The suburban citizen., 1901-11-30

! another fellow has decided to do sim
ilarly clrcumstanced 1 resolved to
consign my profession to the deuce
and to seek new pastures in America.
What proposed should benny plan of
campaign in America is not at this
date clear to me, but l remember it
seemed to me then a most desirable
and practical step to take, and not
even Micawber departing for Aus
tralia felt more confident of 'some-
thing turning up" on the foreign shores
| than L.
OF course Amy wept and was desc
late, but we had been engaged now for
nearly three years, and firmly and
with business-like lucidity on which
l prided myself remind myself most
strongly of the Micawbers in RETROSPECT
toni showed her that it was the
only course for us. 1 said that Eng
land-I called it the "old country" al
ready-was playing out. In the United
States, 1 observed, energy and youth
had a chance of coming to the front.
To cling to a sinking ship-the "sink
ing ship" was the bar-was a coward
ly and disastrous thing, declared, and
finally l painted a picture Of my ris-
ing to dizzy heights in the United
States and her coming across to me in
a twelve months time to be my wife.
The pictures of making her home in
the United States did not seem to at
tract her, so l altered that part, and
in the amended version l returned
after twelve months with my pile in
my pocket and we settled in London.
Besides Amy and her people, who
regarded me as a perfect hero and
gave me keepsakes to think Of them
by in the distant land, the only person
to whom it was necessary to announce
my intention was a maiden aunt of
mine, who lived in Dorking. She told
me frankly that / was a fool.
AS she looked at me with a certain
admiration, however I was inclined
| to think that in her heart Of hearts
she was not without a sentiment Of
! approval for my action, and was
firm once more and reiterated the argu-
! ultuLb Mllu w NulCu 4 uuu luNOlGh AAb9
My relative gave me an excellent
lunch, and, after wishing her an affec-
| tionate farewell-for she had always
been very nice to mel went back to
town and commenced my prepara-
| tiOns.
My furniture, consisting Of desk,
an armchair, and few dllapidated ar
ticles which forget disposed of "at
a sacrifice" I ordered a couple of suits
Of clothes-clothes 1 had understood
were dear in America-and / booked
a passage by the Germania.
Having put my affairs in order and
having received to my surprise, a let
ter from Dorking repeating that was
a fool, and inclOsing n check for $50,
paid a last visit to Threegates, folded
Amy in my arms and sailed.
I enjoyed the voyage immensely.
We had fine weather sOciable people
on board, and ! was exhilarated by a
consciousness that l was doing a noble
and resolute thing l smoked my pipe
with satisfaction and looked at the
ocean in the moonlight and Amy's
photograph with pleasurable sentimen-
tality. So much for the trip.
I arrived in New York with the best
part of E1OO in my purse, thanks to
my aunt's liberality, and l went to a
hotel and thence removed to a comfor-
table boarding house, in order to give
myself time to look around.
g,,,v, Ay Of mo III n %
very large fortune presented itself,
and my money dwindled rapidly.
When I had been in New York a few
months l was glad to forget my anx-
iety in reading.
. mention this because it led to an
important event.
! l learned that there was an admira'
: bic public library near blythe public
: libraries of America are better than
, ours-and one day l strolled in there
to see what Of the newest fiction
! could procure.
? 1t was a huge building, and in the
} upstairs room to which / was directed
l found the attendants were all young
, women.
, The book asked for was "out," but
: I was supplied with another. l read
! it and returned it the following after
noon, when the book l most desired
was "out" again. This went on fol
a week-I always missed it-and 1 ex
pressed my annoyance at last rather
emphatically.
AS 1 was doing so my eyes fell OF
one of the girls behind the counter
who riveted my attention in the mos
extraordinary manner for an engaged
man. This girl cannot find a propei
adjective to describe her-well, sh'
was peerlessl Her hair was positivel!
the most glorious color had ever seeI
on a woman, there was just a soupcoI
Of red in it--only a sOupcOn, though