Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-08-13

DlAlef SaJ III lne PARK auu ralleu hb
the world. Like the pipe he smoked,
Bixler was short and black; his rail-
ings, though they were black enough
and bitter enough, were far from
short, for they lasted from luncheon
time until dinner time, and the after
noon was that of long, hot July day.
The world at which he rallied had de-
manded very little of Bixler. Per-
haps that was the trouble. That he
pay his debts, with the money his
mother left him, that he wear spike
tail coat at dinner; that he wash his
linen in private was all the
world asked, and the first and last
were expectations rather than de-
mands; the world did not always in
sist upon them.
And yet Bixler was not happy. He
felt it hard to have been born into a
world peopled with fools and dolts.
It's an unsatisfactory sort of exist
ence, even if it does give one some
thing to rail at
He watched a young couple meet at
the fountain. Bixler had seen them
there before. She was a shop girl
evidently, tired with ten or twelve
hours standing in hot and
crowded shop. Bixler pitied and
envied and hated her as the light
flashed into her eyes when the man
came up, trying to conceal his eager
hurry. He va q factory hand, with
only part of the factory CRIME washed
off
"Come near being late, Liz" the
fellow was saying. Don't suppose
you'd "a cared, would you?"
Wouldn't II" exclaimed the gill,
looking unutterable things as she
took his arm
Bixler looked and listened and felt
no sense of being an eavesdropper. He
saw the little squeeze the girl gave
the fellows arm, and he saw the glad,
happy look in the boys face, and Blk
ler smiled with contempt.
young idiots" he said, half
aloud. Hell be beating her, or
what's worse, stamping on her heart
in year-if she has any heart left
by that time. And in five years
Lofdl here comes the picture of
what they'll be in five years.
A man with his hands in his pock-
cts and weeks stubble ON his face,
slouched down the path.
Don't go so fast, Bill, a woman
was snarling at him. "These kids
are draggin the life out of me-"
But Bill gave no heed. He, too,
was smoking short black pipe. The
woman gave the child she was leading
a vicious jerk, saying: Come on,
why don't you," at which the child
began to howl and the baby in the
woman's arms took up the wall
''Can't ye keep them brats still?"
growled Bill, as they passed from
sight.
The lovers had seated themselves
on the bench nearest the fountain.
The girl looked up at the sound of the
children's cries, and laughed, laugh
in which the fellow at her side Joined.
'"There's loves for you" said Blk
Ter, knocking the ashes out of his
pipe and Immediately re-filling it.
''That's love with its clothes off, and
those two blooming idiots don't
know it, Yet if I'd go over and try
to point it out to them, the fellow
probably would thrash me. 3"
The lovers moved away while Blk
Ter was relighting his pipe, and he
plunged into deeper bitterness. In
such gloom he did not notice the
healthy young fellow who came
swinging toward him.
"Well, for heavens sake" cried
the newcomer. "You look like you
had lost both friends aud fortune"
"Never had either" said Bixler.
Look here, Bixler," said the
friend. 'You want to throw away
that odious pipe, take few grains OF
pepsin and then come with me up
to the house-sort of an informal gar
den party, you know. Miss Deyere will
be there, and
''Whatl" cried Bixler, springing to
his feet.
why, yes," said the friend. "Shes
back. In fact, she sent me out to
look for you.
They were already moving toSsrd
Bixler's apartments ''to get into some
clothes. As they left the park, they
almost ran into the shop girl and the
factory hand. Bixler smiled kindly
as he recognized them.
"a pair Of spoons, said the friend.
Don't say that, said Bixler,
'"rhey are probably very much in
love, and when it's the real thing, it's
a thing to respect
The friend looked at Bixler out of O
very small corner of his eye, but he
understood it all and was glad he
had found Bixler