Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-11-22
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|, SHORT o
OF HI DAY.
LOVE STORY OF AN OLD F0GY.
From the E~nelishwoman.

From the Englishwoman.
i am an old buffer now-at least, so I
hear the young fellows call me behind my
back. / suppose they are right, though
somehow, despite my bald ~head-for, to be
honest, / am unc~onspromisingly and indu-
bitably bald-I do not feel quite so old as
my years would make me out to be.
1t is true that i am Il little wheeZy in
the chest at times, and rheumatism has
marked me for its own; yet with the rod
and fly l think L can teach them 4 trick
or TWO. and at billiards the odds are gen.
orally acknowledged TO rest with the old
buffer.
But il is not my intention to pirate of the
few accomplishments which that great
thief Time has still allowed me TO retain.
In my DAY / have had more to be proud
of than they, for | nave had a not alto
deny it?-in outward honors at least L have
had a brilliant, II not a great, career:
near enough-was the name by which men
knew me at the bar, though It's only the
older, generation now which will be able TO
recall il; unless, indeed, some dilISent and
k~ober-minded student, digging among the
archives of the past, should perchance un-
name on the title page OF this, alas! now
H~ntiquated volume.
An! there i go with this rambling tongue
of mine-sure sign of old age-taIking of
torts and such like things, when / have set
myself down TO tell you of my love stories.
Then am back again walking in school
boy cap and jacket along the Avon banks
with Hetty Price-bright, laughing, quiz
ling Hetty. All! what, a sad havoc her
merry brown eyes made in my youthful
studies. She lost me the Latin prize. and
was the unconscious cause OF getting me
more than one good switching; and old Nobs
1t on, too. But nevertheless ! would not
part with that period of my life IN spite
of the swishings and for all the prizes that
ever fell to the lot of a S-bury boy.
. 1t was a bright. merry, mischIevous lace
which ever played hide-and-seek upon the
pages of my books. and II was a corner by
the river that | ever saw in my minds eye
when | should have been following Cyrus
in his interminable wars, or hammerinS out
French master. And the fellows wondered
what was up with old WOODBURY., whose in
terest in cricket had gone, and ever pre-
ferred his own company TO that of his fell
lows.
Every half-hoiiday, when the others flock
ed TO the cricket nets or the hves courts,
/ betook myself off on mine own business,
meeting HeIty. now here, now there, as the
necessity for secrecy demanded
She was, 1 found, a curious mixture of
sound common sense. which was her own,
and romantic aspirations, which she had
acquired from Bow Bells" and such like
literature.
Her great ambition in life was to go on
the stage. and it was of this that she
dreamed as she polished up the glasses be
hind the bar or drew a tankard of ale for
Ben Hoskins, the carter, VINO wfnked his
eye in u~n-Romeolike fashion as the cool
nOmf-DreHed went GOWN his dusty throat
But" as she shrewdly remarked, II am
not such a fool as TO throw up the Farm
ers' for uncertainty; / am waiting for a
chance"
Bow Bells" Bow Bells" Hetty; many
q one has. like you, longed and hoped for
the fairy who is going to change all that,
comes not the good fairy. for she is away
in other folks concerns. but d wrinkle here,
a gray hair there. and stern reality TO OBJ
literate the rosy dreams of youth.
NOT long alter this / lett S-Dury,
through causes which do not concern US
now. and saw no more of Hetty Price.
Our farewell was tender. At the time l
thought Ii the bitterest pang of my life.
Only once | heard from her-long years
after, when ] was no longer amenable 10
school discipline; and as her letter makes
much plain, 1 do not hesitate to produce
II in full. l have it still by me somewhere.
1t ran
less be surprised TO hear from me after all
these years. but / thought you might like
TO know how things are going on. There Is
also another reason, as the inclosed Will
show; u,,,os -. .,o r,-,,o, for
long time after you left-much regretted
In coming; but 1t came at last. l answered
an advertisement. and left the monotony
travelling company, by. which means l
hoped to reach the heights of fame.
Eighteen months passed by. but, alas!
the fame was as far off as ever, and the
oiscomforts present; and while at ole time
] envied those behind the footlights, / now
grew to envy those in front. until at last
/ wished myself back again.
The chance came. and, as You see, ]
I'M here once again: not in my old capacity.
however, for / have entered into n perma-
nent engagement. having, under conditions,
a theater Of my own now, being man
egeress and part owner thereof.
I'm this business | am associated with
another. whose name may be seen on the
playbiH over the door-to-wit: Joseph Mad
doN. once miller's foreman. now landlord
of the Farmers.
Now, IL you ever come to S-bury again,
perhaps you Will come and have tea with
US. IL you have turned teatotaler; or 4
glass of beer. If you have not, and / will
draw 1t myself for the sake of old times
that Is, of course. If you forgive Joseph,
who, / fancy, has something to say. From,
yours with kindest remembrance,
"HETT MADDOX.
'(Once Hetty Price.)"
Heigho! So Hetty Price had married Joe
Maddox. This. then. was the end of her
ambitions. Lord, how jealous I used to be
of Joe. and Joe doubtless of me, How mad,
too. L should once have been If | knew that
Joe would marry Hetty! But somehow now
j felt that II was only as il ought TO have
been in the fitness OF things.
Anyhow. all is fair in love and war, I
suppose. Good luck to them both. and long
may the Farmers Arms flourish. And l
sent them a present. and at dinner that
night / drank to the success of the Farm
ers' Arms and the health of its landlady,
once Hetty ce-me laughing, mis-
chief-loving Hetty-my first love.
New Curtain Hanger.