The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 22, 1903, Page 5

was ording records e, = e little wh at er “hance he seemed we HILE COLONEL SLEPT | THE SUNDAY CALL. winning way with He was gay- over a highway struck Hap! By Sidney H. Cole. e i — %0 that for sever stood trim ders = will never d put it off any to-morrow. So and get your me and console Gad!” he ., “I believe T sba before I reach the house in opite £ qualms and y up the d sharply, and colonial house ch Miller beheld Colonel John Grew ired, stretched com- ch No one eise pection John Grew The dis- the ears Colonel Jaw and a series of enorts, which to the most en- eyes, for his sleeping man, no precautions as to Colonel was ements for g » sound sleeper Shise shart of & € sked awn and th m He was thinking how 5 f this moment to collect be saw Her. make &n ass of myself at as his optimistic forecast. the pt . r-ab-h!" the ecolonel per- figur eamer chair. A humorous v hix eyes, and a qulet rners of his mouth the Colonel per- sisted It is 4" said the doctor in tone of grave & scence. “I don’t remem- ber when v had such perfect weather n September as this is. Beautiful air, oo! Have noticed how clearly the to-day? Generally, you nothing but a hazy blue Cast your eye. If you pond, over by the Did you ever see anything Rawson's , there. in ¥ eping man for h an patiently forward w length, “I know the dogs, but I about it if I t bit of good." med trying to shake protest.” sald Miller. ome here to talk about my wi you t afternoon. The fact is, I want to speak to you abou about—" he p: ed and glanced furtive- ly around—“Molly,” he said, amused at his own temerity in thus alluding to the tmperiot Wortt '\}'hr. - the colonel gurgled. “Yes, 1 thought you'd surprised,” Miller went on. “No, I sh not ask you for her han anyway, not un- til T have ady herself, which I intend to time this afternoon. 1 foliow trouble this you, gloomily rr-r—gyrr-r,” E came hoarsely he colonel “Thanks for those cheering words,” SU——————— eald Miller. *T wish I felt as sure apout nk she knows I intend to propose me time. 1've been on the point of do- a number of times before, but Iways hindered at the critical ti 4 e it was a cow, again it was a bee, and another time her shoe became untled.” If the colonel's throaty efforts had ben a trifle less violent at that moment Mil- ler might have caught the sound of a sub- dued titter behind the closed blinds of the library, and a moment later he might have heard the door behind him opened softly, and the tread of light footsteps on the porch. These were lost to him, however, as ha bent over the siumberer with a whimsical expression on his face. “You've alwaye seemed rather kindly disposed toward me,” Miller said, still addressing the somnolent warrior, “and s0o I'm about to take the fiberty of ask- ing you a few questions. 1 wish you'd answer them without prejudice, as man to man. We’ll construe vour answer thu that ‘Hee—girr-r’ (pardon the pronunciation, but those delicate accents are rather elusive) we'll call an affirma- tive; and that ‘W poo’, which you in- terpolate once In awhile, we'll call a neg- ative. Dear, dear! How anro have you answer so Indiscriminately fore I've asked the guestions. BACK AGAINST THE EoUGH Efily ! “Now, if you were in my shoes wouldn't vou think Molly had given you—er—en- couragement? Ah! I thought you'd agree with me; but really vour answer loses force when you repeat it so incessantly. “Number two: Knowing this young lady as you do, do you honestly think I'm the sort of a man to make her happy?” ‘“‘Hee—gurr-r-ri” It was a perfect imi- tation of the affirmative snare, but it did not come from the colonel. Miller turned and found Molly Worth standing behind him. He came out of his chair in an awkward bound. He tried to say something, but he stammered so help- lessly that he gave it up and stood star- ing at her until her face flushed crimson and her eyes fell. “That the one that meant ‘yes,’ wasn't it,” she faltered; then suddenly she found herself in the arms of a young physician, whose power-of speech had been restored to him. fome moments later they remembered the colanel Miller strodé over to the steamer chair and benf over him. “Do T have your consent, sir?”’ he in- quired with ridiculous deference. “Hee—gurr-r-r—ah-h!" was the benedic- tion of the colonel. There was a dance at Dorrity’s the night he came and he rambled in. Quita was dancing, and as he stood in the door- , watching, she whirled by him on big Sim Rawdon's arm and the cluster of scarlet mountain flowers she wore in her hair fell at Larry's feet. Sim went back foy them. They were In the breast pocket of Larr: shirt, and the two went out- doors