TH5 COURIER
V
N
rags, of democracy, and grasp for the
ermine and purple.
If I were talking to you instead of
writing, in this almost traitorous style,
I am sure the sunlight of your smiles
would be in eclipse and I should feel
like emulating the provibial ground hog
and crawl back in my hole. But I can
not see you, and at this long range I do
not feel your reproach.
I am not in a very angelic mood, and
have half a mind to go back and hunt
up a needy Lord or Duke, buy him a
new suit or armour, get a little fresh
gold leaf for his crown, bring him over,
stow him in a flat on Farnam Btreet,
and take to type writing for a living;
only my typewriter can't spell.
I wonder it this isn't the mood in
which maids write letters to the news
papers, mix a teaspoonful of rouge on
rats with their pafe de fois and thus lose
their laBt chance for a crown? All last
week I hung over the fashion plate try
ing to decide in what style the pile of
cambrics beside me should be fashioned,
in order that I might have prettier shirt
waists than any one else. I went into
ecstacies over the diaphonous sweep of
organdies which the gentlemanly clerks
with well directed flourish placed be
fore me. I trotted all over town to find
where I could get lace by the bolt cheap
eat, and had fatuous dreams of myself,
an airy, fairy figure beneath the sweet
June moon, all frills and puffs and laces.
Alas! the windows of my room this
morning, together with the temperature,
suggested that I bad pitched my tent
at Cap 3 Norn", and my dreams had been
the unstable ones of the seeker after
fairy gold. The jeering north wind
bore down and seemed to say, with the
frozen humor of an artic explorer, "Do
you Buppoee I think more of you than I
do of the Ice Man? Do you suppose 1
intend that the ammonia machine shall
do me out of my job? You and the
south wind, together with some of the
would-be senators, are getting a little
previous."
I called down the tube to Mary to
know it she wouldn't abake down the
furnace, that a little more heat might
come up to my room; then I crawled un
der the friendly cover of the blankets to
shut out the Bound of that tnockiog
voice and to think There in the world I
had put my fur cape.
Yesterday, while I was writing, I told
my email, restless brother Bob it he
would tit on a chair perfectly quiet for
30 minutes I would give him a nickle.
He promptly climbed up and pat so still
that only the blinking of his blae-grey
eyes and the rise and fall of his sailor
collar, betrayed life. When I told him
the time was up, he came to me solemn
ly for bis reward and looked at me with
the light of a great resolve on his face
"I'm glad that's over and I wouldn't do
it again, not for ten cents."
I cannot be quite bo positive as B b,
but if you will forgive me I will try,
"never to do it again."
Yours as ever,
PEJfELOrE.
LINCOLN LETTER.
Lincoln, Nebr.,
March 7, 1901.
Lear Penelojw:
I am indeed delighted to see again
your fami'iar, large, angular, very ele
gant and illegible handwriting. I read
your letters by the eye of affection and
admiration rather than by those large
blue globules which before we were
married Jack called his 'stars." (The
eje of affection iB single; "two eyes of
affection" is impossible, somehow, isn't
it?) I missed you horribly when you
were in Europe. You and Mr. Morton
Smi h were my only litirary acquaint
ances and when he died and you went
abroad I felt that my only connection
with "literature" was dissevered forever.
Morton Smith was kind enough to say
after be had read one of my really pri
vate letters to you that it was interest
ing enough to publish in The Courier.
I had dreamed of writing stories like
CorrelH or Mrs. Holmes but everything
I sent enough stamps with had been re
turned, so I had begun to lose hope. I
really thought my letters were silly but
Morton Smith said the people really
liked hem and he knew more than the
men that mailed my rejected M.S. back
to me, I think. Jack said that people
read them because they were so impos
sibly silly. But at that time I occasion
ally dreamed of a literary career to con
summate which, would have made mar
riage impossible and then besides Jack
bears to literature, the same relation
that tone-deaf people bear to music.
You know, Penelope, I like your name.
I pronounce it and the vision, the
mirage of your elfish, whimsical, curl
framed face appears to me, I have only
one fault to find wth jour name, Lin
coln people do not pronounce it correct
ly. In spite of the dozens of colleges in
and around this academic seat, my
friends, who did not know they were
talking to the famous unknown of the
Penelope Letters uee to call you
Pen-elope, in three syllables instead of
four and the last two just a in the
sentence, "John and Mary elope tomor
row." I've had cold chills about it and
I'll have 'em again, now I am going to
write you. I dared not inform them
that was not your name for it might
have been a "clue." You know quota
tion marks are bad form too many of
them but they give a mjsterious in
sinuatingnese to words that nothing else
imparts and I never have been able to
give up the habit that was acquired
when I began to write clandestine notes
in the sixth grade, just after I found
out what they meant, and their peculiar
ability to rescue a slang phrase from
unmitigated'vulgarity. Once the teach
er intercepted a "terrible" note and if
it bad not been for the "quotes" she'd
have Bent me home with It to "Ma."
The quotes indicated to this astute
teacher that I was simply being demor
alized by my chum who sat next me and
who was really several grades ahead of
me iJ taste and moral rigidity. The
teacher afterwards induced "Maw'' to
forbid my associating with this chum,
and thus removed from my young life
one of its most vigorous motors on the
ascent of the hill of difficulty.
Lincoln has suffered some changes
since I used to bo frankly write you
about the inhabitants. Many of the set
that used to form my whole horizon
have married, moved away, or died and
eo far as participating in current func
tions, died, married or moved away has
had the same effect. The young mar
ried Bet, the Dorgans, Woods, Rectors,
Fitzgeralds, Greens etc., are just about
the same and just as gay. The older
married set, the BuckstafTs, Irvines,
W. B. Hargreaves, Wrights, Wilsons,
Yates, Thompsona, Leonards, Beesons,
Kodgers, etc., haB suffered some losses.
Mr. and Mrs. Kodgers now live in Bos
ton, and Omaha has drawn the Beesons.
The older coterie that formerly en
joyed each other bo much has been
depleted by death and by the panic and
long drawn-out hard times. Perhaps
more than any others Mr. and Mrs.
Gere represent the old-time, gracious,
cultured self-respecting society. The
Raymonds, the Lamberfsons, the Halls,
Holmes, Burnhams etc., retain their dis
tinction and subtly express its influence.
There are many others whose activity
makes up the constantly changing kalei
doscope of Lincoln society. If it were
not for them there would be "nothing
doing" but buying, selling and swapping.
Ten years or more ago there was a
unique character in Lincoln eociaty who
has "dropped out." He lives here,
dresses just as well, looks aa debonaire
and almost as young, hut he is no lorger
quoted or copied. He is absorbed !n
the management of the Oliver and al
though the presence of a first-class
company is always signalized by Frank
Zahrung's faultless, evening dress and
by his Bolitary presence in the left-hand
box next the stage, his participation in
functions is almost confined to this
semi-professional "presiding" at the per
formances of distinguished companies.
It has got bo now that when a man
wants to find out the standing of a show
he just asks Frank Zehrung if he means
to wear his dress suit, and Frank con
scientiously considers and tells him,
though he knows when he says, ''busi
ness suit' that that settle3 it.
While on the theatre, I want to tell
you about the young men in this town.
In the days when Ferguson, Jim Irwin,
Downie Muir, Charlie Caldwell, Lam
bertson and Will Leonard were "gallous
young hounds" young men took the
girls to the shows. The queer set, who
are the beaux of unfortunate Lincoln
girls, do nothing of the sort now. They
are invited to happy homes, where they
are fed and warmed and listened to
patiently, and with a good imitation of
pleasure. But they do not repay so
cial courtesies. They apparently think
it is sufficient to go calling and accept
all sorts of favors without making any
effort to return them. The pleasant old
dance? given by the Pleasant Bour club
are ro longer tributary offerings. It it
were not for the young, unsuppressable
longing of every girl to enjoy life, to
look her prettiest in pretty gowns, and
to just taste the cup poured out for
youth and beauty the ungrateful, unre
sponsive, petted youths of this town
would be igcored by the very pretty
girls who redeem the streets of ugliness
when tbey pass through them. But
this is an old complaint.
The most successful public entertain
ment ever given by Lincoln people was
the Carnival of Nations celebrated last
week at the auditorium. The only Mrs.
Ogden waB the president general and
she was assisted by a score and more of
Lincoln women whose good nature, en
ergy and unselfish energy for the city
was rewarded by an attendance of
several thousand people. Omaha wom
en can unite in a lite effort for the im
provement of the city as soon as the new
auditorium is erected.
Lincoln, although, of course only a
fraction of her inhabitants is Catholic
or Episcopalian, ia really observing Lent.
