The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-02

Out no one naQ seen what he asked Tor.
This way and that he rode to pick up
the thread he had dropped, but the
spider and the wagon. the little lady
and the handsome gentleman. no one
had seen. In the towns he Jared yet
worse
Once indeed hope came to him. On
the "stoep" of hotel at which lie
staid the night in a certain little vii
lage there walked a gentleman. grave
and kindly looking. 1t was not hard
to open conversation with him about
the weather, and then Had he ever
seen such and such people, a gentle
man and lady, spider and wagon, ar
rive at that place? The kindly gentle
man shook his head. What was the
lady like? he inquired.
Gregory painted-hair like silken
floss, small mouth, underlip very full
and pink; upper lip pink, but very thin
and curled. There We're four white
spots on the nail of her right hand
forefnger, and her eyebrows were very
| delicately curved. The gentleman look
ed thoughtful, as trying to remember.
"Yes, and rosebud tinge in the
cheeks, hands like lilies and perfectly
seraphic SMILE"
THAT is she! That is shew cried
Gregory.
Who else could it be? He asked
| where she had gone to. The gentle
man most thoughtfully stroked his
beard. He would try to remember.
| Were not her ears Here such a vio-
lent fit of coughing seized him that
he ran away into the house. An ill fed
clerk and dirty barman standing in
the doorway laughed aloud. Gregory
wondered if they could be laughing at
the gentleman's cough, and then he
heard some one laughing in the room
into which the gentleman had gone.
He must follow him and try to learn
more, but he soon found that there
was nothing more to be learned there.
Poor Gregory!
| One day, coming to little town, his
horses knocked up, he resolved to rest
them there. The little hotel of the
town was a bright and sunny place,
like the jovial face of the clean little
woman who kept it and who trotted
about talking always; talking to the
customers in the taproom and to the
maids in the kitchen and to the pass
ersby when she could hail them from
the windows; talking, as good ,natured
women with large mouths and small
noses always do, in season and out.
There was little front parlor in the
hotel, kept for strangers who wanted
to be alone. Gregory sat there to eat
his breakfast, and the landlady busted
the room and talked Of the great finds
at the diamond fields and the badness
Of maidservants and the shameful con-
duct Of the Dutch parson in that town
to the English inhabitants Gregory
ate his breakfast and listened to moth
ing. He had asked his one question,
had had his answer. Now she might
talk on.
Presently door in the corner open
ed, and woman came out-a Mozam-
biquer, with a red handkerchief twist
ed round her head. She carried in her
hand a tray with slice Of toast crum-
bled fine and half filled cup of coffee
and an egg broken open, but not eaten.
Her ebony face grinned complacently
as she shut the door softly and said,
Good morning."
The landlady began to talk to her.
"You are not going to leave her real
ly, Ayah, are you?" she said. 1.-THE
maids say so, but I'm sure you
wouldn't do such a thing"
The Mozambiquer grlnned.
Husband says must go home"
"But she hasn't got any one else and
won't have any one else. Come, now"
said the landlady. 1--WE no time to
| be sitting always in a sickroom, not If
was paid anything for it."
white teeth good naturally for an
swer and went out. and the landlady
followed her.
Gregory, glad to be alone, watched
the sunshine as it came over the
fuchsias in the window and ran up and
down on the paneled door in the cor
ner. The Mozambiquer had closed il
loosely behind her, and presently
something touched it inside. 1t NOV
Gu u lLLle. 4ueu 1t WAS SIlll, Lueu uOS'
ed again. Then through the gap 9
small nose appeared and yellow cal
overlapping one eye. Then the whole
head obtruded, placing itself critically
on one side, wrinkled it's nose disap
provingly at Gregory and withdrew
Through the half open door came q
fair scent of vinegar, and the room
was dark and still.
Presently the landlady came back.
left the door open," she said, bus
thing to shut it, "but darky will be q
darby and never carries head on his
shoulders like other folks. Not i'll.
hope, sir?' she said, looking at Greg
DRY when she had shut the bedroom
door.
"Who," asked Gregory. ais in tina,
roomY'
/ Glad to have little innocent piece OF
gossip to relate and some one willing
to hear 1t, the landlady made the mos
of a little story as she cleared the tn
BILE. Six months before lady haG