The times., 1898-11-20

WHO SHALL SAY?

| had been scudding around an asphalt
curve when the breeze Tipped my dress
| against jagged bit of the wire a benefi-
cent corporation sees fit to girdle the
grass. R-r-r-ip went my gathers; away
flew my temper, and there / in
torn-up condition without a pin to my
name.
A superior woman would have had an
extra safety somewhere under her belt,
but have every reason to believe that l
am not a superior woman. To have pin
ned myself together in the gathers would
have been to fall to pieces somewhere
eise-therefore | sat me down on an iron
bench to await the passing of some wo-
man or child from whom / could beg, bor-
row or-achieve what seemed as necessary
to me at that precise moment as the horse
to King Richard on Bosworth's Field,
though 1t would never have occurred TO
me to proclaim my want SO dramatically,
having no kingdom to swap.
And as | waited, along came a mana
man-holding towards me, headforemost,
particularly neat little pin which he Of
fered with a chuckie and a bow. | de-
clined his favor on the spot
Not because a fellow-being was willing
to do me a kndness-I am not an IDIOT 1
trust-but because tina; fellow-being
should find me sitting alone at dusk in a
public park, as If l We're housemaid out
for an airing or sentimental young per-
son tricked out in my Sunday best ex-
pectins another sentimental young per
son tricked out in his Sunday best and
smelling Of muskrats-ugh,
l might have saved my fine emotions,
however. for the-the man looked down
upon me quite affably. and in an oldish,
comfortable voice-and do Ike oldish,
comfortable voices-said:
You know you want it-here,'
He accented his remark with a dab of
his offering under my eyes that sent them
faring up to his. and | found them to be
so honest and friendly that | accepted
the pin with a grateful tumble of thanks.
| thinking. of course. that so nice an old
| gentleman would do the only other nice
| thing to be done under the circumstances
and so back to where ne came from, wher-
! ever that might be.
! But he didn't happen 20 be that sort of
nice old gentleman at all. for he looked
on with most genial interest white, / pieced
| myself together. and even assisted me with
elaborate advice while the thing was be-
! ing done During the process he explain
| ed TO me how ne came to notice my bank
1 rupt condition.
Il watch everybody who comes in the
park. he said. with a beautiful pink
smile on his whimsical face. especially
children and dogs. You like children don Z
you-and dogs
( lf ne had feioniously meant to trap me
into conversation he could not have
taken more diplomatic course OF
course. ! love children. Every body loves
| children, but when IL comes to dogs. A
| composite yellow cur is a key that will
unlock the side door OF my friendship
! any day. without the formaiity OF an in
4 production by way or the front 1 am
not addicted TO open confessions { sim
| ply make this explanation in the inter-
ests of an otherwise orthodox character
| before announcing that / Tneandered ths.
1 rest OF rny way through that park with
nay little old gentleman tro,tIng socially
beside me. and what he talked Of was
dogs
He ehattered straight along. just as the
children were chattering about the grass
! and the sparrows were chattering In the
tree tops, and at last we came to the end
Of the winding path that emptled itself
/ into the street
Would you like 10 see the bird house -
he asked. pointing his cane to a dense
clunp OF sreenery In the middle of the
| grounds. II is very pretty house and
! the birds are sure TO be fighting: they
| always are"
l have gone through life with sneak
ing fondness for rows, but II is only one
of my wariike tendencies l have had TO
sacrifice on the altar of conventionality.
50 promptly declined.
1T won't take three minutes" he in
sisted, with an eagerness that was abso-
luteiy wistfuL You don't mind three
minutes. l hope?''
No. it wasn't the minutes. 1t was the
man-but someway. l had not the heart
to look on the cheery old face and tell
him so-and as l never was much of d
hand at hurting folks anyhow, l turned
back and went toward the bird house
where meant to humor my queer. child
ism guide until ] could end our aoquaint-
ance gracefully, and then go away with
the consciousness that / had honestly
earned my pin.
But We did not reach the bird house.
| for a big fountain trimmed with weather.
| beaten stone and half smothered in scar
let geraniums. sprawled itself in our
pathway. and my little man stopped eE-
Enthusiastically TO sing the praises Of a lot
of stupid gold fish that drifted about like
so many yellow chips in the motionless
pond.
You should see the big parks in Eu-
! rope he told me in his quick, eager
| fashion, as il We were the best friends
In the world-and the oldest. There
| they have fish worth talking about, and
dancing bears and swings for the chill
dren. with little cafes under the trees
| where YOU can buy coffee and buns
But this is only a slice of green cut
out of the heart of the city" l protest
ed. by way of defense
$50 my John tells me-. with sudden
petulanee .'but l want to go back. When
| a person like me wants parks. he ought
to have the best the world affords. You
| see all John has to do is TO put me in
side, and there l stay with the birds and
the children, while he tears around to SEE
| the sights. When II is time to take me
back to the hotel, my dear boy comes
to fetch me- and where he sits me down
he expects to find me- for / am not to be
| trusted out in the streets alone-not un-
der any circumstances" And then ht
nodded and smiled with such ineffable
| complacency that there was nothing tC
do but ask him why. The question de-
lighted him rather more than | could have
| expected, judging from his reply.
"Oh. because I'm queer. sometimes. AND
slightly touched all the year round
felt n trifie queer myself. but l didn't
say so.
''And what makes you-you know
Queer? Oh, that knock on my head
crack, Were you ever knocked on the
head, my dear?"
The inference wasn't fattering, bu
when ne lifted his hat and pointed with
the vanity of a child to white. Jagged
irift hot rla1 ha old hoa ttut