to settle the argument for posses- sion, while Quita perched hergeif on a window sill and smiled contentedly. It was the beginning of a state of af- fairs which Happy Chance resented. Rawdon owned the biggest claim in camp, and it we ever grew to be a city we in- tended izaking him Mayor, or Chief of Police, or somaething interesting. In the dream of the futire Quita had shared his honors in our minds. She belonged to Happy Chane It was right that she should have the hest article in its mar- riage market, and neither Siin ncr Quita had objected up to date. But with coming of Larry, there was a ch We carried 8im home from ¢ with a bullet in his shoulder and Larry went back and finished the waltz with Quita. The next day Sim went to the shack with a bandaged shoulder and spoke up like ‘& man, knowing that public ment was with him. When he came back he invited us all to the wedding, and Larry tipped his chair farther hack on the shady stoop of the Silver Star a whistled softly. The wedding was set for Tk ing day, and Sim rode every da shack and came back with a smile lips and a spray of scarlet flowers the vine that grew on Quita’s hil But on Thanksgiving eve, at sunset, he rode after his bride, he came without smile or flowers and told to the crowd that walted in Star. Quita was gone. Old Dol she had been carried off by the devil wi the Irish eyes to the mountains and Sim ked for company. We were willing to go. She was a home product and we dldn't propose has any stray blue-eyed maverick co of the north and steal her awa Up through the valley we rode t night, forded the Yarba just falls and took to the broken trail that led to the mountains on the California line. Larry Wwas making for the States by his tracks and we hoped to catch him before he struck a railroad “Will you plug him on sight, Sim?" ask- ed Keno Davis, In mild interest. “I den't belleve there’ll be any shak- ing hands,” sald Sim, grimly, and we glor- fed In the coming fight. Just before sun we came upon them half way up Bald Mountain. As we rounded a corner of the trail a gray som- brero showed above the tangled growth of vin and ferns that clung to the top of the rocks. Stm put a bullet through it neatly. The an- swer laid Keno Davis out under the shade of a scrub pine, and we decided to rest and do battle scie tifically, as Lar had a clear eye and » mighty good chance to take his pick of a hostlle force. While the rest of us en- gaged his interest from the trail below the rock, Sim took four others and started on a detour to reach a point above. It was a good fight. There was no yelling ar Apache war danc- ing, only & steady, Sunday Call’s Two Full Pages ThanKsgiving toriettes. —p b top was ga looked down on Larry and his was a strange sight. Back again the rough, gray ks tood Quita, eyes aflame w reck courage and defiance. Larr two revolvers were gripped, = s in her bands. At her feet hes: up owards to follow and hold u Vhat's he done?” seemed be than to ma - sar I th choose the man she loved and n e camp chase her and shoot him down. You d play fair, boys.” There was a dead e full of tears a hid its head in st to have a gallant rescue X head by the scorn of a wom at sham But Sim stoed with stared at and Gio W made his w trall and ta followed At Pr a we lef! St never gave up his gua was healed and Quita rode mto side her husband as Mrs. Larr There wers no hard feelings. said, no laws had been broke law of heart and each heart of its own. But when it was all over Sim sold out his mige to him and went back over the mountains to the States. We understoc and did not blame him. It ts easi 3 save the life of the man you hate than to stand by and see the girl you love as his wife. As Larr but the has a law AS REVIEWED BY TI}E EDITOR i (Copyright, 1003, by T. C. McClure.) HANDLER had struck g his easy hour, and he threw away the stump of his after-luncheon cigar with a gesture of pleased relaxation. He had walked F > through the park on his way to the office. It was a little three- cornered affair, that seemed a tiny oasls of refreshment where the two busy sireets met. He glanced at the bundle of manuscripts that had.been put on his desk just before he left the office. One had fallen directly in the center of the desk somewhat sepa- rated from the others. It seemed tb chal- lenge his immediate supervision, and its soiled, grimy aspect tickled his fancy. “Uniess my editorial eyes decelve me, you have traveled much, little crow-black missive,” he laughed, taking it up gin- gerly. ’ He smoothed one or two ragged edges, then approached it critically toward his nose with the mental bet that it wodld be reeking with tobacco. “By jove! it's heliotrope! One have