Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-10-04
His Broken Resolve

money. This was his custom on Mon.
day morning, but he never really
meant to until this particular morn
ing. 1t is too bad a man with $75
tastes usually gets $25 salary.
AS he went to his desk tho Office
boy brought letter. Clancy noticed
1t was in a feminine hand. AS he
opened 1t and glanced at the sigma
ture his heart sank. 1t was from
Kate Henderson. She was just stop
ping over in New York that night
with her sister on her way to Maine
resort to spend the summer and
couldn't he spare a few minutes to
run around to see her? She had so
much to tell him.
His first resolve was to stay as far
away from Kate Henderson as posi-
bic and invent some lie to explain his
absence; but his better nature imme-
diately asserted itself and he remem-
bered that he was really under obliga-
lions to her. He called up the ad-
dress she gave. The lady who an
swered the phone said Miss Hender-
son was out-would he leave mes
sage? No, she was quite sure Miss
henderson had no plans for going
out that night. Certainly she would
tell her that Mr.. Clancy would cali
for her that night at eight to take her
to the theater.
This done, Clancy forgot all about
it till closing up time that night, when
the head bookkeeper came in to ask
his help for few moments with some
vouchers. The vouchers were not
Strengthened out till seven o'clock,
and then Clancy hurried away to dress
before he got bite to eat.
He travelled uptown as fast as the
subway would carry him, ran upstairs
to his room, slung off his business
clothes, gashed himself with a razor,
applied court plaster and talcum
powder profanely, split a shirt all the
way up the back, getting into it, and
then swore horribly as the shirt stud
dipped from his hands and was lost
to view. He searched the floor for
it with a lighted match, which burnt
his fingers, remembering that he had
only two shirt studs in the world. The
missing stud was nowhere to be found
and in a gust of rage he jerked on a
coat and dashed downstairs and up
to the corner to a haberdashery, where
he purchased three new studs. Back
up to his rooms he ran, aware of the
fact that he was due to call for Kate
within a few minutes. He jerked on
his remaining clothes and darted out
again for the elevated, cursing his
luck as he thought of his lost dinner
and the general cussedness of every
thing.
AS he left the train at Ninety-third
street and sprinted up to Ninety
| fourth street to the girls address, he
noted that he was only five minutes be-
| hind time after all. Perhaps she
would forgive him for that.
He sat down in the house after send
| ing up his name and waited. He wait
| ed 20 minutes, which seemed 60, for
the lady to appear. Was she late? she
asked when she came gushing into the
room. Really! Oh, she had an idea,
but Clancy already had her by the arm
and was whisking her down in the di-
rection of Forty-second street. There
he succeeded in getting two seats at
two dollars each for one of the pop
ular plays.
They came out at the close of the
show to find it raining. Clancy asked
the girl where she would like to sc
for q bite to eat-he had been every
where, and perhaps there was some
special place she would enjoy visit
ing. Well, she didn't care about go
ing to any of these flashy, gilded
places-would it do to go to the Cafe
Boulevard or Little Hungary-she
had always heard they were so DO
hemian. Clancy signified that it suit
ed him, and measuring the rain and
the girls flimsy dress, he called g
cab.
Clancy prided himself on showing
a girl that he was no tight wad.
Besides, he had his appetite with hin
having had no dinner. He ordered
literally and he enjoyed everything
he ordered. So did Miss Henderson
They had a great time, and the1
Clancy called for the check and pulleG
out his roll. The check amounted t.
$11.50, but to Clancys wonder, there
were only five one-dollar bills in his
wad, rolled around center of cigal
coupons which had been lying in his
pocket for months. Then with the
Horror he remembered that in accord
ance with his resolve to pay as he
went and save up, he had paid his
board bill the Saturday before.
He asked the girl to excuse hin
and in a low tone requested the waiter
to lead him to the manager or any
person in authority The manager
eyed him coldly, but Clancy was evi
| dantly So sincere and backed his tale