Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1902-10-23
Mr.. Salisbury Jenkins Idea.

BY WILLIAM A. OSBORNE.
| copyright, 1902 by Daily Story Pub. COD
Mr.. Salisbury Jenkins stepped out
upon the hotel porch under the fire
of inquisitive glances with an easy
nonchalance of manner, which comes
only with long practice. He was the
latest arrival. He lit his cigar and
gazed with an Indifferent curiosity
upon the crowd. Mr.. Salisbury Jenk-
ms was an observer-especially of
women, and he speedily made up his
| mind that the girl in the pink dimity
at the end of the piazza was the one
girl in the crowd. Having reached this
conclusion he rested not until he had
been formally introduced : having
been formally introduced he improved
his opportunity.
A day or two later he sat on the
railing looking down upon the girl,
as she reclined in an easy chair.
She laid down a book, with sigh.
what do you think of it," queried
Mr.. Jenkins.
Perfectly lovely" returned the
girl. "Masterson, the hero, is such
fine fellow-the kind of man who's
strong and brave and risks his life
for women, and really accomplishes
things. l could fall in love with a
man like that. I'm tired of the rest
the kind who talk all day about books
and the theater, the races and golf
Masterson was so different.
Mr.. Jenkins WINGED. For two days
he had held forth upon golf and the
races, the theater and books. Still,
| he thought, complacently, of his man
| ly appearance, and he considered that
he would push Masterson, the books
hero, close for second place. But
it was up to him now to make an i'm
pression-to prove his supremacy.
He preferred to eclipse Masterson
If possible. To this end he racked
| his brain.
And then-a sublime idea occurred
to him; the more he thought of it
the more he liked it-and as he con-
templated it, he thought it must end
in but one way-with the girls arms
around his neck, like the heroine's
about the neck of Masterson. This
idea was not entirely original-he had
read of it in fiction; but it was, he
considered, without precedent in real
life. 1t was to place the girl in a
situation of apparent danger, from
which, without danger to himself, he
would gloriously rescue her.
! 1t was a great idea and Mr.. Jenkins
worked it out.
"Well, mister" said the tramp
glancing doubtfully at Mr.. Jenkins
well-padded shoulder "I'l tell you
how it is. I stood up once to have a
man knock me down for five dollars
it was John L. what did it. An he
broke me nose. 1 don't want no more
of it. / don't want you to use me
rough" Mr.. Jenkins treasured him.
"Well, then, I'll go you, mister
I'm not much on soaring women, but
1 s'pose 1 could do it on a pinch. All
right, I'll go you. Only" he added,
don't you use me rough, and don't
you hit me on the beak."
Next evening at sunset the girl set
out for her customary walk through
the glen. She always went alone. Mr..
Salisbury Jenkins had often offered
to go with her, but, although excep-
| tionally gracious to him at other
times, she had acknowledged his sug-
| gestion with a glance which, in an
other person, would have been a
stony glare. This time he did not Of
fer He watched her disappear in
the woodland path and then he fol-
lowed her.
The glen was wild and weird and
lonely place, especially after sun
down. Mr.. Jenkins felt that keenly-
but he pressed on after the girl. Os-
casionally he caught glimpses of her
but finally he lost her.
Suddenly he heard a wild scream
a woman's scream-her scream. For
an instant it froze his blood. Then
he braced up and sprinted on ahead,
shouting as he went-he, the deliv-
erer-in reassuring voice. He
reached the spot. The first thing he
saw was the girl-he caught sight Of
her through an opening in the leaves.
She was standing near tree, her
eyes opened wide with-Fright?-N
with interest. She was gazing in
tently at some spectacle, jenkins
knew not what. Her expression for