The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-05-23
mike" GUIDED CUPID


| been kicked about the streets for two years,
and he considers himself a good judge OF
| human nature. Because he made a mistake
and got a kick which severely damaged one
Of his hind legs, he suddenly found himself
| transported into dog heaven, with plenty
of good things to eat, gentle mistress and
warm, soft box full of straw to sleep IN.
Incidently he entirely changed the destiny
of at least three people. Which shows that
in the case of dogs at least swift kick Is
often blessing in disguise.
Miss Annette Logan was in her second
season. She was an orphan-pretty, young
and rich. She lived in big corner house,
with two maiden aunts and four servants.
She had many suitors. During her first year
''out' it was free-for-all race for her ia
vor. She played no fayorites, and, by the
exercise of a great quantity OF tact, made
only few enemies.
By the time her second season was well
under way her love affairs seemed to be
rapidly nearing crisis The field was mar
rowed down to two young men, and the
rivalry between them was so close as to fur
nish an endless subject for conversation and
conjecture.
One of the young men was Tom Elliot.
He had been born with whole dozen of sill
yer spoons in his mouth, SO it was not to be
expected that he would be thing of beauty.
As matter of fact, he was far from it. He
had thin red hair, projecting Adams APP
pie, huge nose, a retreating chin, and a
decent disposition.
A great many people looked on Tom Elliot
as an exceedingly poor specimen.
Edward j. Jones was his exact opposite
and his most deadly rival. Edward j. Jones
had come in from the country only few
years before. Already he had begun to
make his mark" He was ambition and en-
ergy personifed
Give Jones ten years more and he'll be
rich man," was the way they spoke of him
on La Sale street.
Meantime Edward j. Jones was husband
ing his resources and forging ahead at fast
clip People who got into his way were
likely to get out again in hurry, taking
with them either financial or physical
bruises, as the case happened. He lived at
fashionable boarding house, but he rather
prided himself on avoiding the extrava-
gances which weaker young men yield to.
Edward j. Jones arranged all his affairs
so as to best suit the accomplishment of the
immediate plan which he had in view. So
when he settled down seriously to WOO and
win Miss Annette Logan he moved his
household goods into a boarding house
which stood almost diagonally across the
street from her big house. The audacity of
the move set people to chattering like a1lock
of blackbirds The general opinion was
that now it was all up with poor Tom
Elliot.
when Ed Jones starts out in earnest
after thing he gets it, - was the way it was
put.
AS matter of fact, Miss Annette Logan
was at first angered at the frank and prac-
tically public avowal of Edward j. Jones'
intentions. 1t seemed to her almost inso-
lent, and for a few weeks she treated the
forceful Mr.. Jones with a marked degree
of GOODNESS. But Edward j. Jones was a
wise youth for his years and good judge of
human nature on its feminine side.
Every woman likes a strong man and a
bold man, and within six months Miss An
nette Logan had become accustomed to the
sight of Edward j. Jones. Also the seven
days wonder of society had died out. Then
she reflected that a man who would move
from one side OF the city to another in order
to be near woman must really be dread
fully in earnest. Then she found that young
Mr.. Jones, with his tall, athletic figure and
his clear-cut, keen face was really pleasant
thing to look at.
Gradually she found herself standing more
and more frequently at the window at the
hour when Edward j. Jones started for his
office in the city OF course there were lace
curtains between her and the glass, and
she never allowed Edward j. Jones to even
suspect that she was interested in his goings
and comings.
AT the same time Edward j. Jones was
gradually winning a firmer place in her
affections and slowly Tom Elliot was being
driven out of the way.
1t began to look as if Edward j. Jones
would, in his expressive phrase, twin out"
That was the situation when Mike" came
wandering along through the wet and
changed everything.
Mike" as aforesaid, was dirty, home
ly, black street cur. On the fateful morning
Miss Annette Logan was looking out of her
window, through the lace curtains and had
seen Edward j. Jones leave his boarding
house and walk briskly down to the corner
to take a street car. No car was just then
in sight, and Mr.. Jones stepped under the
projecting awning of the corner drug store
to keep out of the rain, which was falling
heavily.
The streets were deep in mud and deep
puddles of black water lay just along the
curb.
Mike" coming down the other street to
the corner, saw Edward j. Jones standing
warm and comfortable under the awning
and made the most fortunate mistake of
his life. He 'sized up" Edward j. Jones
as kind-hearted and humane man, who
would go out of his way to do poor dog
good turn.
Miss Annette Logan saw mike" come
along, wet and dirty, and saw him rub his
dirty nose conhdingly against Edward j.
Jones carefully brushed trousers. Then
she saw Mr.. Jones draw back his right foot
and kick Mike bowling into the gutter
Mike" was really extremely dirty.
just then the street car came along and
Edward j. Jones hoped blithely on to the
front platform, serene in the consciousness
that he had kept his trousers clean.
Mr.. Edward j. Jones did not hear the
little cry of horror inside the lace curtains.
He did not even glance back to see Mike"
limp, whining down the street on three legs,
one OF his hind legs doubled up in pain under
his body.
If Mr.. Jones had looked back he would
have seen the front door of Miss Logan's
house suddenly opened Down the steps in
the driving rain ran Miss Logan in white
morning gown. She called poor Mike"
and he came limping up to her This time
Mike knew he had made no mistake. She
carried him into the house, mud and all, in
her arms.
Edward j. Jones knew nothing about all
this. All he knows is that when he called
the next evening Miss Logan was mot at