Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-17

It was only a cheap downtown restaurant,
reeking WITH the odors of cabbage, onions
and boiled dinners. The cashiers desk hall
ed from a secondhand auction house; but
tie girl behind it had ;he air of ducness
extending her hand to be kissed.
When the red-faced proprietor scolded
her she listened indlferently, or with the
slightest upward curl Of her lip and when
he tried to be jocose or to make love, her
manner was just the same. Many times he
had threatened to discharge her, or to
marry her off-hand; but before her superb
" Indifferent eyes the words had died in his
throat, and he had apologized and scoWled
and grumbled in the same breath. She was
good at figures was absolutely trustworthy,
was a magnet for trade; and those at
tributes were valuable TO a man who could
neither read nor combine figures himself
Besides his hold upon her father was SUI
ficient to make her marry him whenever he
wished So whatever was his determination
in secret in her presence he Qualled ana
waited.
In the cashiers desk was a book on
etiquette, which bore the marks of much
study and with it were several novels OF
the old-school type, wherein the herolnes
were proudly indifferent or sentimentally
silly These books had nodded the aesthetic
side of Big Rates life, as had her determln-
ed attendance at night schools and persist
ent working at Jobs made up the practi-
cal.
Suitors Big Kate had had in plenty,
though her home life was in cellar, with
the perpetual steam OF Der mothers wash
tubs and the smoke of her fathers pipe
sitting the atmosphere. and with the scold-
ing of the one and the utter shiftlessness of
the other stirring her 10 early and abnor-
NAL activity.
Big Hates beauty IVES of an unusual and
stately type for such environment, and her
.I. l1e.v Il
sirable. To not one of her suitors had she
shown kindness however. and least of all
to Red Pete. the restaurant owner. 1t was
an open secret that her father had prom
ised her in return for Unlimited and per-
petual whisky. The SiIl herself was aware
OF the promise.
AS customers came in her eyes gave them
a single glance. and If by rare chance one
of them of the world described in nov
els, her eyes followed him down the restau-
rant to one of the oilCloth covered tables,
and watched him moro OF less attentively
through the meal But unfortunately her
insight into high life through these chan
nels was not very satisfactory, for such
black sheep as entered the restaurant We're
usually much disheveled and battered by
their hard fall Big Hates eyes were quick
to note this, for she shrewd. even in
her ambition; and ONE noted, her superbly
Indifferent glance Went back to the cursory
survey of the more common run of Gus
toners. In her secret heart-her aesthetic
heart-she had determined to marry a hero,
If she ever married al all-not a back-alley
fighting hero. but one Of the novel class
man who had never smelled sOapsuds and
boiling cabbage in all mis- life, and who had
leen able to ride IN carriages without
thought of expense.
A few such men had come into the res
taurant in the two years, but the ones she
approved of had scarcely noticed her while
those who paused at the desk with bold adj
miration had been sent on their way by
single inqUiring glance of her cold eyes.
Then one day came Il man who challeng-
ed her attention at the very door-he was
so big and strong and friendly looking. But
his trousers were thrust negligently into
long. unblacked boots, and he wore a wide
brimmed hat which Mapped as he walked.
and there was big belt about his waist and
a bright handkerchief knotted carelessly
about his throat. AS her eyes took in these
damaging facts they returned to the book