The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-12-15
A HEADSTRONG MA.

Isn't 1t queer how small the world
Is, after all?' said the shorter of the
TWO men as they steered each other
down the aisle Of the smoker, Willie
the car seemed to be doing its best
TO jolt them both over the shoulders
of other passengers in the seats. I'm
always running into somebody I have
not seen for long time Now, who
would have thought of meeting you
coming into this smoher-in this sec
tion of the country"
Yes" said the taller-he with the
new tweed travelling cap-"but then
the world is big enough to keep old
scquaintances lks US apart. Lets sit
down here-apart for years. How
many years is it?'
Must be a good ten," said the first
small side whiskers.
Quite that-I hadn't heard of you
for quite a long while when Scobel
told me about that desperate love af-
fair of yours, ard that was"
"Ha, ba! y$s, that was more than
four years see. Did Scobel ever tell
you the end of that? No? Got a ci-
Carp The small man wrigglged his
5eck with ap air of complete self sat
isfaction. well, don't mind telling
you, knowing that it won't go any
further, of course"
"Of course, that's understood"
II don't mind telling you that 1 al
ways thought myself we'll out of that
ahair-yes. You see, she went away
from Galena one summer to spend
some time at a small watering place
where an aunt of hers was staying.
OF course we kept up correspondence
very sweet and all that, you know
but all of a sudden the letters STOP
ped. Well, 1 didn't know what to
make of that. Just as l was begin
ming to get fdgety letter came from
her, telling me that she had met VITA
frightful accident, slipped fron .
limb of a tree into :, creek. II 50 hap
pened that some fei!ow was standing
near, fishing, and this man managed
to crawl out on the same liinb of tbs
tree just as she 'hs losing her hold.
Oh, perhaps Scooel toli you all that:"
NO" said the cthar man, looking at
the ash OF his cigar, "Scobel didn't
tell me that. l was only smiling at
the thought OF how much alike all Of
these romantic rc>caea are"
"Oh yes all aiii:e. you know. And
so far rs l can make out, this fellow
didn't do anything particularly brave,
either. Just hald il;s hand out to her
and pulled her IN. anybody could do
that, you know"
How did he get 10 herr" the man
with the tweed cap asked.
Climbed out on the limb, l believe.
Well, then there wa3 some sort of
mystery about the lran for some days.
He didn't tell mis- name and she didn't
find it out until after she got quite
well. But you see, Trappes, ] didn't
care to have my iiancae writing to me
every day about scme other fellow
didn't know
''Of course not" said Trappas.
so very soon took an opportunity
20 request her toto Just drop that
hero of the limb. Told her l didn't
want to know his name, even If she
did find it out"
'EAnd that put an end to your affair,
did it?'
''That? oh no. That was only the
beginning Of the end. as 1t were."
Here the smaller Inan-his name was
Bradley-seemed to fall into a retro
spective reverie, and Trappes respec-
ted his feelings by smoking aud study
ing his cigar ash IA silence.
You know, Irappes," Bradley at
last resumed, there's no question
about it. Eloisc-Miss JenrIngs-was
a very nice girl ut that tine. But she
was very young"
Trappes nodded Sravely.
II guess she muat have BEEN" he
said, ito judge ny what Scobel toii
me. You always were man of sor..a
taste, Bradley; always thought So"
"Yes, that's all right" said Brad.
ley.
"Pretty and all that. l wonder Il
she is still rs graceful as she was"
II should think so quite" said
Trappes. "Eh? What did you ssy? Oh.
didn't quite catch. This road seems
very badly ballasted"
"But there's one point that I've al
ways put my foot down or" Brad
ley continued, II hold that when n
man takes to himself wife It Is his
to command and hers to obey"
Trappes nodded h!s assent.
'That was the :cck that Eloise and
split upon. she wrote me rather a
huffy letter, telling rue she was going
to End out this fellows name-tbis
limb man, you know-for her own sat
isfaction. IL not fo- mine, and have
him call upon her. Well, that was too
much"
WAS rather sassy Trappes re-
marked.
"Oh yes" said the little man, 81
simply wouldn't stand it, / said to
myself, If I'm net her master now, 1
never will be when we are man and
Wife So l wrote ard insisted abso-
lutely on her not seeing that man