The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-25
Three Letters, Private and Confidential.
FROM MIR. PERCIVAL BINES TO MISS
PSYCHE BINES, MONTANA CITY
CHAPTER TX

PSYCHE BINEs, MONTANA CITY.
On Car at Skiplap. Tuesday Night
Dear Sis:-When you kept nagging me
about who is the grip and l said you
could search me, you wouldn't have it that
way. But, honestly. until this morning
l didn't know her myself. Now that l can
put you next, here goes. ~ r
One night last March, after I'd come
back from the other side, 1 happened
into little theater on Broadway where
a burlesque was running. It's a rowdy
little place-a music hall--but nice people
go there because. tho it's stuffy, it's kept
decent.
She was in a box with two men-one
old and one young-and an older woman
AS soon as l saw her she had me lashed
to the mast in a high sea. with the great
salt waves dashing over me. I never took
much stock in the tales about it's happen
Ing at first sight. but they're as matter
of-fact as market reports. Soon as 1
looked at her 1T seemed to me I'd known
her always. l was sure we knew each
other better than any two people between
the Battery and Yonkers. and that
wasn't acting sociablc to sit down there
away from her and pretend we were
Strangers Yet. Actually. it ratified me so
l had to take the full count. If l hadn't
been wedged in between couple Of peo-
pie that filled all the space, and then some.
1t isn't any twenty to one that I wouldn't
have gone right up to her and asked her
what she meant by cutting me- I was
ugly enough for it. But l kept looking
and after awhile 1 was able to sit up and
ask what hit me-
She was dressed in something black and
kind of shiny and wore big black hat
fused up with little red roses. and her
face did more. things to me in a minute
than all the rest I've ever seen. 1t was
full OF little kissy places. Her lips were
very red and her teeth were very white.
and l couldn't tell about her eyes. But
she was bred up to the last notch, I could
see that.
Well, I watched her thru the toba eco
smoke until the last curtain fell They
were putting on wraps for a minute or
SO, and 1 noticed that the young fellow
In the party, who'd been drinking all
thru the show, wasn't a bit too steady to
do an act on the high wire. They left the
box and came down the stairs and |
punched into the crowd and let myself
ooze out with them, wondering if I'd ever
see her again.
[ fetched up at an exit on the side
street, and there they were directly in
front of me. l just naturally drifted to
one side and continued my little private
corner in crude rubber. 1t was drizzline
In beastly way, the street was full of
carriages. numbers were being called, cab
drivers were insulting each other hoarse-
~. people dashing out to see if their car
riages weren't coming-everytEing in a
whlrl of drizzle and dark and yells, with
the horses hoofs on the pavement sound.
Ing like castanets. The two older people
got into a carriage and We're driven Off
while she and the young fellow waited
for theirs I could see then that he was
good and ,soused. He was the same lad
theX throw in the screen when the "Old
Homestead quartet sings where Is MY
Wandering Boy To-nght?' could see
she was annoyed and little worried be-
cause he Was past taking notice.
The man kept yelling the number of
their carriage from time to time, while
the others he'd called were driving UP
1t was 249 if any one ever tries to worm
It out Of you--and then T saw from her
face that 249 had wrigglcd pretty near to
the curb but was still kept away by an
other carriage. She said something to
the drunken cub and started to reach the
carriage by going on into the street be-
hind the one in it's way At the same
time their carriage started forward, and
the inebriate, instead Of going with her.
started the other way to meet it, and so
there she was alone on the slippery pave
ment in this muddle Of prancing horses
and yelling terriers.
If you can get any bets that I was more
than two seconds getting out there to
her, take them all. and give better than
track odds if necessary. Then 1 guess
Sne got rattled, Tor when l would have
led her back to the curb she made a dash
the other way and all but slipped under
a team of bays that were just aching to
claw the roses off her hat I saw she
was helpless and turned around" so
just naturally grabbed her and she was so
frightened by this time that she grabbed
me, and the, result was that carried her
to the sidewalk and set her down. Their
carriage still stood there with little Geor-
gle Rumlets screaming to the driver to
go on. I had her inside in a jiffy, and
they We're Off Not a word about my
Preserver.'' tho, of course. with the fright
and noise and her notification that was
ma tural.
After that, You can believe it or not
she was the girl. And I never dreamed
of seeing her any place but New York
again.
Well. this morning. when I came up
from below at the mine she was standing