Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-04-21
,s s8 80
,nper withfSsa black-bordered hand ker

i chief. 4s&fss %l18SaE aS' @st'F n
When turned back to look at the lady
I saw there were tears in her eyes,; and
then it occurred I'd :me that the frdil,
undersized fellow was better off thanI;;
for there was nofeye to moisten at my
departure from Liverpool; there would
BE none to Tighten on my return to New
York. %%&a ....as.'; %.HH+ -,
found that the lady's name was Mrs.
Johnson-a common enough name;
but, had I been inclined, I had no oppor-
tunity of learning anything from, her
concerning her microscopical friend,
for she kept to her stateroom through
out the entire voyage. - q
[ never saw her after the first day
until she came on deck on our arrival
at New York '.> SE.
Aswe came into dock l saw her make
for the side of the boat, and commence
waving a handkerchief to some one
amongst the crowd on shore:
Looking in the direction in which she
was gazing, I saw her signal answered,
and answered with a black-bordered
handkerchief. Then!
| Now, in the name of all that is in
fernal! how the deuce did he get here :?
There, standing on the dock, close
to the boat, was my friend the manikin,
with the same undaunted air of solem-
nifty, the same black suit, the same
black hat, black tie and black cuff but
tons, waving the same black-bordered
handkerchief!
l was puzzled! Not only that, I was
mad! The same feeling of irritation
with which his appearance on the boat
in Liverpool had inspired me came back,
intensified. The same longing to- pick
him up between my finger and thumb
returned with uncomfortable force.
Unfortunately perhaps, Fortunate
ly for him and me, tool lost sight of
| him in the hurry and hustle of land
ing.
On my way to the hotel kept Won
dering how on earth this remarkable
morsel of humanity had got to New
York ahead of us. He could not. haye
| come as a: ,stowaWayron our boat, for
!, I saw him standing, on the: dock when
we left Liverpool, and J. found him
! standing on the dock when we reached
New York.
He could not have come by another
line, for the ship in whichtI had crossed
was the fastest atlantic Elmer ahoat,
and we had ,maae a record voyage
[Andsyet the fact remained .thatsI had
left him in Liverpool and that I found
him in New York on my arrival.
There was something I did not like
ABOUT. iitt-something~ uncanny, ellnhat-
upal.' .df'he had Intended crosssing 1the
Atlantic, why did he not come by the
same steamer-as his lady friend, Mrs.
johnson? ;WheHe was the necessity for
the fearful leave taking or the demon
strative reunion?
Then there came into my mind the
thought: that this was no man at:ah,
He was "a Will wisp,<a spoofz, an
elf, a goblin! Fss.-~ r .
q. The; thing: :played uponymy mind as I
drove to the hotel, until 1 felt impelled
to report the matter to the police. I
believe should have done this, had not
two 'eonsidera tions restrained me. The
first was that had no time to spare, and
the second was that I was afraid of
making fool of myself! r>.tt:s
Eventually, I concluded that my man.
ikin must have solved the problem Of
aerial navigation, and, that he had
crossed the Atlantic in an airship. -
And when remembered his bird-lilSe
appearance, I was more tn an half in
clined to accept this theory as cor
rect one. sa,.gs sqs:.... ss..:. .-....
l had just time to take good din
ner at the Hoffman house; and then
l had to hurry off to the depot to catch
the night express for Chicago. I had
business there which required my i'm
mediate attention.. There was Mr..
Peckitt in the Windy city to whom I
had letter from Liverpool merchant,
and whom it was necessary for me to
see at the earliest possible moment.
l had boarded the train and sat look
ing out of the window, when I caught
sight of Mrs. johnson coming along the
platform with the Mite. ~ ..~ -.
The train was just on the point of
starting; and, after they had gone
through the same performance of kiss
ing as in Liverpool, Mrs. johnson got
into the car, leaving the manikin stand
ing on the platform. AS we steamed
cut of: the station I saw him waving a
farewell signal with the old black bor-
dcred handkerchief. ...,..a.- i. ...
"Well, thank goodness, that's the last
Of ii him. said to myself as turned in
to my sleeper. "Flying machine or no
flying machine, he can't get ahead of
the train, even if he did beat the steam
ship"
II slept soundly, and did not awaken