Humorous stories, American; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Short stories, American
"Miss Angelica likely to be in the bunch?" says I.
Chester pinks up at that and tries to make out he hadn't thought
anything about Angelica's bein' there at all. But I'd heard a lot
about this particular young lady, and when I sees the colour on Chester
his plan was as clear as if the entries was posted on a board.
"All right, Chetty," says I; "have it any way you say. I'll be up
early Saturday night."
So that's what I was doin' in the smoker on the five-nine, with my gym.
suit and gaslight clothes in a kit bag up on the rack. Just as they
shuts the gates and gives the word to pull out, in strolls the last man
aboard and piles in alongside of me. I wouldn't have noticed him
special if he hadn't squinted at the ticket I'd stuck in the seat back,
and asked if I was goin' to get off at that station.
"I was thinkin' some of it when I paid my fare," says I.
"Ah!" says he, kind of gentle and blinkin' his eyes. "That is my
station, too. Might I trouble you to remind me of the fact when we
arrive?"
"Sure," says I; "I'll wake you up."
He gives me another blink, pulls a little readin' book out of his
pocket, slumps down into the seat, and proceeds to act like he'd gone
into a trance.
Say, I didn't need more'n one glimpse to size him up for a freak. The
Angora haircut was tag enough--reg'lar Elbert Hubbard thatch he was
wearin', all fluffy and wavy, and just clearin' his coat collar. That
and the artist's necktie, not to mention the eye glasses with the
tortoise shell rims, put him in the self advertisin' class without his
sayin' a word.
Outside of the frills, he wa'n't a bad lookin' chap, and sizable enough
for a 'longshoreman, only you could tell by the lily white hands and
the long fingernails that him and toil never got within speakin'
distance.
"Wonder what particular brand of mollycoddle he is?" thinks I.
Now there wa'n't any call for me to put him through the catechism, just
because he was headed for the same town I was; but somehow I had an
itch to take a rise out of him. So I leans over and gets a peek at the
book.
"Readin' po'try, eh?" says I, swallowin' a grin.
"Beg pardon?" says he, kind of shakin' himself together. "Yes, this is
poetry--Swinburne, you know," and he slumps down again as if he'd said
all there was to say.
But when I starts out to be sociable you can't head me off that way.
"Like it?" says I.
"Why, yes," says he, "very much, indeed. Don't you?"
He thought he had me corked there; but I comes right back at him.
"Nix!" says I. "Swinny's stuff always hit me as bein' kind of punk."
"Really!" says he, liftin' his eyebrows. "Perhaps you have been
unfortunate in your selections. Now take this, from the Anactoria----"
And say, I got what was comin' to me then. He tears off two or three
yards of it, all about moonlight and stars and kissin' and lovin', and
a lot of gush like that. Honest, it would give you an ache under your
vest!
"There!" says he. "Isn't that beautiful imagery?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account