The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-25
A RICKSHAW RIDE.

A RICkSHAW RIDE.
The lamplit yeranda of a large bunga-
low outside Penang. Between two palms
in dragon jars at the top of the veranda
steps stands a pretty girl in a pink ball
gown holding a fan and gloves in her
hands. She looks %anxiously round. There
is no one to be seen but a Chinese boy
standing at a respectful distance in the
background.
The ~Girl-They surely can't lave gone
without me? / ought to have come down
q little sooner. I overdid it, goose that I
ami However, I've avoided being paired
off for a three mile drive in a rickshaw
with q man in a state of wrath because I
wasn't somebody elsei CA pause.) What
If I don't go to this hateful dance after
all? They'd all say afterward that I
shirked it, I unprecedented seeing him
with her. Oh, no, that wouldn't do-I'l
show theml (She snatches a thin silk
wrap off a chair, twists it hurriedly round
her shoulders and calls to the servant.)
Boy, Bana Kreta-Hongkongl
HE comes forward and shouts. A sour
~ of wheels is heard, and two spots of
light appear in the darkness of the garden
and grow rapidly larger and larger till
they resolve themselves into the lamps of
a somewhat decrepit looking rickshaw.
The girl prepares to get in, but suddenly
finds she has forgotten her handkerchief,
and goes indoors to fetch it. While she is
away a young man in evening dress comes
out and looks cautiously about him..
Thu Young Man (piously)-Thank the
Lordi They've goDel Ha, ha! you've es-
capped that rather neatly, my boyl I can
see it all. "Mr. Davenport, you'll escort
Miss Neville of course" Chuckle headed
idiots people are. "Oh, delighted-yesl"
and then snub. snub, snub, for three solid
everlasting milesl Not muchl If she
thinks I'm going to compete with a little
cad like Raymond! (Shrugs his shoulders
and tries to look jaunty:) Well, here's my
rickshaw, I suppose. Oh, this COMPOUNDED
dancel
HE sees the girl coming out of the
house. She stops abruptly and stares at
him.)
Shells tit is Mr.. Davenport?
He (~nervously) = Yves at least-I
mean-I am afraid I'm a bit late. The
the others seem to have gone, don't they?
Eouo (lrlB fulyJ- 0S. WOulu YOU kluuly
call me another rickshaw?
He-Certainly. (To himself.) This
snub's in private, at any rate.
HE interviews the boy, and then turns
to her with a dismayed countenance.
Helm awfully sorry, Miss Neville,
but there's not another rickshaw to be
had anywhere. They've only left this one
behind for-for us both.
She (blankly)-Oh!
An embarrassing pause. He glowers
darby at the unoffending cody, and she
becomes absorbed in a refractory glove
button.
He with an NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
what your feelings are, Miss Neville, !
can only suggest that / remain here, and
you have the rickshaw to yourself. l have
no wish to go to this affair, l assure you.
She Ito herself)-Oh, the hypocritei
When he knows he's just pining to get to
that Symes grill But 1 won't be so mean
as to take him at his word, badly as he
has behaved. (To him.) Certainly not,
Mr.. Davenport. I wouldn't think of in
terfering with peoples amusement in such
a way. l will stay here-I've got a head
ache-and you must take the riokshaw.
He-How could l go and tell your cous-
Ill j u l6lt yOu u6r6l lLHpOSSlUi0! AS
said before, / will gladly
She (sharply)-No, you won't. ITO her
self.) That girl shan't say I kept him
away from her. Ito him. We must just
make the best of an unfortunate occur
renee, and both go. Please DOM argue
about tit only makes i'll mean MY
cousin will get anxious if we're SO long
coming.
CI- 49, g-A1 L -sI-zL---- $50
lows. The cody raises his shafts and
starts his load down the drive and into a
narrow road at a smart trot.
He lat last)-Er-it's a lark night,
isn't it?
She Very. "a pause.)
He (desperately)-After all, it's only
three miles, and this seems to be a fairly
good cody, doesn't he?
She-Yes. (Another pause. Her social
instincts getting the better of her, IL
wonder if you will be very gay in Selail-
gor2 They say there's a good deal going
on there, and you'll be just in time for the
races.
Hell believe SO, but I am not going in
for that sort of thing. I mean to get
some shooting if I've any time to spare
tigers, if possible. l hear it's pretty fever
ish where / am going, but there's lots Of
big game, and after all that's all I need
care about.
She (vaguely)-Y-yes-I suppose-for
a man. (To herself.) That doesn't sound
very nice for Miss Symes, somehow How
funny Of himl What can he be thinking
of? This thing jolts a great deal. IL
hope it's quite safe
He-Oh, yesl It's all right, 1 think
--I- 10 - -L-.k1.- ~-z-l:-z IL It