The Morris County chronicle., 1902-02-21
THE FLREMAN'S
...WOOING
The Story of a Girl Who
Chose Not Wisely.


little way out from the table. 1t was
the boast Of the proprietor that he had
the handsomest lot Of mattresses on
the road, and the queen of the collec-
tion was Fanny Mccain. That's how
she happened to be head waitress, for
she could not know much of the busi-
ness. She had come to the place part
ly because her widowed mother was
poor and partly to crafty consuming
desire to pose as the prettiest girl
there, for she had been consulting her
mirror.
The fireman frowned, but took seat
next to the proprietor of the Mint Ju-
lep. The fireman's face, newly wash
ed and hardly rubbed, glistened in the
glare of the electric light, and the
same light played upon the jeweled
hands and immaculate shirt front of
the Julep man. The fireman bowed
coldly, and the other, feeling a certain
superiority in the matter of dress and
personal appearance, smiled.
The head waitress, taking position
at one of the windows, stood looking
at the two men, both of whom had
made love to her. She had purposely
seated them so as to get their faces in
one frame, as it were, for she had been
unable to forsake one and cleave to
the other. She respected the fireman.
she had loved him once and had ac-
knowledged it to him-but she was
dazzled by the handsome, well groom
ed proprietor of the Mint Julep. Once
or twice the fireman ventured to look
up, but each time he saw her gazing
upon his rival, and his heart was filled
with dread.
"What time shall l call?" he asked
as Fanny handed him his ticket.
mot before 8. / detest being first III
a ballroom"
Suppose we say $50? 1t will be 8
by the time we reach the hall"
Nine" said Fanny. nodding at the
Julep man as he passed out, with his
chinchilla thrown gracefully over his
shoulders.
"But I'm on the reception commit
tee."
"Then go and 'recep' and come back
for me. l shan't leave the house be"
fore 8. My, how gay you arev'
The fireman went out with heavy
heart. Fanny was getting on. She
had not used such language to him be-
fore, and it cut him to the quick. He
remembered how he had begged her to
keep out of the eating house and tried
to hint to her mother that the place
was full of lures.
'Its only short step in the direc-
ton of danger" he said. "a public
dinner room, camp meeting, the skat-
ing rink, and'-
"Stop," said Fanny's mother. 81 will
not have you hint even that Fanny is
capable of being bad"
And so the fireman had been power
less to prevent the pure young girl
from putting herself in this position.
Promptly at 8 o'clock he called for
Fanny. She would be out in mo-
ment, her mother said.
During the half hour in which he
waited for the expiration of a wom-
ans moment the fireman noticed
number of new pieces of furniture;
also he noticed that Fanny's mother
was a little reserved. Fanny herself,
while amply deliberate, was irritable
and nervous. Conversation seemed to
go slowly with them, like a heavy
train on an up grade.
When they entered the ballroom, the
fddlers were already fiddling, and they
fell in line for the opening walk
round.
Over in one end of the hall there was
a bank of plants and ferns, loaned by
leading citizens for the firemen's an
nual ball, and just in front of the oasis
stood the Julep man, immaculate as
ever and wearing the only evening
dress suit in the room.
He was radiant and all the more so
by comparison, for not a few of the
respectable suits worn by the firemeD
and their friends were beginning to
take on that unmistakable shine that
comes with age.
"Oh, Isaac" exclaimed Mrs. Wolf
stine to her husband, "what beauti-
full young lady! Who is she?'
"She ees not what you say-a lady.
She is waitress from zee eating house"
"And who is the handsome gentle
man writing on her card?"
''He ees not one gentleman, my dear.
He ees re proprietor of re Mint 'Ulep."
Now Mrs. Wolfstine marveled that
this man should be there dancing with
the daughters of the best families in
the growing western town. But why
should he not be there? Every fire.
man ON the division had sold or tried
to sell him a ticket for the annual ball.
The fireman was surprised upon TAX
ing Fanny's card to find that his rival
had already written upon it.
A half an hour later he took the card
again to select number and found the
face of it black with "Julep. Julep.
Julep."
This man had been called by that
name so much that he had come to an
swer to it and write it. Indeed, few
people in the place knew that he had
another name.
1t was two hours after midnight
when the fireman opened the gate in
front of the little frame cottage where
the girls mother lived.
"Well." said the girl putting the
gate between them, twas the ball a
succeSsY
.'For some people it was a decided