The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-07
JAMES, Rise AND FALL

| bachelor il was Jimmy Chase of Logan.
| O. In fact, the poor, misguided chap was
| pig-headed upon the subject. Ii d girl
! happened to smile at Jimmy Din PITY,
/ Jimmy took It the other say and made a
| hurried departure. If q girl looked al
Jimmy from the corner OF her eyes and
then hastily dropped her gaze, Jimmy got
| right straight up and went out. He fire.
quently sounded to himself the alarm
! that eternal vigilance is the price OF
safety. One day. however, he realized
that he had been caught without the
/ was on a recent visit to this city to his
| old friend, Jack White, and was intro
/ duced TO Miss Alice Whitney.
/ Immediately after this introduction
| Jimmy went out and bought a lot of
| clothes He spent much of his time in
! these clothes practicing endearing ex-
pressions before the mirror. II was on
/ his program to let Miss Whitney have the
/ advantage OF a few of these expressions
as soon as ne became little more prof.
/ cient \ man cannot learn 10 make love
/ all in a minute. He even taught him
/ self q love scng, the words OF which he
I thought were very appropriate to his IN
usual case. II was his idea to intimate
/ TO Miss Whitney that he was famous
singer, and then have her coax him 10
/ sing. In the privacy of his room Jimmy
/ derived much pleasure by extemporizing
these little coaxing interludes. Jimmy,
/ il viii be seen, was a flrm believer in
thorough preparation and every one is a
| bit foolish at times
The affair progressed wouldn't you
| like 10 go TO the circus with me tomorrow
night?" he tenderly asked her one Sunday
afternoon. Yes? Good! III call for you
at half past seven"
That evening Jimmy sat in his room
looking over mis- wardrobe with a set and
dangerous face He was pale and
BY George, said he to himself I'm
ask her tomorrow night or perish in the
attempt"
1t may be set forth here that sociolo-
gists now generally agree that when a
man decides to ask the girl of his choice
such a momentous question as Jimmy
apparently had in mind. or perish in the
attempt the choice of alternative evils is
just about evenly matched
The circus was thronged. Below, The
oval arena was thickly carpeted with
saw-dust Overhead, the dome-like roof
was lined with unwinking electric lights.
In a box. stout old gentleman in a
dress suit was scowling fiercely al a
clown who was taking vivid and hilarious
liberties With the old gentleman's dignity.
Every one was talking. Every one was
laughing. Every one who knew any
thing was eating peanuts.
The opening spectacle vas well ad-
vanced.
A group of dancers in old Egyptian cos
tunes was pirouetting on the carpet
Suddenly the brasses of the orchestra
took up the air of d plaintive melody.
The lights were dimmed. The audience
sat silently expectant. The brasses
E,,l1
a sad insistence. A whistle sounded. The
golden calciums were turned Jon. The
dancers glided and shimmered in a unison
of poetic motion. In that deceptive light
they seemed to look almost spiritual.
In one of the boxes sat Miss Whitney
and Jimmy. Then, I may ask your
father?' Jimmy was inquiring, with
gentle firmness.
SSH" said Alice. They're going to
dance again..
Across the arena sat Jack White with
pair of opera glasses, modify taking in
Jimmys little side show.
1.-The beasti' murmured White. Il
would never have introduced him if he
hadn't posed as such a woman hater.'
Up above the Fates heard Whites re-
mark. Now. the Fates are feminine, and
they Immediately became interested. They
called for tabulated statement of this
with a typewriter list which the Fates
examined with great interest.
why. his time is just due" they
chucked as the statement was handed
around. How luckyi"
Jimmy sat in the club and looked as
worried as an old married man whose
wife has Just kissed him at the breakfast
table. He had been playing duplicate
whist until the game had been abandoned
at the passionate request of his partner.
Jimmy's look was preoccupied. He had
the expression of one who has had his
pocket picked and is afraid to tell about
il.
Jack White entered the room: Here's
luck, mentioned Jimmy. "Eh, Jackr'
What's up now?" asked White. You
look as though you We're entering upon
a wasting and lingering Illness he re-
marked critically.
'Ha-har' laughed Jimmy. "Oh, by the
way he added, with an elaborate casu-
atty of manner, you know old Mr.. Whit
ney pretty well. What kind OF a man is
he to talk to, eh?"
He's a great old card remarked
White, reminiscently wagging his head.
1T took me long time before 1 found
out how to get along with him. He used
to snap my head of at one time" White
going" He picked UP his hat.
Don't be in such a hurry" said Jimmy
detainingly. Il hay emit seen you since
I went to the hotel. you know. Oh. by
the way. how did you find out the right
way to get along with MIR. Whitney,"
An old friend Of mine put me on to it,"
said White refiectively. He told me 70
take a little fat bottle OF whisky and
slip il in the old gentlemans back hip
pocket when &c wasn't looking. It al
ways tickles the old man 10 death Curl
Gus, isn't il? Symptom of approaching
senility, I should say. Wei. so long, old
chap
It may be inserted here that while it is
an chronological maxim that many a
true word is spoken in jest. it is a great
deal more startling to consider the ap-
palling number Of artistic fbs spoken il
downright earnest
Josiah Whitney was in a bad humor
He was a crusty old gentiemtn. and his
little ebullitions OF temper were gener-
ally quite sufficiently hair-curling. He
looked at the card in his hand and frown-
ed at II heavily. The servant slightly
moved her feet
"Oh. show him in" said whitney. impa-
tiently He got up and paced around HIS
den as he resCundingly cleared his throat
Jimmy Chase appeared at the door most
carefully groomed and with an engaging
smile upon his face
Good evening Mr.. whitney" said he
The old gentleman grunted You may
not be aware continued Jimmy. ''yo1
may not be aware-er-
Take a seat" gruffly interrupted the
other.
Thanks. cried Jimmy He vainIy
faT IT,