Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-07


WaS0 nor the other nor
Miss Penley was tall The romahcei
/ would have described her as sienoer' 'he
/ truth-teller would have said she WAS
! skinny" Miss Penley's attire was aui.e
! in keeping with her appearance oo.'
/ we're severely plain. She wore her nan
/ drawn hack tightly from her brow ah'
| tied in a knot behind, which not even Tue
| most vivid and generous imagination couio
| have called Greek; her features were ho'
:! Greek, either.
Alas, the inexorable truth must De con-
! fessed. She was a homeiy, mlddie-aseu
/ woman, plain, modest, unpretentious' we.
enough educated to make an excelieh'
i school teacher.
Miss Cordelia, firing one summer OF net
boarding house, rented little cottage On
the outskirts of the town and nVed there
! alone with a cat and canary bird. one
rainy night in the spring, just as the
knight of Miss Cordelia's latest dream
was laundering with mailed INST upon
the portcullis of the castle, she was re-
called from Spain to her cottage by
feeble knock on the door.
While Miss Cordelia was timid, she was
not a coward. She quietly stepped toward
the door, wondering who it could be, when
the knock came softly again. As her
speculations could not solve the mystery,
she calmly opened the door.
- fierce gust of windy rain swirled
through the opening. which was partly
blocked by timid. shrinking figure, not
at all like the bold knights of Miss Pen
Iey's dreams The man was soaking We.
his clothes were thin and old: his hat was
a sodden mass He coughed deprecatingly
as he stood before her, staring at her II
meek entreaty.
Come in out of the wet she said, step
ping back a little from the entrance.
She had nothing on earth to fear from
this little man who appeared wretchedly
cold and miserable The newcomer needed
no second invitation. Closing the door
quickly after him, he stood shivering on
the spotless threshold of the clean, warm
, little room.
Miss Cordelia, although her heart was
full of compassion for the poor man,
i looked very grimy at him. He therefore
resisted the inclination to step nearer to
the stove. although he could not check
an involuntary movement in that di-
rection.
You can go over there and sit down"
said Miss Penley. pointing to wood en-
rocker near the stove.
Thank you, mas am; you're very good.
replied the little man, bowling not ungrace-
fully. and eagerly availing himself of the
permission.
: I'm sorry went on Miss Cordelia,
that 1 have no garments in the house
/ suitable to your SEX"
!, 1T don't matter. ma am" answered the
+. man. This heat'll dry me out soon.'
And now,'' asked the lady, what 20
you WANT
..Ma'am,'' said the man, deprecatingly.
I'm awful down on my luck. l amt
really a tramp, although I seem so. / was
workin' back east with an engineering
gang and l had an accident and got sick
and spent six months in a-a-hospital.
They discharged me from there. cured.
+ although l amt been we'll since. / heard
1 that the Arapahoe and Pacific railroad was
don' some buidin' and l walked here
! from Kansas City, and l find I'm just too
+ late. The road buildin' gang is filed and
they've gone on to the mountain division
2DO miles from here. haven't had nothin'
i TO eat all day; I couldn't get any work
/ and I haven't got cent of money.
/ thought maybe you or your husband could
+ give me bite to eat and place to sleep
! for the night. II you've got any chores
/ TO do-wood to split. or anything like that,
! or garden to spade-Ili be glad to do it in
the mornin'."
II have no husband" said Miss Cor
! della, the blood flaming into her cheeks
with a sort of shame that she should be
forced to such confession.
II beg pardon, ma'am. I'm sure. A
widow, likeIy?" asked the little man Sd
respectfully that no one could take offense
at his query.
I'm unmarried" answered Miss Cor
, della, severely.
You don't say: was the comment,
and there was infused in it just the
requisite degree OF surprise to escape the
charge of impertinence and yet to convey
to the listener sense of amazement that
so rare an opportunity had been neglected
by the other sex.
Il suppose, then, that ! can't STAY
here?" continued the little man. obviously
How did you happen to come here? -
asked Miss Cordelia.
Why. you see. ma am, I started to
walk down the line to the next town and
IL came on to rain and yours was the
last honse-and. I'm ashamed to say,
went around to the side of the house and
peeped in. And you looked so nice and
comfortable. ma am. settin' there all alone
by the fire. l said to myself, George
George Smets is my name, ma'am-
George. there's a lady that has kind
heart, and II God has distributed things
right she'll have a good husband and it'll
be safe for a poor outcast to appeal to
them
The flattery was of the grossest kind
but there was an air of sincerity about the
little man that robbed 1t of much tina,
was offensive. Miss Cordelia had been so
little fattered, rarely even noticed
that she swallowo' the bait whole
I'm sure" she said, that that is
very nicely said. ! should be glad Ia
take you in If l had any men folks
around. but it would hardly be she
hesitated-"proper. You understand