Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-08-04
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|DRICKDUST row
By o. HENRY.

lCopyright. lp0. by the 8. 3. Mcclure Co.
~ LINKER was displeased. A mai
| Of less culture and poise an(
wealth would have sworn, bu
Blinker always remembered
that he was gentleman, a thing tina
no gentleman should do. So he merely
looked bored and sardonic while h
rode in hanson to the center Of dis
turbance, which was the Broadway
office Of Lawyer Oldport, who wa,
agent for the Blinker estate.
Il don't see." said Blinker. why
should be always signing confoundet
papers. l am packed and was to have
left for the North woods this morning
Now l must wait until tomorrow morn
lug. | hate night trains. My best ra
zors are of course at the bottom oi
some unidentifiable trunk 1t Is plot t(
drive me to buy rum and monologu
ing. thumb handed barber. Give me q
pen that doesn't scratch I hate pens
that scratch"
"Sit down." said double chinned
gray Lawyer Oldport. "The worst has
not been told you. Oh. the hardships
Of the rich! The papers are not yet
ready to sign. They will be laid before
you tomorrow at II. You will miss
another day. Twice shall the barber
tweak the helpless nose of Blinker
Be thankful that your sorrows do not
embrace hair cut"
If" said Blinker. rising. "the act did
not involve more signing Of papers
would take my business out Of your
hands at once. Give me cigar. please"
'If." said Lawyer Oldport, 81 had
cared to see an old friends son gulped
down at one mouthful by sharks
would have ordered you to take II
away long ago. Now let's quit fooling,
Alexander Besides the grinding task
Of signing your name some thirty times
tomorrow, ! must impose upon you the
consideration of a matter Of business
Of business and l may say humanity
or right l spoke to you about this five
years ago, but you would not listen.
You were In hurry for coaching
trip, I think. The subject has come up
again. The property
"Oh, property" interrupted Blinker.
"Dear Mr.. Oldport l think you men
toned tomorrow. Let's have it all at
one dose ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and
property and snappy rubber bands and
that smelly sealing wax and all. Have
mcheoN with me? Well. I'll try to
remember to drop In at II tomorrow.
Morning"
The Blinker wealth was in lands,
tenemen,s and hereditaments, as the
legal phrase goes. Lawyer Oldport had
once taken Alexander in his little pull
monary gasoline runabout to see the
many buildings and rows Of buildings
that he owned in the city, for Alexan
der was sole heir. They had amused
Blinker very much. The houses look
ed so Incapable of producing the big
sums of money that Lawyer Oldport
kept pillng up In banks for him to
spend.
In the evening Blinker went to one
Of his clubs. intending to dine. No
body was there except some old fogies
playing whist who spoke to him with
grave politeness and glared at him
with savage contempt. Everybody was
out of town. But here he was kept
in like a schooboy to write his name
over and over on pieces Of paper. His
wounds were deep.
Binker turned his back on the fogies
and said to the club steward who had
come forward with some nonsense
about cold fresh salmon roe:
"Symons, I'm going to Coney Is
land" He said It as one might say:
"Al's of. I'm going to jump into the
river"
The joke pleased Symons. He laugh
ed within u sixteenth Of q note of the
audibility permitted by the laws gov.
erning employees.
Certainly. sir" he Uttered. "Of
course. sir. think can see you at
Coney. Mr.. fslinker,"
Blinker got Il paper and looked up
the movements Of Sunday steamboats,
Then he found n cab at the first corner
aud drove to North river pier. He
stood In line. as democratic as you or
|. anu bought ticket and was tram
Piled upon and showed forward until at
last he found himself on the upper
deck of the boat staring brazenly at
Girl who sat alone upon camp stool
But Blinker did not intend to be bra
zen. The girl was so wonderfully good
looking that he forgot for one minute
that he was the prince incog. and be-
haved just as he did in society.
She was looking ut him, too. and not
severely A puff Of wind threatened
Blinker's straw hat He caught It
warily and settled 1t again. The
movement gave the effect Of bow.
The girl nodded and smiled, and in an
other instant he was seated at her
side. She was dressed all in white
She was paler than Blinker imagined
milkmaids and girls of humble sta
tions to be, but she was as tidy as a
cherry blossom, and her steady, su-
premely frank gray eyes looked out
from the intrepid depths Of an un-
shadowed and untroubled soul.
How dare you raise your hat to
me?' she asked. with a smile-redeem-
ed severity.
"I didn't" Blinker said. But he
quickly covered the mistake by ex.
tending II to Il didn't know how to
keep from 1t after | saw you"
Il do not allow gentlemen to sit by
me to whom | have not been intro
duced." she said. with sudden haugh
tiness that deceived him. He rose re-
luctantly. but her clear. teasing laugh
brought him down to his chair again.
Il guess you weren't going far" she
declared, with beauty's magnificent
self confidence.
"Are you going to Coney IslandY"
asked Blinker.
"Mew She turned upon him wide
open eyes full of bantering surprise
why. what question:! Can't you
see that I'm riding bicycle in the
parkT Her drollery took the form Of
impertinence.
"And | am laying brick on a tall
factory chimney" said Blinker. May
not we see Coney together? I'm all
alone, and I've never been there be-
fore"
at depends" said the girl, ION how
nicely you behave. Ill consider your
application until we get there"
Blinker took pains to provide against
thn roiootion Of hia. annlicaf ton Ha