Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-09

lated traveller of respectable mein a family
man, long overdue at the domestic hearth.
l would take my oath. l could read the
signs of mild debauch and guilty dread in
his feverish haste and in the craven fear
which lit his eye. Sir | exclaimed, for
getting caution and springing SO suddenly
before him that he threw up his hand as
though sandbagging were his nightly
cross. Il beg you pardon" l said humbly
seeing how 1t was with him, and then |
asked for what I wanted. and poured out
into his reluctant each such tale of love
and romance that, had he contained a di-
vine fire, he must inevitably have burst
into flame ON the spot. As it was. however.
he stood and eyed me with a cold, dull eye.
an eye fiimy from loss of sleep, sus-
picious eye, that did not twinkle at my.
amorous tale. and when l had finished, said
merely, Y on have been fighting, / see
and looked at my bandage with self
righteous air which sat i'll on so belated a
reveler.
And how could it be otherwise?' I asked
plaintively. Il could not get her peaceaby.
For l had mixed up romantic elopement
with certain elements of highway robbery
until l thought the tale sufficiently highly
spiced. But beg of you, do not detan me.
Surely YOU can direct me to the proper Off
Ger without suffering any strain upon your
principles"
Colby again did his dull eye scan me,
up and down and all about. to rest at last
upon the diamond scarf pin 1 wore. II am
jeweler, ne remarked at last Indifferent
ly, but his eye spoke for him with an elo-
H.
indeed! l exclaimed joyously. IF that
be the case, perhaps you can estimate for
me the value of this bauble, and
piucked off the gem forcing it upon him
with an arch and meaning glance, while
secretly yearned to boot him for a cut
throat But no sooner had the thing been
done than | found the price beggarly COM
pared with the comfort it brought to my
Jaded energies. | was no longer a rudder-
less ship, drifting about at the mercy of
every capricious wave. L an i'm
pOrtant event, something with purpose: a
man who paid his way
| would give a connected account of the
next hours work We're the thing possible;
but so confused are the real events in my
mind with certain vague imaginingS, that I
dare not vouch for what might be called
the plain facts. We walked, l should say,
a great number of miles. though they have
been reduced by some to barely as many
blocks, and stopped at several houses
where people, men mostly, in nightcaDs |
think. though | will not insist on the night
caps, came and peered at US through cracks
in doors, and Swore at us first and then
talked more mildly and at most of the
houses L kept telling my name until they
stopped me. and had me sign 1t to papers
which l did with pens as large as walking
sticks.
l know for a certainty that | kept paving
out money. but probably not in the guam
Titles 1t seemed, for my bankers tell me l
had drawn no thCusa nd dollar bank notes.
nor bags of silver dollars: and then walked
again, and more men in nightcaps came and
looked at us, and | told my story to some
and to some l didn't. until suddenly | came
TO myself In a dusty little parlor before a
man in dress coat and felt boots. who
was saying to me we'll as he could with
a bad cold in his head Il pronounce you
nan and WIFE | was standing holding
f&St to Miss Brandon's hand, and the knowl-
edge that she was no longer Miss Brandon
was tingling through my senses. Ny wife
for she was my wife in the eyes of the men
who stood staring wonderngly at me-gave
a frightened tfnre fnr an in
slant, and then fell fainting into my arms
so white, so wan. so childlike that
thought we had killed her somehow with
our clumsy doings. Snatching her up, l
dashed out into the hall with her, where
my sudden entrance scared up a covey of
half-dressed women. who made rush for
the stairs, but finding they couldn't make
1t, turned and defiantly faced me.
Show me a room | shouted, and they
fed before me Ike rats. until, following
their scant skirts. l found myself stand
ing before a clean. but tumbled bed, from
which the scared occupant had just sprung
10 secrete herself behind a half-open closet
door. Here | tenderly placed my charge.
and with one more look at her wan face L
fed from the apartment, shutting the door
upon her and the women, and then 1
crouched close beside it, wild with fear lest
cry of horror reach me at any moment to
tell me that life had fed.
Nor from that lowly post could 1 be
uprooted. though the hole was dark and
the women. running in and out, stumbled
against me as lney ram spllllnS Things over
themselves and me- At last one of the lot
came and stood before me- with arms AKIN
DO, her face shining with good-natured
scorn. Six months from now you'll take
things more easy she said.
And the lady. how is she?" I cried.
The lady?' she repeated, wonderingly
Your wife. you mean and then, for 1
Redeemed furiously beneath my bandages,
she laughed and cried:
Why, the man. is blushing. You better
60 and shave yourself she cried, loosely.
runaway. Leave her to me and brush up,