The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-12-22
MACGIE'S ROMANCE

MACG|E'S ROMANCE.
From the Arcadian so,ituttcs of Casey,
Obelisk, situated in the heart of tn,
Fourth ward, Maggie went forth early il
life to fight the battle of life, with q
veritable cataclysm Ut maternal bless
mgs, on her shalrly little head. She
was the only child OF i widowec.,, ''-,r
who brought her uD as tenderly 1, as
consistent with her surroundings.
Caseys Obelisk took it's place in clas
slcal nomenclature through the efforts OF
local wit. 1t was the tallest tenement
III the nelghborhuod and sheltered dozens
or poor but respectable families, Nc
oelie OF that ornate, affected clique called
society ever boosted of n more lovely face
or perfect form than this poor, unfet
tered girl of the toiling poor possessed. |
Deheve 1t to be philosophical truism tina,
no planet ever moves more steadily in it.
orbit than DO men toward pretty WON
an, no matter what may be her position
III the social scale.
It's needless to say that Maggie had
ner cOtcrle of admirers, and it would be
Numerically opposite to veracity to say
That she was not proud of the fact Per
maps of all her sycophantic adorers she
looked upon none with as much favor aS
she did on Patsey Flanagan, Il young
man who drove Il dray along the piers fol
a livelihood; 1t was known throughout
the classical region of the Obelisk that
this young scion of the house of Flanna
gan kept company with Maggie, and
had the good wishes of Maggie's mother
Patsey lavished his spare cash on his
youthful inamorata, and had the salts
faction of being thoroughly envied by his
less fortunate rivals And it must be
hnr hat NJ
of y..coquette, as she invariably be-
! slowed divers smiles on some of her ad-
mirers when she considered Patsey dere-
| lict in his attention toward her.
She was the acknowledged belle of the
Diver and all the other picnics and
pearance at the ball of the Perpetual
Deyotees of the Key was so fascinating
that it has passed into Il proverb, and
will be handed down to succeeding gen
! crations.
! This youthful attachment was run
ming. along without encountering pro-
verbal rutss and snares when an event
occurred which upset Patsey's dreum of
! love and postponed the matrimonial leap
| indefinitely. Maggie was employed in a
paper box factory in Church street, and
had to pass Park row while going to and
coming from work. She invariably re-
| turned from her place of employment in
| other girls: and it must be said, to their
discredit, that they were not averse to
becoming acquainted without the for
| mSlity| of an introduction with entire
strangers.
! For several successive evenings Maggie
noticed two young men attlred IN the
/ latest fashion standing in a door of a
they lifted their hats simultaneously and
made Seventh ward Chesterfelt1ian
I bow with admirable precision. They in
variablY singled her out of the group for
their polite attentions, and the other girls
felt nettled and Maggie proud at the dis
| tinctiOn.
| Finally, one of the young men Sue
ceeded i'll making her acquaintance and
| inducing her to accompany him to sew
eral places of amusement. These two
men were representatives of species
| described by Dean Swift as Yahoos, Or
| beasts in mems clothing. They were gen.
| tlemen of elegant leisure who freQueuted
| the cafes.
II say; joe" said one of these worthless
vorite club, ''you were lucky, old chappie,
in adding that pretty girl to your string;
deucedly pretty, amt she?'
| why, yes, Jack" answered the indi-
vidual addressed as Joe with simpering
smile. And you're just as lucky, old fel,
as she promised to bring nice girl for
you, and We're to go driving and picnick-
think of that?"
| 'Just the thing" answered the other,
slapping his thigh and laughing
a group of their fellows overheard their
conversation and were laughing ut the
suggestions of the twain.
I In the meantime poor, disconsolate Pat
sey had become painfully sensitive to the
| frier dom 0f fno i,HD l.
fections, and his patience at length being
worn out he boldly demanded an explana-
| ton.
Il hear Maggie" he began, as he en-
countered his spirituelle afianced one
evening in the hallway of the Obelisk, Il
hear that you have tony Teller after
yer; is that sop
cule for moment, as if deliberating
what GO say, but she had been expecting
such query from this source and had
her answer framed accordingly.
Why, yes, P9tsey, have gentleman
friend who thinks something of me-" she
SAID with sang-froid.
Ibis language, foreign to the region of
:he Obelisk, took Patsey by surprise, US
he was in the habit Of being addressed in
4 vocabulary indigenous to the neighbor-
hood.
well, yer can't run the two of u.s."
continued Patsey in a voice which be-
spoke the sincerity Of his utterance.
| Maggie, with the proverbial duplicity
of her sex in such matters, placed her
captious lover hors de combat in a moral
sense by one bold Machievellian move.
! ,,Fatsey,' she said, in voice consider
ably softened, you're the only Teller I
ever loved and no dude can separate us.
The Gordian knot was severed at one
blow and the next moment Maggie was
IN Patsey's arms.
| A few days subsequent to this Maggie,
III company with another girl of her &C.
| qualntance, met Joe and Jack by appoint
| mcnt. They entered carriage and were
driven to fashionable resort uptown,
where merry group of people Of both
sexes We're congregated. They had not
been seated long before couple of young
gait approached and addressed Jack quite
familiarity and in language plentifully
interspersed with profanity. Maggie and
| her friend suddenly OWNED the true char
acter Of their escorts and were uneasy.
AS she sat there Maggie began to think
of her conduct toward the unsophisticat-
ed Patsey, and as the fashy conversa-
ton Of heE escort and his female friends
waxed louder she motioned to her COM
| Danlon and they both arose and started
| for the door,
! Jack and Joe, together with their con-
vlvial lady friends" rapidly followed
and endeavored to induce them to re-
turn. But Maggie and her friend had
seen enough and were struggling with
their bacchanalian companions on the
sidewalk, when Maggie exclaimed in 10y
| me! Save us!''
A vehicle suddenly drove up to the
walk, and the muscular Mr.. Flanagan.
| with one leap in which all the chivaIry
| OF his race was concentrated, reached
the pavement and dealt the tipsy Joe.
| who was particularly assiduous in his
efforts to induce Maggie to return. a
T1ght-hander in true Fourth ward style.
| re was similarly attentive to Jack, and
the two yahoos took to their heels and
left the doughty Mr.. Flanagan in un-
disputed possession Of both the walk and
bis friends. Maggie and her Young
| friend returned home sadder but wiser
girls. g.. 'A
It vas just six days ago when Patsey
led the blushing Maggie to the church