known it belonged to a woman. might It Jj By T. Allison. has evidently been on at least a dozen trips. A man would have thrown it in the stove before now. The little girl, on the other hand, has faith in her crea- tion.” He opened the manuseript with a whim- sical idea of being merciful and accepting it if it were passable. The usually stern, business-like Chand. ler was experiencing a tender-hearted hour. Nevertheless his editorial soul groaned when he saw the title. “The Un- lucky Birthday Stone” was too much for him even in his most merciful mood. He saw a little jingle about the Febru- ary born. Now, it happened that the ed- ftor had carried a little amethyst ring in his pocket for ten years. It was a child- ish little ring with the inscription ‘“Ma- rion, 1883, and though he did not often remember that It was there, he thought of it as he sat gazing at that silly manu- seript. He had known one February girl, he determined to please this oth if he could. Of eourse, it was a child. No one but an audaclous innocent would gend In a manuscript with such a title. He could easily accept it, send her a ‘THANKSGIVING TALE OF THE BLOCKHEAD WHO WON ANYHOW : 2 (Copyright, 108, by Steve Floyd, N. Y.) NCE upon & time there lived in the town of Hickoryville a Presidential Impossibility, who was listed in the census reports as Nicholas Newcomb. During his juvenility Nick fell out of a tree and reached port head-first. The at- tending physician announced that the trip caused Nick to lose a pint of blood. Nick's neighbors say he sustained other losses that were not included in the doctor's re- port. Whether that be true or not Nick's brain become so abstemious after that little incident he had to carry a memo- randum book, and when he w: ntenced to the local Reason Refinery he went right to the foot of his class. There had been a time when It looked as tho' Nick would make his mark. That tiioe expired when he finished his engage- ment with the law of gravity. When the other kids got wise to Nick's mental insolvency they made him run for the ball when it was knocked over the fence, dig bait and do everything else in up a howl for the reason that he utterly despised a fight, Nick worked pretty hard at the Infor- mation Dispensary, but he didn't show any signs of it, and before he could get on terms of familiarity with arithmetic, geography and the like, he was disquali- fled by the statute of limitations, and had to quit the Enlightenry. Nick was not exactly eligible for a place in the county Bughouse, but it took some of the best doctors in the State to prove it, and cost old man Newcomb an awful lot of money. In due time Nick outgrew his teens and took an interest in the opposite sex, and before the authorities could interfere he got stuck on one named.after the Pullman Sleeper “Juanita.” For a long time Nick was too modest to say a word about it; not even to Juan- ita. But he showed it by wearing his Sunday clothes, putting perfume on his handkerchief, whistling “The Lost Chord” and going home by Juanita's house, which was two blocks out of his way. He also wrote her name all over everything because it made him feel good to gaze upon it. After trying the absent treatment for sonic time without seeing any evidences of progress Nick grew courageous enough to call upon the cause of his insomnia. Juanita extended to him a polaric re- ception, which he utterly failed to inter- pret, She pretended to think he had called to see her brother. Nick said he hadn't. He moved up a notch. Juanita took a chair right in front of the parlor door which 0od wide open. Nick told her he had heard that she was engaged to Archie Lomax. Juanita said she would mnot marry the best man in the world, for she intehded to remain a bachelor-gir] and Nick looked at his watch and said he had a date down at Main and Walnut. The next time Juanita got wind of Nick’s coming she took particular pains to have a girl friend over to spend the night. When Nick arrived he was re- ceived by Friend, who knocked Juanita for fair. Friend told Niek, confidentially, that Juanita had an awfully mean dispo- sition and that while she was bright and pretty she was horribly selfish and out- Jandishly extravagant. Nick sald: “Er, huh. But she's, nice.” After giving Friend plenty of time te administer discouragement, Juanita en- tered the parlor with a lace fan and sick TBy Billy Burgundy*+ . : headache and began to tell all about her new dress made of black crepe de chine, with sun pleated skirt and waist; yoke and sleeves of black =silk net, with collar and euffs edged with blus pan velvet and skirt lined with heavy black taffeta. Nick Nick was back the very next night. stood it until 