The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-11-01

for a fact that Jack and Tom, my
brothers, regard me as downright
ugly. When people want TO be good
to me, they call me "interesting-look-
Ing" and wink at the shape Of my
nose. My hair is bright red. and |
have n temper TO correspond. In short,
my personal appearance and character
leave much to be desired, and, as Jack
says, what Rob could see In me to
but am coming to that later on.
Emmie is a remarkably handsome
girl, and, though she has never told
me so, | believe she has always felt
intensely sorry for me on account Of
my want Of beauty. She is very sweet
and good, and / am sure she would
willingly have given me share OF
her good looks If that had been posi-
BILE. However, as IL was not possible,
Emmie was reluctantly obliged 10
agree with me that nature intended
me for an old maid. l had long ago
made up my mind to that; and, money
not being particularly plentiful at
home, | knew / should be obliged TO
earn my own living at some time or
other. might not have begun quite
ms soon as | did, If It hadn't been for
mother.
When the problem OF Emmle's pros
poets In life had been satisfactorily
settled by her engagement to Charlie
Bourchier, mother began to worry
about me. | fancy she considered my
matrimonial chances dubious, but not
desperate. Anyhow, as soon as Emmic
was provided for, mother began 10
make heroic efforts on my behalf.
That sort OF thing gets on your nerves.
At least. il got on mine. My temper,
as | said before, is not angelic. and
In those days | lost 1t half a dozen
times a day.
At last | informed poor mother, with
quite unnecessary violence, that |
would perish sooner than marry any
one of the nice young men whom she
regarded, with wonderful optimism,
as sultors in embryo. | added, more
over, that / roveled in the prospect OF
becoming bachelor girl; and to prove
my point, l launched forthwith upon
a course of lessons i'm shorthand and
typewriting, calculated to tit me for
that exalted position In life.
That is how, some months later, |
came to be travelling twice day be-
tween Kings Cross and Chancery lane
on the top Of a Waterloo omnibus The
family considered that had de-
meaned myself by becoming n type
writer, but | gloried in my position of
proud independence and didn't par
ticularly dislike the work.
Now, when one has Travelled on top
OF the same omnibus for any length of
time, one begins TO regard ones fellow
passengers IS quite old friends. At
least that was my experience. |
Travelled In their company SO often
that their faces became perfectly IA
miliar TO me, and If, as sometimes
happened, | came across one of them
elsewhere, my first impulse was to
shake them warmly by the hand, until
j remembered that they were not the
Intimate friends | took .hcm for-that
We had never even been INTRODUCED.
There was one passenger in whom |
took an abnormal interest. | make
this shameless confession with due
humility, and in the hope that | shall
not be misunderstood. 1t Is quite pos.
slble that he would never have occu-
pied my thoughts to any appreciable
extent If he had not trodden upon
my toes-accidentally, of course
He said. "Oh. beg your pardon"
and | murmured, Don't mention it,"
l had seen him n good many times
before, but it was not until that mo.
ment that my interest began to be
aroused. l think 1t must have been
his voice, though / am bound TO admi,
that his face was attractive, too. Then
i liked the way he lifted his hat when
he stammered that apology. In short.
] don't mind owning that he inspired
me with very friendly feelings. |
caught myself wondering how old he
was, and l tried to steal 4 glance at
him unobserved-only TO find that he
was doing exactly the same thing OF
course, it is only natural that a man
should feel slightly interested in n girl
upon whose toes he has Just stepped
unawares.
Our acquaintance. thus inauspicious-
ly begun. would possibly have stopped
at this point but for an incident. small
and insignificant in itself maybe. but
fraught with tremendous consequences
to myself
1t happened on n glorious day in mid
June, in the height OF the strawberry
season. / had purchased n couple OF
pounds OF the luscious fruit from a
barrow man in High Holborn. TO be
deposited. according to custom, In the
bosom OF my family.
Mother secretly regarded this habit
OF mine ns slightly vulgar. and En-
mie shared her views; but neither evei
yentured upon open remonstrance.
on this day the fruit had loSliet
particularly tempting. and, though
was burdened with various other par
cells Of considerable bulk. could no
refrain from investing the customar,
sixpencc.
With some difficulty I managed q
convey myself aud parcels up the step
OF my usual bus. and TO sink into IN
nearest vacant seat-I ought to hav
said the nearest apparently vacan