Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-09-05
TO PLEASE Mr.. PITK N.


his hopes and his fears. ii you had
known Joseph Pitkin, and had also beer
acquainted with Mrs Joseph Pitkin, you
would have been astonished at the sheer
audacity which prompted him to do any
thing which should offend her. For Jo-
seph Pitkin was small and mild-one OF
those long suffering individuals whose
chief mission in life is to wed large
ladies, and thereafter to pay dreadful
price for that one indiscretion. And
Mrs. Pitkin was very large lady indeed
Mr.. Pitkin was q small man, with
what can best be described as blown
about appearance. He had weak gray
ish hair at the sides and back of his
head, brushed back so strongly that he
always looked as though he were facing
heavy wind, and that the heavy wind
in earlier years had absolutely blown his
hair off the top of his head; to carry the
metaphor further, he spoke in gasps, as
though battling with the wind, and had
watcry blue eyes, as though that same
wind had been too much for him.
Mrs. Pitkin was of a large and stern
aspect, ruling her household with rod
OF iron, and apparently despising Mr..
Pitkin Mr.. Pitkin was the ostensible
proprietor OF Pitkin's Private hotel but
Mrs. Pitkin could have told you another
tale. Joseph Pitkin went out in the
morning, and was supposed to dabble in
vast financial affairs, somewhere east of
the Mansion house; he came home at
night without any direct results in his
f.rrl-atSA MI 1tetann1 4,,,x
afterward to long recital of Mrs. Pit
kin's woes, and an oft-reiterated inquiry
as to why she had ever united herself to
him.
At the time this faithful history be.
gins Mrs. Joseph Pitkin had gone on a
visit to a sister treputed to be even more
firm and forbidding of aspect than her
selfl, and Joseph Pitkin was free. More
than that, diabolical scheme had ma
| tmed in the brain of Mr. Pitkin, and he
meant to carry it out. He trembled a
little when he thought of it; but his re.
solve was taken, and he was not to be
shaken from it,
"TH bring 'em together!' said Mr.. Pit
kin, wondering a little at his own bold
ness.
As matter of fact, Mr.. pitkin had
suddenly found himself involved in a
romantic episode. OF course, he need not
have touched it; but, despite Mrs. Pitkin.
he was of romantic nature himself. and
was rather pleased than otherwise to find
himself mixed up in the affair.
Such a very poor and ordinary affair
| it vast 1t had happened some years be-
fore that Mrs. Pitkin had taken into her
establishment las Il matter of charity,
she declaredl young girl to assist her
| in regard to Pitkin's Private hotel and
had, from that time onward, got little
more out of her than she could have got
out Of two average servants, and had
been able to abuse her in a way no self
respecting servant would have stood for
five minutes. Little Deborah Rendle had
stood it, for the sake of bread and but
| ter, for three years; had seen the great
world to which, under happier circum-
stances, she might have belonged slipping
| away from her; had done everything for
"Ptkin's'-from the keeping OF accounts
to the making of beds ON an emergency
She was Il pretty girl, and, what is
better, a nice girl. She was always
| cheerful and bright and kind; she had
long ago subdued what spirit had been
lett iii her; she had long ago forgotten
apparently, that there was any world
outside "Pitkin's." And-strangest thing
of all-she was lady-in thought and
feeling and manner.
Suddenly into the midst of her life had
come that one element of romance. A
certain nephew of Mrs. Pitkin-one
Frank Dornton-paid an unexpected visit
to his aunt. He was young journalist
struggling and fighting to plant his little
banner OF fame somewhere in London
full of hope and buoyaney, and bringing
with him breath from the great world
that was not bounded by Bloomsbury
and Tottenham Court road.
And, of course, in the very nature OF
things. Frank Dornton fell in love with
little Deborah Rendle He was poor. and
so was she; he was friendless, and she
was nearly so; and both We're Young
10 that it happened that he came ofteneI
to "Ptkin's" than his desire for the 50.
cicty of Mrs. Pitkin seemed to warrant
Now, the mild and gentle Joseph Pit.
KIN had eyes to see matters of which
Mrs. P1tkm would never have dreamed
ferhaps, IN some far-away corner of a
heart which Mrs. Ptkin had merely
dipped into, Mr.. Pitkin held a vague de.
sire to give some one a better chance in
Loves lottery than he had drawn him.
self. BE that as it may. he became vast.
" interested in this little affair. saw
possibilities in it ne had not grasped
himself, and determined to do what hc
could to bring it to happy conclusion
of course, he had dreadful fear that
Mrs. Pitkin would storm and rave and
make his life misery afterward, but
that didn't matter.
Watching with wistful eyes. Mr.. Pit.
kin saw many things He saw that the
patient girl-conscious only that she was
poor and shabby and of no account
resolutely thrust away from her any
hope that the young man cared for her
he saw, on the other hand, that Frank
Dornton, for his part, was shy and diff.
dent about saying anything to the girl
Mr.. Pitkin-trembnng at the idea OF