The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-16

MIR. Bradley, can you tie bows?"
Can l tie what?"
Tie bows! Didn't you understand
what l said? Bows, bows, plain, every
dav bowsl"
We'll, what of it if l can tie bows ~
Nothing, but If you can-if you are
sure you can-why, l want you to tie
these"
With this bare announcement to in
troduce her upon the scene, says the
Milwaukee Sentinel, Mrs. Tor
rey entered the door through which she
had been craninS her neck, advanced
to where Mr.. Bradley. gruff, grizzled
bachelor of As, sat porting over a vol
ume of forgotten lore, and, deftly slip
ping a shawl from her shapely shout
ders, turned her back upon Bradley,
saying as she did so, just as fast as
she could talk:
Now, hurry, please, do hurry and
tie those bows together on the back
of my waist. If you don't / can never
get downtown to meet Mr.. Torrey, be-
cause there is not a woman in the
building this minute to do 1t for me
I've been all around, and then [ thought
of YOU. OF course. you'll think I'm
horrid, but you know Fred better than
anybody else, and you know how he
will fume and fuss If I'm not on time.
can't twist my arms around that far,
don't you? Well, why don't you go on
and tie them for me? Please hurry.
P-l-e-a-s-e."
Bradley stood aghast. He wore upon
his face such look as one would ex-
pect to see If his grandmother's spirit
form Was standing before him. For
be it known that Bradley was eminent
ly the most overproDer woman hater
Of his tribe. But Mrs. Torrey knew a
few things besides the fact that she
must have those bows tied: she knew
by such an onslaught as she made
by simply rushing him-and never
ceasing talking she could get the both
ersome things tied. In other words,
she intended to "fiimham" Bradley into
doing her bidding. And what's more,
she did it.
Bradley commenced on bow No. 1, his
fingers trembling and his breath COM
ing hard, while Mrs. Torrey continued:
Fired simply insisted that 1 wear
this waist or l would not have both
cred you. butch, dear, please hurry,
Mr.. Bradley. There's the clock strik-
ing now, and I'm sure to be late.
Bradley. poor chap, his hands about
as jerky and useless ito him as those
on jumping jack. was doing his level
best. At that, he was proving him
self unequal to the situation: the wife
of his best friend was thoroughly
aware of his perturbation, and was
secretly laughing at him.
On he struggled with the refractory
ribbons. Counting down from the top,
he was at No. s. Such tricks were as
foreign to him as fondling babies, crea-
lures he invariably ran from. In fact
Bradley had no use for any manner of
creature that wore skirts.
Disposing of No. Sand "disposing"
is good-he dropped to No. Z which
effort brought beads of persDiration TO
his brow. In the course of time he tied
them ALL and made the fact known by
a sigh of relief that seemed to come
from his boots.
With an "Oh. thank you, Mr.. Brad
lev" Mrs. Torrey was gone.
Bradley gazed long and intently out
of the window The first expression,
hard and stern gave way to what those
who knew him best would have said
was the softest. kindliest, the most
reminiscent ever seen on his rather
hard features. but this was lost the
moment he turned to his book and he
was again the Bradley they knew him.
He closed the incident thus: