The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-05-15
.'poN.T Yor FRET. TIL, SAID AIbrEN.

| DON'T VOC FREE. TIL, SAID AfLEEE,
she had acquaintance she said to each
of them medestIy as one whose merit
needed no boIsteriug:
"A gentleman insulted me today in
the restaurant He put his arm around
| my waist aud kissed me- !"
The diners accepted the revelation
in rarions ways. some increduously
some with congratulations Others
| turned upon her the stream of badi
| mage that had hitherto been directed
at Aileen alone And Tildy'S hear
swelled in her bosom. for she saw al
| last the towers of romance rise above
the horizon of the gray plain in which
she had for so long Travelled
For two days Mr. Seeders came nor
again. During that time Tidy estab
| lished herself firmly as a woman To
be Wooed. She bought ribbons and ar
ranged her hair like Aileen's and tight
ened heg waist two inches. She nae
q thrilling bur delightful fear that
MIR. Seeders would rush in suddenly
and shoot her with pistol. He mus
| nave loved her desperately. and i'm,
puisive lovers are always blindly ieal
OTIS
Even Aileen had not been shot at
with a pistol And then Tildy rather
hoped that he would not shoot at her
for she was always loyai to Aileen
and She did not want to oyershadoW
her friend
At O'clock on the afternoon of the
third day Mr.. Seeders came in. There
were no customers al the tables. At
the back end OF the restaurant Tildy
WAS refillIna the mustard pots ana
Aiieen WAS quarterins pies Mr. Seed
ers walked back to where they stood
Tidy looked up and saw him. gasp
ed and pressed the mustard spoon
against her heart A red hair bow was
in her hair She wore Venus Eighth
avenue badge. the blue bead necklace
with The swinging silver symbolic
heart.
Mr. Seeders was flushed and embar-
raised He plunged one hand into his
hip pocket and the other into fresh
pumpkins pie.
Miss Tidy" said he. Il want TO
apologize for what | done the other
evpnin' Tell you the truth. was
pretty well tanked up or wouldn't
of done It. | wouldn't do no lady
that away when / was sober. So |
hope Miss Tildy. you'll accept my
'pology and believe that wouldn't
of done it If Id known what / was
dom and hadn't OF been drunk
With this handsome plea Mr. Seed
ers hacked away and departed. feel
ing that PREPARATION had been made.
But behind the convenient screen
Tidy had thrown herself fat upon
table among the butter chips and the
coffeecups and was sobbing her neart
out-out and back again TO the gray
plain wherein travel they with blunt
noses and hay colored hair. From her
knot she had torn the red hair bow
and cast II upon the door Seeders
she despised utterly She had bur faf
en- bis kiss as that of 4 pioneer ana
prophetic prince who might nave sef
the clocks going and the pages -
running in fairyland. But the kist
had been mandlin and uDmpant; III.
court had not stirred ut the fats. |
alarm; she must forevermore renal
the sleeping beauty
Yet not all was lost Aliens arm
was around her. and Tildy.s red hand |
CROPPED among the buffer chips tilt it |
found the warm clasp of her friends.
Don't ron fret I'll said Ailcen
who did not understand entirely
'.That turnip faced little ,ieillsspip
Of a Seeders aint werfli it. IL ain'f |
anything Of i gentleman or te wen'dnI |
sver Of apoiogized