The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-03
WHY THEY VANISHED , FROM HIS PRESENCE

rha new arrival at Mrs. Barnaoy rd,nq house sat chatting pleasantly with the others after dinner. A nio- dIe aged gentleman came in with SLOW, stits steps. as though stepping at all were irksome to him. He sat down oe- side one of the ladies and began 'o speak. Il, o,,,, have to go and write a letter for the next mail" .o
 The middle aged gentleman turned 10 vouns man on the other side A suo- den thought struck the young man.
 "rhere." he exclaimed. T forgot II till this minute, but I promised to meet a man at the club. I've got to go al once" ,o attend a little dance that night. and it xvaa time to dress. She slid out the hack parlor door and made her escape. Tbe middle aged gentleman gave a sign that semed to come from his toes up ward. He coughed and in despalrlns double bass voice observed to nopody in particular:
 'I used to dance, too, thirty years ago; dance all night. but l can't do IL any more.
 lust then one of the married ladies said she often took a walk after din- ner: she thought 1t was good for the health. and she likewise rose and made her exit, dignified and in good order' Her husband evidently thought walk ing was good for his health. too, Tor ne immediately followed her without max ing any apology at all. The company thinned rapidly. The middle aged man coughed slightly again and in his mel ancholy voice of double bass observed this time to the new boarder:
 "Yes I used to be great on the root. I used to walk thirty seven miles a day and think nothing of 1t thirty years ago, but now I can't do it any more' since I've got heart trouble and rheu- matism. I----
 Rv that time nearly everybody had disappeared but the new boarder. the middle aged gentleman and his wire ana son, a boy of 12. The son winked at one of his mates to go into the next room and play checkers. They did so. The rentleman's wife could not desert the scene very well, but she sat down at the farthest window and composedly opened a magazine and began to read. Now only the new boarder was lett, sit- ting in her place. The middle aged gentleman edged along thltherWaro ana opened out:
 ."Yes, thirty years ago I was well man. strong and healthy as anybody could be- overworked. Once I was at a funeral and touched my knee against the chair I was sitting on. Something seemed to crack in it, and the pain nearly made me cry out. That was the first I knew I had rheuma- tism, and now 1t keeps up. I can't sleep nights, and I have no appetite can't eat anything like other people. Thirty years ago I enjoyed my food better than anybody else, but I got dyspepsia and things don't taste good any more Then lost my teeth. and I cant masticate food. There's a tender spot on the bottom of my right foot that keeps me from getting the exer- else need. You see, I have to wear this cap all the time, even in doors, to keep from taking cold. When I take cold my rheumatism gets so bad I can scarcely walk at all. My hearts weak and doctor says I must avoid all ex- citement I suffer from a complication of diseases and any of them may take me off at any time. Thirty years ago-
 But just then something took the new boarder of. It had come to her out of the air why everybody shied at the sight of the middle aged gentleman with the double bass voice. The new boarder had to see her dressmaker she said, and she, too, slid out. As she passed the room where the two boys were playing checkers she heard the middle aged gentleman's son say con fidentially to his mate:
 My fathers an old cranki"
 The newcomer agreed with the boy.
 Jane Moses