Litchfield enquirer., 1881-07-21
THE LADY-KILLER -IN-CHIEF.
CHAPTER I

"Most awfully shabby" said Dorothy St. George calmly; "but then, since have not another, what am to do ? I am not a spider, I therefore cannot evolve new gown out of | my own inner consciousness" l Let me give you a gown-two gowrs." | pleaded Jack SiucfAir, flushing little under the girls steady gaze, yet looking very hand- some and soldierly in the brilliant June sun- | shine.
 "My good Jack, ]" returned Miss St. George quietly, 'have you sufficient money to pay | your debts ?' m a .e = 'No," he admitted, unwillingly | "Ihen how can you afford to buy me gowns? And can you imagine for moment that should take them. if you could ?" | ''If you loved me-" he began. s.
 My good Jack," said the girl again grave y, lifting her azure eyes leisurely to his, Git seems to me that you are great deal too we'll | people, you know, have the habit of counting | their chickens before they are hatched.'' 70, Dolly, you do love me l" he cried. 1 Perhaps just little," half indifferently: | ''certainly not enough to let you buy me- clothes T' with sudden shamed flush at the l bare idea of it.
 Jack Sinclair sighed mpatiently. He had no such pride himself; but, to be sure, no cavalry officers ever have, except they are l men of rank He, that very morning, had | shaved himself in Rroughton's room. because
 Broughton had just had his razors ground ; he | had passed on to the next room to sponge the remains of the lather of his face, because Broughton was using his sponge and basin for | tue like purpose; he had borrowed collar l stud on his way back to his own quarters. be- | cause his laundress had sent his shirt home | minus button at the throat; and before he | finished dressing he had lent hia last clean | cotton tie to Dickson. who had got two days l leave he had surrendered his hair-hrushes to Squints, who had walked in for no apparent reason-perhaps because some one was using 1 his-and had helped Ponto out of a difficulty | by the loan of a shell jacket. Thus Jack Sin ] clair, accustomed. toregard his belongings and those of his brother officers as public property could not understand why the suggestion that | he should buy his fG7seee goWn-which, goodness knows, she stood sorely in need of need bring that shamed flush to her proud | face.
 ''Then how will you do?" he asked at length, rather ruefully.
 ''Stay at home, ;" she laughed then sang, in a rich mellow voice,
 "Stay, stay at home, my heart and rest Home-keeping hearts are happiest ["
 70, dare say p Jack put in, very ruefullv l indeed. But the girl only laughed and sang on:
 "For those that wonder. they know not where Are full of trouble and full of care: To stay at home is best!"
 "But, Dolly, my darling," he interrupted, ''couldn't Mrs. St. George lend you dress ?'' "Mrs. St. George" answered Dorothy. re- garding hlm gravely, yet with laughter in her brilliant eyes, ''is possessed of one presentabe gown besides the one you see her in every day"
 ''I'm sure she would lend it to you," cried Jack.
 ''It is a msoiae antique," said Doro.hy as if 1 there need be nothing more said upon the sub ject.
 'Well, what of that? l remember. the last time l was at home, my mother was wearing one, bright green one it was, with white pot buttons-she said they were porcelain, but l knew better"
 "Ah!" remarked Dorothy, without much interest.
 Then you'll come to the sports tomorrow, darling?" '"The moire," returned Dorothy. Sis of the most startling rose-color you ever saw Why. Jack. all the women would be laughing at us !''
 "Let them," he rejoined fercely; s'who cares ?" f | Fl do, for one. No Jack ;.some day, when we are rich will go to the sports; and I'll give cup and you shall run for it.. p "l don't see why you can't come in the gown you'v got on,' he grumbled ; Git looks awfully jolly;" but all the same, he was very well aware that the garment in question was very, very shabby. It was so entirely out of keeping with it's wearer. Jack thought, as he watched her that lovely June day, that he had never seen more perfect picture than she made as she sat upon the rivers bank, the willows and the turf making background against which her radiant loveliness shone out more like gem in dark setting than any, thing else he could think of. She had taken of her hat and the sunshine streamed down upon her golden head, giving the heavy braids the appearance of dadem. Jack wished passionately that he could have given ber>a crown of rubies and diamonds: and vet he knew that no gold would ever become her as did those imperial coils of lustrous hair. no sapphlres would ever equal the beauty of her azure eyes.
 And yet she was so very, very shabby her brown stuff gown was positively threadbare- Upright as sixpense,'' she said. One little foot was visible beneath the frill of her gown. and an inch, or two of 8 slender ankle they, the foot and the ankle, were all rieht Jacl,, mad admired them dozens of times but the boot which covered the foot-Oh, it made him absolutely shiyer Seven and six-pense pair, with square toes that seemed to be of an inquiring turn ! Ugh Jack looked from them to his own patent leather and canvass boots at thirty five shilings pair, and,.hought of the dozen or two of others which stood all in neat row in the lowest compartment of his cupboard. and he had the grace to feel asham ed of himself. If Dorothy St. George could case her little slender feet in such boots as those and kept out of debt, why need be- a great hulking brute, with feet like potatoes have boot-maker's bill as long as his arm?
 He look ed, too, at her little hands folded idly before her, such pretty hands, with pink tinted filbert nails; then his eyes fell upon a certain mark along the forefnger of the one which lay uppermost, and bending down. he kissed it, as if he would fain kiss that disfg uring seam away. Oh, why should she have to work SD hard, while his sisters, not half so fair. dawdled their time away, and gave dresses to thei- maid such as Dorothy could never afford to buy ?, Oh, why should it be flush mounted to the young mans brow, and his eyes sank before the glory of hers :; the question was easy to answer He had ''sown the wind in long course of reckless extravagance, in the raising of his fathers just anger; now he was ''reaping the whirl. wind" in banishment from home. and in the pain of knowing that between Dorothy St. George and him lay a long array of debts which he had no money to pay.
 And there are people who say our sins do not find us out in this worldl
 "Oh my darling," he erred, with sudden burst of passion, ''how I will make up to you for all this some day !''
 Some day." she repeated wistfully, s'if, by the time you come into your kingdom, you have not repented, Jack ?''
 "Repented Why?"
 "You will be rich. still poor.'
 "Supposing Iaremained always poor and you became very rich, would you desert me, Dolly ?" IF T cannot say, am sure,"' she laughed. .I have always been so awfuily poor, you see.-; that IT were suddenly lifted up in the world might tiptilt my nose, even at you" s.e' ""Ah, you don't mean that, he said cool ly. lAs3.zss tsi.1s 's-s
 There's many true word spoken in jest" she quoted gravely "Then, thank God, there is no chancanf if P