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THE COURIER.
10
OMAHA LETTER.
Omalia, Ncbr.,
May 3, 1001.
Dear Eleanor:
I am looking throueu the moat beau
tifal green Uce veil imaginable. Nature,
like maidens, coquettes with a more
vital spark in the spring tide. The
bandreds of young elm leavee are still
quivering from the last ardent glance
of that shameless old flirt the sun.
The bird, deceived by the long shadows
thrown by the hills back of us, are hav
ing a world of gossipy last things to Bay
before settling down and leaving the
world "to darkness and to me." lam
again experiencing that delightful task
yon so frequently make posbible for me,
of answering my last letter to you.
When 1 complained about it in the
hearing of the family, mother said with
that exasperating frankness relatives
employ toward each other: "Eleanor is
not at all like you, Penelope; she prob
ably waits until she has something to
say." Sometimes I think mother is
rather a pretty woman; but some of her
expressions lead me to believe the fam
ily beauty has been inherited from
paw's side.
As Billy Baxter would have said: ''I
got next to a very funny little episode a
few days since." If a melodrama were
to be constructed from the materials at
band, the hero would have to be person
ated by quite a swell young beau of this
city. But the tearful, really pitiful
heroine must remain an unknown quan
tity. The business house with which
this young man is connected, places
great confidence in him and frequently
sends him out over this and adjoining
states on business requiring just the
agreeable attractions this young man
possesses. During two or three years of
this sort of life, naturally he has come
in contact with many people and made
friends more or lees. One town in par
ticular, where the young man was an
especially desirable customer, Romeo
for short was unusually free with his
gifts of grace. He was a welcome guest
in the family. The children approved
of him he had bought their affections
ia the usual way, with striped candy
and peppermints. The wife didn't ob
ject to him, or at least didn't say so.
The last time he made the the town,
he went at once to the store, was warm
ly greeted and after a few minutes con
versation, the man said heartily, "Guess
we'd better hike up to the house and
see Jen." When the house was reached,
the chatty host flurg open the door
with a stentorian call of "Jen," but no
response. "Come right along in, G ;
she's here somewheres." A second door
and second call of "Jen" stirred a limp
handle, which was evidently dozing on
the lounge. "Come along here, maw,
and see it you know who this here is."
The bundle was dragged up to the sem
blance of a limp woman. Then she
came forward with a quickly extended
band "Gee! if it isn't G " Romeo's
knees shook in panic. For -the light in
Juliet's eyes k as unmistakable on the
sweep of the prairie as from a vine-hung
balcony. Romeo cut his visit ehortas
possible and made haste to find himBelf
under the safe brooding wing of Omaha.
Oh! but it isn't all the foregoing that
is so funny, Eleaanr. Romeo hadn't
been home a week when he came up to
see me one evening under the influence
of a letter he bad received. The letter
was probably as ingenious a composition
as ever struck mortal terror to the heart
of man, although I have not seen it yet.
Romeo was so panic stricken that he
gave me a very garbled account of his
evident trouble; but I made out that
"Jen" bad fallen a helpless victim to
that airy persiflage of his, which bad
bees ao harmless to the polished Omaha
belles, on whom he had hitherto prac
tised. Bat that isn't the wont of it,"
groaned this unlucky son of Apollo.
"She's going to bolt. Throw up the do
mestic sponge with an indifference which
would make Zaza's head spin."
"Going to bolt," I gasped; "where is
she going to bolt?'
"Where? where do you suppose; but
to the protection of this destroyer of her
peace? she's coming down here."
"Good gracious!" I exclaimed, too sud
denly jarred from my moorings to be
elegant; "does she really say so in that
letter? Does she make any complaint of
Jabe?' I had become familiar with the
family names.
"Nothing specific! Just general ennui
and a desire for city life."
I leaned against a pillar of the porch
and laughed hopelessly. "It's all your
fatal fascinations, Romeo.'
"Oh. d my fascinations. Excuse
me, Penelope."
This part of it is verbatim, and that
is what he said in the deepest abase
ment. "Are you sure, Romeo, there never
was anything in your manner to lead "
"For goodness sake! don't say it. If
you could see that pale effigy of what a
woman should be, you would absolve
me from that suspic'on. I give you my
word I didn't see her unless Jabe was
there, and I didn't want to."
"Why didn't you bring the ktter and
show it to me?" I asked with a hint of
suspicion.
"Oh, you shall see it! I left it at the
office. Didn't want the folks at the
house to see it. What in the name of
goodnees shall 1 do?"