11 o'clock and vamoosed into the fresh alr. Juanita thought that she had got rid of the pest. But she was wrong, for Nick was back the very next night to invite her to see the original all star company in “Parted by Fate” at the opera-house the following evening. Juanita was dying to see the show and accepted the invitation. She also hinted that it would be just splendid for Nlck to invite Katie Carroll, too, for she dear- 1y loved the stage and always sald the very nicest kind of things about him. Nick couldn’t see it that way and side- stepped the courtesy by stating that there ‘wasn't another seat left in the third alsle. Juanita was disappointed and showed It But not enough to cause all bets to be declared off, for Hickoryville is not what might be called a great show town. She knew everybody would give her the laugh for going out with Nick; that's why she wanted Kate to go along and make it look as though they were split- ting the difference. Well, the next night, as soon as the ‘band began te play in front of the the- ater, Nick called for the only girl in the world. Juanita gave him no chance to broach the subject during the perform- ance, but when it was over Nick took the dark side of the street and got right down to business. He started in by saying: you heard the good new: “No. What is it?” she replied. T got a telegram to-night saying Grandpa Nicholas had died in Montana leaving me a gold mine.” “Oh, Nick, you don't mean it?"” bt I do, and I want you to mi me and help me spend it. Will you *“Why certainly I will, you little darling. You know 1 have always loved you fit to kil Moral. Some girls never learn that they love a man until he has a streak of luck. 'uanita, have small check out of his own pocket to buy a bangle with, then make waste paper out of the poor child's literary effort The first paragraph ment! d a mock under a mulberry tree. It was quee he thought, that she selected a tree, and— “By George!” the editor's .mercy was now transformed into curiosity; e says there was one of those hedges betw the hammock and the house.” Finally the sheets of paper dropped on the desk and he sat thinking with a puz- zled, awed expression. “To think that I should find it out ! this—ten years afterward,” he mopped cold perspiration from his brow. editor's memory was doing some work now. “So she saw me that night, just when that fool of a blonde widow put her head on my shoulder and I dldn’t have cour he The lively desk In a way that should have given the blonde widow joy of her very absence. “And Marion left next morning with- out seeing me, left me that letter, and went to her brother out west.” He looked at the address given for the return of the manuscript. It was a small town In the adjoining State. The name o the writer was either a nom de plume of some one that knew Marion's story. Next day there was an acting editor in Chandler’'s place, and Chandler himself was on the south-bound train. He stood waiting for her after the serv- ant had taken his card, his heart thump- ing like a frightened schooldboy’s at his impuisive step. Would it be Marion and if Marion— somehow the idea that she might be mar- ried had not co: to him before. The door opened and a tall, slender woman came toward him. It was she, but paler than he had ever seen her. “So glad, Robert.” She took his hand with a shy impulsiveness, and he remem- bered with joy her old habit of gasping her words in short sentences when un- duly excited. “Is 1t Marion—still?" he asked, holding both her hands fast and gasing anxious- 1y into her gray eyes, She knew what ,he meant and smiled faintly. “It is Marion—etill,” she replied “I never knew until yesterday why you left,” putting the manuscript in her hand. Her face flushed. “How did you get {t7" she finally asked, with an increased shortness of breath. “I have recently become editor of the magazfne you sent it to.” She had evidently lost her self-posses- slon completely and answered in an agony of embarrassment. “I have been writing for flve years. This is not the name I generally use This little story was so different, silly perhaps, that I would not send it under my usual pen name. It has been returned again and again. My own interest in It made me determined to keep sending it until it was accep e He had taken pocket. “Marion, I can explain rything th you didn't understand. The—editor wi accept the manuscript If you will accept this In payment.” Fle put in her hand the little amethyst ring of childish design. The rose color of ten years ago was on her cheeks as she slipped it on her finger. “Perhaps if vou will redate it, Robert it will not be ) wough to be re- fused acceptance. d something from his