The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-28
THE GENTLEMAN
FROM INDIANA
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON
Copyrighted by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON.
Copyrighted by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.

say, the youth of Plattville were not
present under protest, as their fellows
of a metropolis would have been. lee
lures being we'll understood by the
young of great cities to have instruc-
tive tendencies. The boys came to-
night because they insisted upon COM
ing. 1t was an event. Some of them had
made sacrifices to come, enduring even
the agony (next to hair-cutting in suf-
fering) of having their ears washed.
Conscious of parental eyes, they 'front.'
ed the public with boyhood's profess
sional eXpressionlessness though they
communicated with each other aside
in a cipherlanguage of their own, and
each group was a hot-bed of furtive
gossip and sarcastic comment. Seated
in the windows. they kept out what
small breath of air might otherwise
have stolen in to comfort the audience.
Their elders sat patiently dripping
with persplration, most of the gentle
men undergoing the unusual garniture
of stiffly starched collars. those who
had not cultivated chin boards to OBJ
viate such arduous necessities of pomp
and state, hardly bearing up under
the added anxiety of cravats. However,
they sat outwardly meek under the
yoke; nearly all of them seeking a
quiet solace of tobacco-not that they
smoked Heaven and the gallantry of
Carlow county forbid-nor were there
anywhere visible tokens of the COM
forting ministrations of nicotine to
violate the eye of etiquette. 1t is an
art of Plattville.
Suddenly there was hum and a
stir and a buzz of whispering in the
room. Two gray old men and two pref
ty young women passed up the aisle
to the platform. One old man was stall
wart and rudy, with a cordial eye and
handsome, smooth-shaven, big face.
The other was bent and trembled
slightly; his face was very white: he
had a fine high brow, deeply lined, the
brow of a scholar, and grandly flow
ing white beard that covered his chest,
the beard of patriarch. One of the
young women was tall and had the
rosy cheeks and pleasant eyes of her
father, who preceded her. The other
was the strange lady.
A universal perturbation followed her
progress up the AISLE If she had
known 1t. She was small and fair very
daintily and beautifully made; a pref
ty Marquise whose head Greuze should
have painted. Mrs. Columbus Lands,
wife Of the proprietor of the Palace
Hotel comforting with a lady in the
next seat. applied an -burdened
adjective: 1T amt so much she's
han some, though she is. that-but
don't you notice she's got a kind of
smart look to her? Her bein' so teeny.
kind of makes it more so, somehow,
too What stunned the gossips of the
windows to awed admiration. how
ever, was the unconcerned and stoical
FASHION In which she wore a long bod
Kin straight through her head 1t
seemed large sacrifice merely to
make sure ones hat inc H.,
The party took seats little to the
left and rear of the lecturers table
and faced the audience. The strange
lady chatted gaily with the other
three, apparently as unconscious of the
multitude of eyes fixed upon her as
the gazers were innocent of rude in
tent. There were pretty young women
in Plattville: Minnie Briscoe was the
prettiest, and, as the local glass of
fashion reflected, 1.-The stylishest:" but
this girl was different, somehow. in a
way the critics were puzzled to dis
cover-different, from the sparkle of
her eyes and the crown of her trim
sailor hat, to the edge of her snowy
duck skirt.
Judd Bennett sighed a sigh that was
heard in every corner of the ROOM As
everybody Immediately turned to look
at him. he got up and went out.
1t had long been a jocose fiction of
Mr.. Martin, who was a widower of
thirty years standing, that ne and
the gifted authoress by his side were
in state of courtship. Now he bent
his rugged head toward her to whis-
per: Il never thought to see the day
you'd have rival in my affections.
Miss Seliny, but yonder looks like IL.
l reckon I'll have to go I'D to Rem
Tinkle's and buy that fancy vest he's
had in stock this last twelve year or
more. VIII YOU take me back when
she's left the city again. Miss Seliny?"
he drawled. IT expect, maybe Miss
Sherwood is one of these here summer
girls. I've heard of 'em but l never
see one before. You better take warn
ing and watch me-Fisbee won't have
no clear field from now on"
The stranger leaned across to sneak
to Miss Briscoe and her sleeve touch
ed the left shoulder of the old man
with the patriarchal white beard.
moment later he put his right hand to
that shoulder and gently moved il up
and down with a caressing motion
over the shabby black broadcloth her
garment had touched.
Look at that old Fisbee!" exclaim-
ed Mr.. Martin. affecting indignation.
Never be n half as spruced UP and
wide awake in all his life. He's prob
'ly got her to listen to him on the
decorations of Nineveh-it's my be-
lief he was there when it was DESTROY
ed. Well. if l can't cut him out WEN
get our respected young friend of the
Herald to do it,
Ssh" returned Miss Tibbs. Here
he IS"
The seats upon the platform were
all occupied. except the two foremost
ones in the center Zone on each side
of little table with lamp a pitch
er of ice-water. and a glass; reserved
for the lecturer and the gentleman who
was to introduce him. Steps were au-
dible in the hall. and every one turned
to watch the door. where the distin-
guished pair now made their appear
ance in a hush of expectation over
which the beating of the fans alone
prevailed. The Hon. Hedge Holloway
was one of the cleaners of the flesh
pots, himself, and he marched into the
room unostentatiously mopping his
shining expanse of brow with figur-