The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-09-27

and glancing inquiringly ut Nubbins.
81 said it's fine day." explained
Nubbins, raising his voice TO a shout
''Gay? Oh, we'll I try to be, but it's
rather hard sometimes for lone fe-
male to keep up her spir---"
A clammy perspiration broke out on
Nubbins. ''Excuse me-" he inter-
rupted, hastily, "I said fine day; not
gay, but any, d.n-y, dayr"
Say? Let 'em say what they're a
mind to. l guess Abigail Doolittle
has got money enough so she don't
ask any odds of anybody--present
company excepted. OF course 1t is
different with you. The minute my
nephew introduced us to each other /
felt that we were going to be friends
intimate friends, as 1 may say"
Nubbins's face was now the color Of
an Italian sunset, and he was earnest
ly longing for the bottom TO drop out
of the car and let him through, or for
some other catastrophe to come to his
rescue, but rs usual in such cases his
longings we're in vain, and amid the
subdued chickering's of the more
thoughtess of the passengers his
companion calmly went on:
Eyes, Mr.. Bubbins, the very instant
I set my eyes on you said to myself,
here is congenial soul, man that 1
can trust; and / hope we shall have
no secrets from each other. ] nan rich
but wealth is not all that is worth liv-
ing for. You may be poor, Mr.. Bub-
bins
"My name Is Nubbins, madam, not
Bubbins," shouted the embarrassed
bachelor, ''and if you will change the
subject to something less personal 1
shall be greatly obliged TO you"
"Obliged to me? Not at all, Mr..
Grubbins. No obligation whatever. |
am only too happy"
"Great PetersW groaned Nubbins;
"what on earth is the old lady driving
at, anyhow And then raising his
voice he fairly howled: ''Madam,
your nephew expects me to see you
safely off the train at Troy, and I'll
do it, but in the meantime / pro-
pose"
'"To adjourn to the smoking car and
stay there until we reach your sta
tion," .Nubbius was about to say, but
Miss Dooittle was too quick for him.
Her ear caught the word propose, and
that was enough for her. The supreme
moment of her life had arrived at last
or at least she thought it had
and with cry of Joy she Topped over
on Nubbins's shoulder, knocking his
hat off and sending it spinning across
the aisle, and nearly smashing his ribs
against the side of the seat.
ooh, you dear, good man, I felt
sure right from the start that you
were going to propose! / knew the
symptoms right off, and What's
the matter, lovey? Hain't been taken
sick all of sudden, have you?"
But Nubbins, who had wriggled out
of the seat and without waiting to
secure his hat was frantically sprint
ing down the aisle in the direction of
the smoker, answered not.
Dashing out of the door and slam
ming it shut behind him, he scooted
across the platform and disappeared
into the car ahead, and as he dropped
into n corner seat next to the coal box
he gasped:
"By Georgel That was pretty
narrow escape for me. If / hadn't
got away just as did she'd have
hunted up minister, in case thero
was one to he had on the train, and
married me in spite of myselfr'
Half an hour later, when his courage
had begun to return (but not suifi-
ciently to induce him to again enter
the car containing Miss Doolittle),
Nubbins called brakeman to him and
said:
"Would you like to earn $50"
"Just try me and see," responded
tho brakeman with wink.
"All right; go back in the next car
and tell the siyfoot female in the last
seat that Pm dead and that the corpse
would like his hat"
Eyes, SIR"
"And then, after you bring me my
hat, if you will stand guard and see
that she doesn't get in here to slobber
over my remains between here and
Troy, and when the train reaches there
help her off with her bundles, and see
that she stays of, I'll see that you get
the V and another on top of it,"
''Yes, sir; just leave it to me and
I'll fix it all right, SIR"
And five minutes later Nubbins had
his rescued hat, now somewhat the
worse for wear, pulled down over his
eyes, and was peacefully doing in his
seat, while the vigilant brakeman, with
one IS fee in his pocket, and n second
in view only forty miles away, was
doing picket duty at the door. - New
York Mail and Express.