Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-05-22
H0STIGAN THE
" RENEGADE
BY Evan Macpherson
COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY
EWAE IACPHERSON


"Of all the cowardly desertions Of
principle / ever heard of in my life,
Costigan"-
oh. you don't know what you're
talking about. man" Costigan retorted,
jamming his foot hard against the
EDGE Of the window sill and using the
leverage Of it TO tilt his chair back on
It's had legs. "Just you wait"
Costigan was really taking the 'call-
ing down" Of his friend very patiently
for a man with the reputation Of a
Gricl. temper. You might account for
this patience. II you chose, by the in
tinacv between the two that had
grown up ia nearly three years of COM
mon detestatiou of the average board
ire house. in dining together seven
DAYS every week ut restaurants chosen
by common consent, and in the occu-
patton Of furnished rooms in the same
house. where they contended with the
landlord as one man.
Lastly-here was the most important
bond of union between Costigan and
Mullcr-they had long since talked
over together the great question of
woman's proper place in the order Of
things and had cordially agreed that
it was nowhere. Naturally. Muller
felt aggrieved when he caught COstl-
gau twice strolling in shady places
with blooming. brown haired young
member Of the reprobated sex, whose
eyes had a dangerous way of smiling
at one without losing a certain sug-
gestiOn of sadness.
Muller waited a minute to ruminate
on the possible hidden meanings of his
friends last saying. Then he veered
around and with more asperty of tone
and manner said: "If | don't know
what I'm talking about, why in thun-
der don't you put me right? Is she a
typewriter
II regret to notice in you Of late,
Muller, All unpleasant use of vulgar
slang. No, you did not get It from me.
| avoid all-all such marks of-of
toughness."
THAT is, you have been trying to for
the last three weeks-since you got
stuck on this typewriter"
Typewriter is not description of
any class of woman. 1t is the name
of machine. The lady you refer to
is a typester. I met her-found her In
large insurance Office down town"
"And after all you have said about
women and marrying and all that sort
of thing you went and fell in love with
her, and Oh. Costigan!"
81 repeat, Muller, that you don't
know what you are talking about.
Fate brought us together
"Whew" Muller whistled aloud in
CONSERVATION at these last words, as
If TO say, Is it as bad as thatY' And
then, picking up the evening paper he
had brought into Costigan's room. he
retreated to his own.
But man is at best Il plaything Of
fate. Muller, the morning after this
conversation, was troubled and dis
trait His fellow clerk at the Office
remarked that he looked "dopy." The
senior Office boy and factotum, who
had his own way of Interpreting signs,
grinned and whispered that Mr.. Muller
must have fallen in love, and he even
succeeded in spreading that view Of
the situation. And when Muller went
ont to get bite he picked things up
from the lunch counter in an indis-
crimlnate way THAI made the attend
ants stare ut him. 1t last he turned
away froE the counter bindly and
ran into the person who happened TO
be standing next behind him; and, 10,
ii was womani
Il beg your pardon" he began, in
expressibly humiliated by the necessity
OF apoiogiZin2 to one OF that sex He
took refuge in q STOPPING attitude, col
lecting sandwiches from Off the tiled
floor.
The inopportune female was down
there just as fast as he was, only she
was laughing. Don't mention it,
laugh-"accdents can't always be-
more laughing-'I believe you've taken
my sandwich by mistake. Mine was
bee-bee"- The rest was lost in a
hopeless outburst.
With about fifteen people waiting to
get at that particular part Of the coun-
ter which they were obstructing, and
several dozens more watching and
thoroughly enjoying the proceedings,
Muller felt that he could not bear to
remain on that tiled spot crawling
about IN search of demorallZed sand
wiches. He got up and faced the
enemy. He recognized her She was
''the woman"-she who had entrapped
Costigan-Costigan's "typester."
Really, I'm extremely sorry for hay-
hs got in your way, Mr.. Muller"
She had his name pat. That renegade
Costigan must have told her all about
him. 1t was a splendid opportunity
for Muller to display the courage OF
his convictions The convictions were
there, but the courage was not to be
found. lie could only stammer:
"oh. not at all. All my fault You
must let me get you some more beef
was 1t beef sandwiches you saidY"
Then he said within his heart that he
was liar and a hypocrite and that
his moral degradation had begun as
soon as he had run into this woman.
For her part, she actually seemed to
enjoy the adventure, which struck
Muller as downright brazen. you
see, happen TO be in laughing mood
today" she had the impudence to say,
md she went on to ask him a dozen
questions about his acquaintance with
Costigan-how long 1t had lasted, and
whether they had ever raet before Mr..
Costigan came to New York.
mo" he said; eve only met by
chance about three years ago. We
thought we had ideas in common"
There was a strong emphasis on the
word Thought" which Muller meant
| to be very impressive
He made a poor pretense Of eating
but the same cowardly regard for con
| yentlonalitles which had forced him to
| apologize for upsettlng her sandwiches
| drove him on to offer to walk with her
| In the direction Of her office. And that
was how 1t came TO pass that the head
| Office boy saw them and made un-
usual haste to get back to the office
| TO tell that he had seen her. yep
She's n peach, tell you. They come
| all the way from Tabster's together"
1 N,.r ~ ,nf I,1s lao only