The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-10-07

| S"'N ''i' lttttlcSt llltle Na"l us Sle
sat up with Il sleepy smile. produced 4
box from under the seat. and began in
the caim"St and most unemharrassed
manner possible to make her toilet.
Her method OF procedure was to open
the box. take out Il pot of co,d cream.
Il small piece Of rag. and Looking
glass. She dabhcd little bits of cold
cream all over her face and forehead.
and then proceeded to rub it in with
the piece of rag, vigorously contininy
this cleansing process to the high-wate
mark At her meek. BY the time the
cold cream had disappeared, she looked
rs Young and radiant as freshly
opened rose. gave her hair Il shake and
Il pat. and announced that she was
ready for breakfast.
"'l our mamma, | venturel to ask
will she make her toilet in the same
manner
"'Oh. no, said the girl. in perfectly
uncml,arrasscd tones. You see. NAM
ma is getting Il little bit old, so it
doesn't natter"
! A we'll known editor, who is rs much
disnclined to be unkind to anyone as
Thackcray was when presiding over
the drstinies Of the CormhW .M,ynzinr,
plaintivcly asked whether he might
talk ''sholr" and, on being assured that
he might, cast about in his memory for
some everyday experiences.
"The editorial chair is sometimes a
bed ofthorns," he tentatively remarked
to our hostess.
Isn't that rather Irish? Tell rs
about it, she said, looking dreamily
away into the distance with great soft
eyes.
| "Well, | mike it a rule to see every
one-when I'm not too busy. Your
remark reminds me that my latest Wis
itor was an Irish lady with one eye,
who smrlt of gin. She was very drunk
| indeed, and produced some tattered,
dirty MS, which she waved in my face.
"'Lend me fourpence on these, she
implored. For the love of God, lend
me fourpence on these to go to Paris.
| at seemed such reasonable amount
for a long journey that | hadn't the
heart to refuse her, although it was
evident that she had mistaken my office
for pawnsliop. She stagc,e cred down
stairs, and took her ticket for Paris
at the public-house round the corner.
That evening, after having apparently
made the most expeditions journey on
record, she reappeared with the same
extraordinary request, and had to be
taken away on a stretcher, although
stating her intention of reposing for
the night on the Office floor.
| 81 assure you, sir she said, ''it
would be extremely inconvenient for
me to be taken away on stretcher to
the police station; the motion is so
suggestive of mat de-nacr and it is real
ly'not nice for a lady of my position in
the literary world to be overcome in
the public streets
Nothing could be done for her 1t
proved on inquiry that it was her one
hundred and eighty-lirst appearance at
the police-court."
"Poor soul!' said our hostess.
earnestly "Who was the next visitor
with story?''
"Oh, there was an elderly lunatic
who brought me MS. entitled,
'Herod in London, which proved, on
inspection, to be plan for cleaning
the streets | was kind to the poor
fellow Che seemed to be about fifty-a
spare, thin man, with scanty, gray,
wisplike locks of hair, and one eye),
and he came once 4 week to see me for
some months.
Il assure you, sir, he would say. in
his piping tones like YOU for the
fact that you are the only editor in
London who has honor,pl me with Il
personal interview; the others must
have lied to me or were fiagrantIy re-
miss in attending to their duties, for,
whenever | called, they were invari-
ably out. Now, sir, if you could en-
ploy me to look up few references for
you in the British Museum, | should
take it rs a favor. assure you, sir,
that II am very hungry, sir. |
would not mention the matter were it
not for your kindness.
"As it happened, | wanted to write
stcry and sent him to look up some
local color at the British Museum
He came back week after
.''l on will excuse me, sir, for taking
such a liberty, he said, but it occurred
to me that a busy man like yourself
would be very much pressed for time;
so | have done myself the honor of
collaborating with you, and have writ
ten the story myself
Il didn't like to hurt his feelings by
telling him that it was rubbish, and for
months afterwards he would knock
apologetically at the door.
~ know, sir. am taking up your
valuable time, but just looked in to
inquire how the story is getting on.
Not yet ready for publication? |
ought t" know how busy You are, sir,
,,l,