River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-01-07
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Loves Labor Lost
BY GEORGE WILSON.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


u. PlnK1ngton, Dut Dy HIS oSSoSA-
ates in the swell set in which re
moved he was familiarly addressed as
Freddy Pinkey, ard when out oil
hearing as Sissy Pinkey; a1d well dId
tne name seem bestowed, for a mere
pink and white complexion than
Pinkey's it would be hard to find on
the stage or outside a doll shop.
His little, round, expressionless face
was adorned by a soft, downy mus
tache, which, when he puckered up his
cherry red lips, preparatory to utter
ing his favorite ejaculation, ooh, mer-
cyl" kinked up in the center and down
at the ends like a cupid's bow.
His hands were soft, white and felt
like a bunch of wet cigarettes. lie
wore his hair parted automatically
in the center, letting it ripple back on
either side in series Of glossy wave
let's, which, with a gold chained
monocle, he considered irresistible.
Pinkey was an only son and lived
with his parents in the brownstJn
upon Swell Hill. He had tried IIar-
ward, from which he had returned she
first half, and when questioned by in
terested friends had replied in weary
tone, "Oh, bwain fag, dontcherknow!
Besides living with his parents, Fix
ey's chief occupation was studying the
fashion plates, of which he was liV-
ing prototype, and attending the nu-
rnerous social functions of his set.
Never was he more in his element
than when gliding over the polished
floor of a ball room to the dreamy
strains of a waltz, or helping dish out
the ice cream or pass the sandwiches
ut an outing, when the girls would tie
e big apron on him and tell him low
good he was.
Besides dancing, Pinkey's one other
.,omplishment was singing; he could
sing, and no sailing party down the
bay was complete without Pinkey and
his guitar, when they would perch him
upon the edge of the deck house,
whete, to the tinkle of the guitar, he
would MARBLE sentimental ballads and
throW rayishing glances at Maud
Chalmers, who, watching the little
rosebud mouth and the curving mus
tachs would think of an with a
brevs over it, and smile broadly at his
most touching passages. But this aid
not disconcert Pinkey; for anything
that Maud did was CONNIE II faut. ;"
In fat, Pinkey would have most will
lingly laid down and let Maud plant
her dainty foot upon his four-inch-col-
lar-incased neck, or, for that matter,
tramp prOmiscuously all over him, for
1a fol in lnUn
But, then, in this respect he was no
different from whole lot of other fell
lows, who gladly would have done the
same thing; for tall, handsome, genial
Maud was prime favorite with every
one.
Pinkey was a frequent caller at
Maud's, and when Rose Denison re-
monstrated with her for allowing him
TO come, thus encouraging him in a
hopeless cause, she had replied:
Yes, I know, but he is really inter
estirg and like to study him. l real
~ do, rs he is a species of the genus
homo and then, he is such HARM
less little creature, L really haven't
the heart to hurt him.
But" persisted Rose, you Know
that ne will pop just as sure as the
world"
"Oh, yes, l suppose So" exclaimed
Maud, YEARLY; they all do sooner o.
later, but haven't given him the least
reason to, and if he will, he will, that's
all. don't believe he is quite the kind
to shuttle off this mortal COLI through
the agency of a broken heart, any
way"
And sure enough as Rose predicted
Pinkey did pop. He had now been
paying her every attention for some
time and, as far as he could see, his
suit had prospered unusually we'll. TO
be sure, whenever he mentioned any
thing touching the subject she had al
ways in some deft way led him to talk
of other things, but then this was most
natural in a girl of Maud's refined
temperament, and was no criterion of
her true feelings at all. In fact, his
sky seemed unusually bright, the only
cloud appearing therein when he found
Smith or some of the other fellows at
Maud's, which, of late, was getting TO
be a rather frequent occurrence. But
then, moths and other bugs are always
attracted by bright light, anyway;
however, lest some of them might in
some accidental way, damage his suit
he would effectually remove even
those remote chances by proposing
without delay.
With this end in view he called one
evening and, after some circumtiuous
gossip, suddenly drew his chair square
ly round in front of the settee upon
which she was sitting and, clasping
his hands in his lap, exclaimed:
Maud. love you'll"
Although expecting the blow to fail
at any moment, as she afterwards ex-
planned, she did not expect anything
quite so sudden as this, and was con-
siderably startled.
why. Mr.. Pinkington!" she gasped,
'"rhis is so sudden! But, really, 1
can't, in the slightest way, return your
affection
why, Miss handsomely, you must
have known-surely you must have
seen how much l think of you-how
much you are to met"
1t was with regret now that she
thought of the advice of Rose, but II
was too late; and the ludicrous side OF
the thing appearing to her, she with
difficulty suppressed desire to laugh
outright as she replied:
Now, Mr. Pinkington, don't you
think it would be a very announcement