judge of my character. If l
had been pleading the cause Of another
should have marked 1t "Exhibit A. !"
But have always been care.ess Of my
own interests, and to tell the truth l
was so embarrassed during the entire
interview that l lost for q time all my
business acuteness.
After leaving Violet's Fifth avenue
home, l proceeded on my way down
town to meet, for the first time in
several years, my old college chum,
Jack bennett. At Union Square, / at
tempted to beard cable car as it
swung arou,ld what know now as
Dead Mans Curve. And then
Then awoke in the Presbyterian
Hospital, with Jack bending tenderly
over my bed.
"Not a word" said Jack, clution-
ingly. 'lou are not even to think.
You had severe concussion of the
brain, my dear fellow, and nothing
but complete rest Will get the contents
OF that head OF yours back into shape y
II must see Violet at once," ] wthis-
pcrel.
'Drop that said Jack. authorlta-
lively. You have been seeing violet
and every color of the rainbow ever
since you were hurt. Not another
wc,d now
Natk that lie left me. l will not de-
scribe the monotonous existence OF the
next three weeks of my life: but a day
came eventually when they put me
on the cars. destined for q Quiet little
town in the Adirondacks, where a
quiet life, file air Of the woods, and
absolute rest from all the worry and
care of this world were to complete
the cure. II was pace recommend
ed by friend of Jacks, who had once
bcql threatened with insanity. He as
gCred Jack that no human being could
possibly find anything to think about
In n,at town except sleeping and eat
Ing. Hence 1t was just the place for
nle. So of Jack shipped me, clad in
q suit OF clothes from his own ward
robe tmine had been ruined in the ac-
c.dent), and with linen of all descrip-
tlons, from the same place. Jack and
/ were exact mates in size, So he had
- -I-
not troubled himself to 80 through my
trunk for supplies. And as he said
good-by to me The dear fellow showed
seventy-iive dollars in bills into my
hands, ticket into the ribbon around
my hat, aud long fat parcel done up
In brown wrapping paper onto the seat
beside me. He told me to write to him
for more money when the sevdlty y-five
was exhausted, and made me promise
to look at the contents of t;ha package
four times daily---before each meal and
on going to bed. Jack said it was his
prescription. BY the way, Jack was
always peculiar.
THAT might I slept under the hospi-
tal roof Of a cleanly o.d widow, q Mrs.
While in the little town of Lr-. !
had been enjoined to stay there at least
six weeks, so ! paid her in advance
my board and washing for that time.
This left me about Sc in cash, most of
which ! laid out in cheap novels, to-
b1cco, pipes, writing materials and
stamps. And adoined my room with
the contents OF the brown paper COW
cred parcel 1t proved 10 be framed
motto, and the mandate on it was
.'f,on't Worry
spent the tirst few days Of my stay
ir writing latters--the arst ard longest
Of which. you Ray be sure, was to Miss
Violet Pirrsnn, explaining at length
tlio reallon for my failure to call upon
her again, and my prsseIt condition.
And | begged her, Of course, to let me
Know my fate at once hy mail. IN