The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-02-15

was. She's been quoted down a bit b,
a certain little happening that cam.
near resulting disastrously. She near
~ caused my DEATH"
"You don't mean it! Not intention
ally, l suppose,
well, whether there was spark O.
intention in it don't know. You never
can tell what woman Is going to d.
or why she does it. We can't be sure
she knows herself. If Madge hac
caused my death any prosecuting at
torney might have made very gooC
case against her Of doing it with NAL
Ice aforethought. And to tell the truth
I'm not sure but she did"
"And you're going to marry her?''
You bet-that is, if she doesn't shake
me for another fellow. though don't
think she would do that now. She
might have done it before this thing
I'm going to tell you about happened
but. as said. it sobered her. and she's
quite tame. That's the time chose for
putting salt on the birds tail.
There's more appropriateness In
this smile than you may imagine, as
you'll see in moment But for the
incident. We floor gliders.' as Que
called our dancing club of young PEG
ple-there was not one over twenty,
and some of the girls weren't over IF.
teen-concluded we'd celebrate the
Mardi Gras with masquerade ball. Id
been getting sweet on Madge-Wildfre
l may as well call her-and about the
time the costumes were being arrang-
ed was sitting up to her like sick
kitten to a warm brick. In fact. we
arranged to have corresponding cos.
tunes for the ball.
'"This was after Rostand's play Of
'Chantecler' came out. and everybody
was talking about it. You know that
the leading lady chicken in the play
is the hen pheasant, the leading gen
tleman being the rooster chanticleer.
We concluded to get ourselves up as
these two birds. was a month ar
ranging my outfit did it all myself
you know-but when l got it done !:
was a corker. l made the body of a
rooster. which l strapped under m!
arms, with an elegant head and comb
in front and a fine display of cocks
tail behind. the tail being made OF
tissue paper Of different colors. You
couldn't have told it from the real
thing
II went to see Madge the afternoon
before the ball. 1t so happened tina,
we got to quarreling. and wen,
off in q huff. This was unfortunate
to say the least. We had spent lot
of time getting up our bird rigs and
expected to make lot of fun billing
and cooling during the ball. and the
worst Of it was. now that we were in
just the opposite condition from what
we expected. we hadn't time to Set
other rigs"
"What was the cause of the quar-
rel?
1--WE tried on our costumes in ad
vance. and when she walked | told
her she waddled like q duck. That
made her mad, and she fired back. and
we soon were in for it hot and heavy.
when the ball came off. instead of
walking about together. strutting,
she cuddling up beside me. we We're as
far apart as possible and when we
met glared at each other. After awhile
saw her sitting in window with
Ned Tucker. This made me all fired
jealous as we'll as mad. and to show
my spleen what did do but go up
near where they were sitting and
whisk around with the intention of
turning my back on Madge. l didn't
calculate how near my tail feathers
were to them. but it seems they
brushed their faces. This made Madge
madden than ever: Ned had just struck
a match to light cigarette. Madge
jerked it out of his hand and held it
under the tip Of my tail.
I'm second the whole of it was in
flames. l tried to get the rooster part
Of me of. but It was tied on so well
that l couldn't do it. The flames ran
from the tail to the wings and from
the wings to the rest Of the body. The
whole roomful of people rushed toward
me, scared out of their seven senses.
every one crying. Put him outr
Whether they meant to put out the
flames or put me out to prevent my set
ting them all afire l don't know.
was bowling with the burns and with
fear when Roman senator took of
his toys and wrapped 1t about me.
II was taken to a carriage and home
I wasn't burned at all. but just to pun.
ish the COMPOUNDED girl that applied
the match l gave out that might die.
She was knocked clean out and when
I let up on her she wilted. She had
put a match to my tail; put salt on,
hers and caught her."
you mean she caught you. There
are lots Of men who think they do the
catching when they are caught them,
selves"