"Don't worry so, Romeo," 1 conselled,
somewhat softened by his genuine con
cern. "I do not believe Bbe will ever
come."
"She will! I can see a messenger boy
showing her into the office this minute.
What will the governor say?"
I could scarcely recognize in the limp,
nervous young man before me the ordi
narily spruce Romeo of former evenings.
"It does seem a mee, poor boy; but
although I can't help regarding it as a
sort of farce, you seem to have construct
ed a very unpleasant bogie man of it.
Do you want my advice?"
"It isn't worth shucks as a rule," he
ungallantly responded, "but I am pretty
low give it to ub."
I nobly forebore reeentment. ''Well,
I would pack that letter back to Jabe
you'll really do her a great service, and
say you are going away; but if his wife
would care for a couple of days of eight
seeing in the city you have a friend who
will take care of her for two or three
days and you can send her to me, Ro
meo. What are friends good for if not
to use, and 1 owe it to you, Romeo, for
always successfully resisting your
charms which have reduced bo many
other women to pulp."
Romeo sprang to his feet, renewed,
and in his right mind. "Superb advice,
Penelope but do you mean it could
you do it?
- "Cheerfully if she should elect to
come it would be a lark for me; but I
never will believe in her reality until
she actually appears on my horizon."
"But you are a brick, Pen. How can
I ever repay you?"
"By never misunderstanding me.
Must you go?"
"Yes, I have an engagement at the
C.'s. I didn't feel up to it before. But
you have cleared the way and I breathe
again. I'll let you know if I hear any
thing." "Perhaps you had better if I am to
have a guest. Good-night."
That was two or three days ago and I
have not seen anything of Romeo. In
cidentally I hear he is out of town.
Adam's sons must tread the way of their
father. Countless Eves still essay ex
cursions into forbidden fields and take
the sentence of the court ps Adams still
prove alibis.
The noisy little birds are quiet. The
elm leaveB, because they are so young,
believe themselves forgotten and hang
motionless. The moon wades daintily
through light clouds. The boys at the
corner have given over marbles and
tope, for several mothers have noisily
called their brood to shelter.
I am going to kiss that baby Rob
good-night asleep..he is such a picture
of rosy cherubic loveliness that I won
der if angels do not of teneet sleep.
And then my heart to you,
Penelope.
resident Brethren, giving their experi
ences in Nebraska. A copy 'of this wil
be sent without charga it you will ark
P. S. Eustis, General Passenger Agent,
C, B. & Q.R. R., Chicago, Illinois.
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. The
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 Bale May 23 to May
27, inclusive, and they will be limited
for 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, 314.40; from Peoria, $1230; from
St. Louis 112.55
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. Theee tickets will be sold on May
26 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 of the
state, with reference marks which in
dicate where the Brethren settlements
are located. It telle about the cropB
and prospects, and contains letters from
THEATRICAL).
THE OLIVER.
Neil Burgees' graphic delineations of
the New England spinster "Abigail
Prue" have set many a theatre in roars
of laughter at their many little eccen
tricities of character, sharp, conspic
uous and true to life. In the "County
Fair," which is this season being re
vived on a most elaborate scale, with
Neil Burgess himself as the coy maiden,
who gets rather old waiting for the pro
posal, but always fondly hoping, at last
wins a home by winning a home race.
Miss Abigail Prue has a lovely charac
ter companion in "Taggp," who is as
distinctively and willingly demonstra
tive a young lass as Abigail Prue is an
unwillingly willing, but pronounced old
lass. Between the two they make
things hum. Mr. Burgees has so great a
fund of animation and energy, that he
positively infects the audience with his
irresistible gush and notion clatter,
when he lets loo&e the bottled pent up
fancies of practical Miss Prue. The
stage devices are very ingenious, the
scenery and properties elaborate and
everything else this season in connec
tion with the "County Fair" is on a
scale of grandeur never before witnesr
ed, adding vividness to the general
picture.
At the Oliver Theatre, Thursday, May
16th. Seat sale opens Tuesday, nine
A. M. Regular prices.
6
t
.. H. W. BROWN
Druggist and
Bookseller.
Fine Stationery
and
Calling Cards
127 So.Eleventh Street.
PHONE 68
tOtl
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UNDER THK DIRECTION OF
0. T. GRIWFORD S F.C.ZEHRUNG
Corner 13th and P. Phono 351
THY, MAY 16.
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Himself in His Big Re
vival of
COtiHTN
WAR.
Same magnificent produc
tion that played New
York city four solid
years. See the great
Horse-Race.
Prices 35c, 50c, 75p and $1.00, On sale Tuesday.
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