The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-06-08

she TOOK MY AEM y HURRIED ME- ALONG.
efforts, but ii wa not until |
tered the -four handed lady that | gave
up in disgust.
This happened shortly after l had
closed my water store. Ten years ago,
having met with Indifferent success in
a business career, solely from my IN
Willingness to take advantage of the
extreme guilibility and desire to be
humbugged Of my fellow creatures,
conceived the idea of a water store. I
a discovered that many mel went
into a saloon for a glass of beer simply
because there was no place where they
could get a glass of water.
Having Il small, independent fortune,
| put Il few thousand dollars into a lit
tie place, stocked it with ice tanks,
out a sign to the effect that drinking
water could be had there free of
charge.
l at once encountered the violent OPP
position of the saloon element, but this
l had expected. What | was not pre-
pared for was the hostility of the gen
eral public. AS 500 as it became ap-
parent that | was not advertising a
new spring water or selling something
in connection with my gratuitous dis
tribution of aqua pura, people began to
ask where the business end of the thing
came in-what l was doing it for, any
how? My inyariable a~nswer-that [
was trying TO do some good in a small
way and that ! expected. no return
whatever-met only with derision. |
became a subject for merriment in the
comic papers. Some people pretended
to imagine that | sold liquor surrepti-
tiously, and in the course of my brief
career in the water store | was accused
of nearly everything from Illicit dis
tilling to selling policy slips. The pc,
lice used to look in with uncomfortable
frequency, and small boys often con
gregated before my door. The human
Harlan idea in connection with my
scheme was absolutely rejected.
/ have Il quick temper, and there were
n or two rows in my store. One man.
who insulted me l knocked down. He
had me arrested for assault, and the
next day | closed my water store for
good.
That ended my attempts to benefit
mankind in a public way, but / did not
relax my private efforts.
One afternoon l was surprised by
having a young and handsome woman
come up to me in an excited manner on
the street, which was crowded at the
time, and as. if she could put herself
under my protection for a little while.
l consented, and Immediately she took
my arm anG hurried me along, talking
yolubly and rather incoherently, 1
thought.
She said some one was following her.
| did not see any one near who seemed
to be noticing her but one of my old
enemies, a policeman. l accompanied
her for several blocks. She did not
seem to want to leave the avenue, but
kept in the thick. of the crowd. Sud
denly she dropped my arm with a
"Thank you" and disappeared into a
shop.
walked on alone for several blocks.
wondering who she could be and ii she
We're not a little distraught, when l re-
memhered that | was going ont of my
way and took q horse car going back
in tie direetion whence ! had come.
A little later, 10 my SURPRISE, the
young woman who had - recently
asked my assistance boarded tie car.
She did not appear TO see me; but,tak-
ing a seat opposite me-, she dropped her
eyes to the idoor and seemed to be lost
in thought.
Nqyy, during the short time the young
womap's hand had rested ~ my arm /
had noticed ct being %nngloyedl that it