The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-18

Kindly as | could, for | really liked that woman,
The ne 1t one vas a oolored lady and as soon as
saw her | knew she was not In the deal. aud ask
ing II she was Mrs Brown, which was not the
name | should have asked for, and she said she
was not, | apologiIed and left The next al
dress was al az apartment n"uSe WIN ah Iii tni
| era II was a pretty wellloOking place anu
| hoped that my finger would lind a stopping place
| there, whether | ever did or not ! sent up ny
/ card, with a mere on business written IN the
| corner, and word came back presently for ihe
\ gentleman u state his business, | knew then !
was suspected Of being some kind Of an agent or
/ other so wrote a brief note saving /, was con
\ corning the railroad accident in which the lady
i had been injured, In a few minutes a handsome
/ gray.haired woman of sixty or more with her arr
in a sims. appeared In the reception room "het' !
was waiting You see she didn't know who |
was. and she preferred to talk to me- where she
could call on the clerk II necessary
Il saw my romance 60 tumbllng all In a heap
as she entered, but was glad that the finger was
going 10 fall into such good hands, and in a very
businesslikc tone | began To make my statement
OF finding the finger, my preservation on II, Though
without any ~ the decorations, and the serious
results OF the accident To myself as the reason al
my not having sooner presented myself
Il guess must, have made a very, good i'm
preston on the lady, because she smiled at my
story. and did not seem to think had done other
than what | should have done IN keeping the finger,
but II was not her finger Again my romance
resumed sway and | began apologi1ing, when the
lady said her forearm had been broken. but that
her daughter had lost the finger, said had not
seen her name In the list Of the injured, and the
lady said she Ind inadvertently given the con.
ductor the card II a lady IN Milwaukee, for " hlch
ample apologies had been made, She told me
her daughter had suffered moro from shock than
from anything else, though considerably bruised.
Ju3t how the finger had been cut oil they could
not tell, as the hand hal been only slightly con
fused. She explained that her Laughter was not
A. home, but would he the next day would call
then with the finger. II was a, the doctor office,
where | had left II for HIM g. see II II was beng
preserved all right, and | told the lady that am.
tune which would suit her convenience would
suit mine, and she appointed q clock IN the next
afternoon.
Il went away withou' a wnrl about The daugh
ter except rs t. her ownrrship 81 the finger, hnd
wondered what sh" was likr, and II sh" hal a
husband ~ was n widow with six children ~ a
widow withou, any, or n spinSi"r ~ sour temper,
or n r,ly poly Old maid that would be a 10Y forever,
nnd whom saw ,ho hur r n tho doctors office
that he lady was rolv poly, whether maid, wife
or widow The doctor gIy"i M \ good deal
and Insisted on going with mo, NEXT day to see
that | was. not hlnc~ or h%a!g"r'd " some
thing, hut ! iiou''d ~ him. and promptly AZ the
hour | was s"n1ing up my carl, AMI hal n"
precious r,lic. | was So soon 10 lose, in n plain
bottle In my pocket, A. II I; LA never been my
thing morn tr mo thGn an anatomical specimen
preserved IN spirits. II WIS a very prusy-lopk.
Ing affair, hut Oh, what poetry hal been In all
my thoughts ~ il
"This time the ladies did not come down, hut
] was asked 20 60 m - 500 them, AMI WA met
NJ the door # thor anarlmont Ivy the mother
who introduced me tn her son IA law Oncr more
my romance was knocked out. AMI without walt
Ing tor any explanations | handed Ia" bottle
over IN him as tho legal r'prnS"utative Of his wife
%"iIor, MARY he called here 9 something for
you, md n good looking woman came out and
| WAS introduced - hNs wife
"'t'gh' sh" exclaimed ~ no gave II 10 her,
IT'S poor Rates. Hnl Sh' went into another room
with II, and presently returned with Il very pale
ladv whose hanl WIS IN n sling
This is my daughter, Kate said the mother,
and from That imagined Kate WINS neither VII"
nor widow, and my romance got IN IT, feet once
more. fr Miss Kate. though looking a good trAl
the worse for wear and wreckHCe, was a hand
some woman somewhere in the 3nS. end As era
Cious e. me as IL | had been comforting n favor
upun her Then We oil Sa' down and talked
II the accident and what We thought and how we
noes, and before We had hail finished II Wa dinner
time md they asked me o. stay, and | did, md
didn't get home I'LL II O'clock that night The
next day | was on hand again and Miss Kate
and ! Rod a chance 70 Talk q little 10 ourselves,
and ! told her what a ninnv | had been over that
finger and asked her to give II to me But she
would not listen 10 such a thing and | felt sorry
| had asked her for it. saw her a good many
times after that and one day | asked her again
for the finger
"Of what possible use is a finger without the
hand" She inquired.
"By George. Kate said | like a man does
when he Is 45, why not give me the hand, and '
We'll. II isn't necessary a. 20 into the pariCu.
lars NJ such a scene. Suffice II to say that wasn't
a bachelor a great while after that. and as | have
previously stated. tod moves in a mysterious
way His wonders to perform