Society ia taking a nap and a fast, a part
for the sake of their complexion and di
gestion unhandsomely affected by mid
night ice-cream, coffee and salads and
the other part is in genuine "retreat,"
seriously repenting sins, renouncing real
pleasures,giving up favorite fleshly dish
es and mortifying their own flesh. These
will receive the rewards of conscience
and appear on Easter in resplendent
chapeau and renewed youth. This is a
long letter. It is tho joy of writing jou
again, of being en rapport again with
one whom I love.
With all the fervor of nineteen,
Eleasok.
Grace White, in her new paper, "The
Reasoner," published at Woodbridge,
N. J., 6ays: "No commoner thing, jour
nalistically considered, ever got past the
press to the public than Mr. Bryan's
new paper. There is not a new thought
in it. There is not an old thought in
bright phrase in it. There is not a new
subject treated nor an old subject treat
ed in a new way. It isn't even 'Bryan
esque.' It is dull, platitudinous, stale,
lacking in everythidg that people expect
in a paper written by Bryan, the Bryan,
the only Bryan, the Fountain of Living
Waters, as he practically describes him
self." Of course as women have no
business with ideas, this will have to
pass as one woman's opinion but ! ! !
THE DOW I HI.
Three Months Services are Given Free to
All Invalids who Call Upon Them
Before April 13th.
A stbff of eminent physicians and sur
geons from the British Medical Insti
tute have, at the urgont solicitation of a
large number of patients under thoir
care in this country, eBtubliabed a per
manent bianch ot the institute in this
city in the Sheldon block, at the corner
of 11th and N streets.
These eminent gentlemen have de
cided to give their services entirely free
for three months (medicines excepted)
to all invalids who call upon them be
fore April 13th. TIipbo services consist
not only of consultation, examination
and advice, but also of all minor surgi
cal operations.
The object in pursuing this courso is
to become rapidly and personally ac
quainted with the sick and alllicted, and
under no condition will any chargo
whatever be made for any services ren
dered for three months, to all who call
before April 13th.
The doctors treat all forms ot diabase
and deformities, and guarantee a cure
in every case they undertake. At tho
first interview a thorough investigation
is made, and, if incurable, you are frank
ly and kindly told so; also advised
against spending your monoy for useless
treatment.
Male and female weakness, catarrh
and catarrhal deafness, also rupture,
goitre, cancer, all skin diseases, and all
diseases of the rectum are positively
cured by their new treatment.
The Chief Consulting Surgeon of the
Institute ia in personal charge.
Office hours from 9 A. M. till 8 P. M.
No Sunday hours.
SPECIAL NOl'ICE-It you cannot
call, aend stamp for question blank for
home treatment.
The Annual Meeting of the German Bap
tist Brethren will be held in Lincoln, Ne
braska, from May Twenty Four to May
Thirty-One, Nineteen Hundred and One.
For this meeting a special rate of one
fare for the round trip will be made
from Chicago, Peoria, St. Louis and all
stations on the Burlington Route Tho
roads east of Chicago and St. Louis are
also expected to make a very low rate
for the Brethren, and sell through tick
ets to Lincoln and return.
Tickets will be on sale May 23 to May
27, inclusive, and they will be limited
f jr return to June 4.
The charge, therefore, for a round
trip ticket to Lincoln and return for the
brethren Meeting will be: From Chi
cago, 814.40; from Peoria, 312.90; from
St. Louis 812.55
Brethren who wish to stay longer in
Nebraska, can have the limit on their
tickets extended by depositing them
with the railroad "joint agent" at Lin
coln who will issue a certificate of de
posit on or before June 3, and charge a
fee of fifty cents for it. Tickets will
then be good for return at any time
until June 30. 1901.
Many of the Brethren will probably
want to visit some of the numerous Ger
man Baptist settlements in Nebraska
before returning home. Any one who
presents a certificate of deposit to the
Burlington Route agent at Lincoln will
be able to get a round-trip ticket to any
place on our line in Nebraska for half
fare. These tickets will be sold on May
28 to June 3, inclusive, and will be good
for return to Lincoln until June 25.
We publish a folder about the Ger
man Baptist Brethren in Nebraska. In
it is a very large sectional map ot the
state, with reference marks which in
dicate where the Brethren settlements
are located. It tells about the crops
and prospects, and contains letters from
resident Brethren, giving their experi
ences in Nebraska. A copy of this will
be sent without chargo if you will ark
P. S. Eustis, General Passenger Agent,
C, B. & Q.R.R., Chicago, Illinois.
.
