Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-08-24

Il said it's a fine day" exclaimed
Nubbins, raising his voice to shout
Gay? Oh. well. | try to be, but it's
rather hard sometimes for lone fe-
maie to keep up her spir''-
A clammy perspiratlon broke out on
Nubbins. Excuse me- he interrupted
hastily. Il said fine day; not gay,
but day; day, day|
Say? Let 'em say what they're a
mind TO. guess Abigail Doolittle has
got money enough, so she don't ask
any odds of anybody present compa-
ny excepted. OF course 1T is different
with you. The minute my nephew in
troduced us to each other | felt that
we were going to be friends intimate
friends, as might say"
Nubbins' 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 as usual in such cases his
longings We're in vain. and amid the
subdued chickering's of the more
thoughtless of the passengers his COM
panion calmly went on
Yes, Mr. Nubbins. the very instant
set nay eyes on you | said to myself.
Here is congenial soul. man that
can trust and hope we shall have no
secrets from each other. | am 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. land If you will change the
subject to something less personal |
shall be greatly obliged to you.'
"Obliged to mey Not ut all, Mr..
Grubbins. No obligation whatever.
am only too happy
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 propose"
ITO adjourn to the smoking car and
stay there until we reach your sta
tion," Nubbins was about to say. but
Miss Doolittle was too quick for him.
Her ear caught the word propose, and
that was enough for her. The su-
preme moment of her life had arrived
at last-or at least she thought it had
and with a cry of joy she Topped
over on Nubbins' shoulder, knocking
his hat off and sending it spinning
across the aisle and nearly smashing in
his ribs against the side OF the seat.
"Oh, you dear good man. felt sure
right from the start that you were
going to propose! ! knew the symp-
toms right off, and What's the mat
ter, lovey? Hain't been taken sick all
of sudden, have Your
But Nubbins, who had wriggled out
OF the seat and (without waiting to Sc
cure his haO was frantieally sprinting
down the aisle In the direction of the
smoker, answered not.
Dashing out of the door and slam
ming 1t shut behind him, he scooted
across the platform and disappeared
into the car ahead. and as he dropped
into a corner seat next to the coal box
he gasped:
.By George! That was pretty mar
now escape for me. If | hadn't got
away just as ! did she'd have hunted
up u minister, In case there was one
to be had on the train. and married me
in spite Of myselfw
Half an hour later, when his courage
had begun to rAturn (but not sufficient
IE to induce him to again enter the car
containing Miss Doolittlel, Nubbins
called a brakeman to him and said;
.sW0uld you Ike to earn $52'
'sgust try me and see," responded the
brakeman. with q wink.
"All right. Co back into the next
car and tell the six foot female in the
last car that I'm dead and that the
corpse would like his hat"
"Yes. SIR
'.And then, after you bring me my
hat, if you Will stand guard and see
that she doesn't get in here to slobbeF
over my remains between here and
Troy, and when the train reaches there
help her off with her bundles and see
that she stays off, I'll see that you get
the V and another on top of it,"
Yes, sir Just leave 1t 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 $5 fee in his pocket and a
second in view only 40 miles away,
was doing picket duty at the door,
New York Mail and Express.