Cañon City record., 1898-01-06
HALF AN HOUR.
BY Priscilla neenard.
TT WAS lovely September afternoon

white city by the lake was filled with
sightseers from every part of the land.
People sundered from each other for
long years by the length or breadth of
the continent met in the broad aisles
of the buildings or Cd the seats of gon-
do.a. and Kalamazoo rubbed shoulders
with Tallahassee in the endeavor to see
the jewelry exhibit or the big locomo-
tives. Most crowded and most cosmo-
politan Of all. as usual. was that ka-
ieidoscopic attachment, the Midway
Plaisance, where, from the South Sea
islanders to the Ferris wheel. the wide
highway was thronged with multitu-
dinous enjoyment And Tommy was
taking IT all in as only small and
eageriy-curious boy knows how TO do.
Tommy and his Aunt Isabel put
Tommy first because that was the or
der Of things, his aunt having taken
charge of him that afternoon because
Z he had already tired out his mother
had been through good deal. They
had Investigated the Javanese village
and old Vienna, the panorama of the
Bernese Alps and the Eskimo settle
nent, and seen the Hindoo jugglers:
consequently, though Tommy was as
fresh paint. Miss Bernard was sl;ght-
iy tired and glad TO sit down on the
benches of Hsgenbach's great animal
show. which was Tommy's next OBJ
jective point. It was good seat. with
a fine view of the ring; which was prob
ably the reason why the young man
who came in a minute after them took
the last seat on the row, next to Tom
my.
Isabel glanced up at him as i1s took
bis place. Luckily. he was obiivious
of anything beyond Tommy's seat. She
turned quickly away-a movement
which naturally brought the young
mans eyes upon her. He started in his
turn with quite as much dismay in
his face as she had shown. and also
looked diligently at the stage. II was.
truly. most embarrassing for both.
When two young people have been
deeply in love. have been engaged. with
the consent and appreciation of every
body. and have broken of with each
other in a violent lovers quarrel within
six months il isbad enough TO have 10
NEE; in ballroom or on the street:
bnt TO SIT almost side by side in public
place for half an hour is an ordeal to be
dreaded. indeed. And especially when
San Francisco simply in order TO put
leagues of continent between himself
and the girl and when the girl has
been hoping and praying that she may
forget him and never see him again. IL
is little hard for both 10 seem uncou-
ecious and cordial before small
nephew.
II had to be done. however. for Tom
my recognized Mr.. Dick Farquhar a;
once. ard, having a great admiration
for his own sex and an equally lofty
contempt for :he weaker one. directed
his questions and observations entirely
to him. Isabel. after smiling politely
but coldly. fixed her eyes in desperate
aftea ation upon those wonderful but TO
her totally uninterest;nF animals. the
hounds. the pony and the lion. who were
frof;ipg in some marvellous maneuver
before her unseeing eyes She was WV
idly conscious. though she despised her
self for 1t. of every word which Dick
was saying to the inquisitire Tommy
YES. he had seen bears-yes. be had
shot one or two--no. he was not living
in View York any more-yes. be had the
same hcrseyes. this was better than
the circus BIZ; this last remark was
made in such a palpa6ly perfurciory
way that il was evident that he was not
enjoying il al all.
isaSel hoped he didn't. She hoped
he was feeling as embarrassed and mis-
cradle as she ,tss. He deserved il, too
He ought to hare had sense enough. at
such u place. no, TO get into the sea:
next to Tommy. He always die go
straight ahead without vhiuking-she
knew thst-and then, he was near
sighted Ru; that was ro excuse. Did
he rxpec: her TO make some everyday
remark 10 him? She couldn't do it
and whether she could or net. she
wouldn't. No one-no girl in her place
could be expected to be more than
icily polite TO the man who had pre-
tended TO love heE.so. ard then doubted
her iass because she WAS ordinarily
courteous 10 a man he didn't Ike. ana
conmandcd-yes, commanded her TO DO
just his will and pleasure il the mat
tct Nobody ever said must" 20 her
he ought 10 bsye known that He
ought not TO have brought everything
to that point and made il iu,possib.. for
her to refuse without breaking their
engagement. OF course, she had 10
break it-she would have died rather
ban do it, but then, she would have
died rather thun submit. too. Her
pretty mouth guivered a she thought
of the cruel unr-asonableness of man.
Dick. cut OF the corner OF his eye
for near-sighte,i people see a great
deai-no;iced the r.bellious line OF the
mouth. and concluded. that she was as
wil,ful ms ever. II had NIL been her do
ing. 1t wasn't her fault at fiist. of
course-he owned up to that now He
could see that il was just because she
was so innocent and cordial that she
should have been friendly TO tha; very
objectionable Englishman who cams
from no one knew where. and had man
aged to get into her sisters set. But
then, Isabel ought to have understood
that her lover was the authority on
such points for her. |, was just be
cause he loved her so that he ir,erfeted
so decidedly; and IL she had oI.e spark
of real love for him She would haye
about it. The point being made, OF
course he hnd to carry l, through liz.
a man, even IL he hung the whole happl
ness Of his life upon the victory o- de-
feat of his will. Didn', she realize tina;
nitna Essltsh spest.saa.,
In Suffolk. England. there Is Young
man who thouCh bf,r,~3 a. "a -~~a