The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-11-21


fully intended to quit the grove, wheth.
er or no., the following day; but thai
half dozen words with Lucy left me un.
decided again. l was an idiot for stay.
ing, first, because 1 was deliberately
sacrificing a very pretty prospect in
life by not going. aud second, because ]
might have known beforehand what
sort of an experience the next weeks
would be likely to be. But men are
idiots when q pretty girl is concerned
and l was a great deal more bewildered
with Lucy than 1 owned to myself.
spoiled my W mess, too, with my
c%onceit. lam willing to W that men
are more conceited than women, but
then they have so much more to make
them SO. Why, only think of one wo-
maj like Lucy Bassett making 'tsweet
eyes" at you.
l am willing to own at this day, that
I had not at that time one misgiving as
to how it was likely to turn with Lucy
and me if 1 stayed. My going or stay
ing was a mere question of self-abne.
cation. Should 1 try and win the girl
who loved me i'll the face of Mrs. An
struther's threats of poverty and starva
ton, or should l generously leave her
to forget ME as fast as she could, and
bestow her matchlessness upon some
prince of the crew that were coming to
the Grove that week?
[ wa not generous. / did not at oil
relish being forgotten, and I stayed.
Mrs. Anstruther's company came in
due time-a household Of them, too
gentlemen aud ladies; some married,
some single; the young ladies pretty
creatures enough, and the gentlemen
good takers and well dressed.
[ understood long before the passage
meant by her talk about gentlemen.
She meant men who owed the right to
he ranked above the "plebs" to their
tailor. My best coat vas of the last
years cut, and a trihe seedy, having
done duty alternately as every day gear
and Sunday toggery. Ny boots were
neither patent leather nor Morocco,
and my unmentionables, though as we'll
kept as could possibly be expected un-
der the circumstances, had quite lost
that beautiful shapeliness oflimb which
characterized those of Mrs. Anstruther's
guests.
In vain l kept repeating to myself,
"a mans a man for a'that," and "Dress
doesn't make the man." I was humili-
atingly sure that / wasn't half a man
because of my secdy garb.
Mrs. Anstruther watched me, and
felt rejoiced at my discontinue, what
she could see of it.. Out of sheer re-
venge / devoted myself to Lucy. Sc
cure in Lucy's fondness for me, I took
airs upon myself, and for sheer imagin-
ed flung at my clothes 1 managed to
make Lucy snub the sneerer.
I don't know how it was; I think I
had taken a little too much wine that
evening, and there was a Count Leopold
Keirst who was especially affected by
Mrs. Anstruther for Lucy, and who was
nothing 10th himself. The man was
the merest dandy, emptv-headed as a
rattle-box, positively nothing but
clothes and title; but because l hated
him for daring to aspire to Lucy l in
sisted upon her openly insulting him
by dancing with me Wien she had prom
ised him, and they had even got their
places upon the floor. I suppose 1 was
mad with jealousy, envy and wine, and
l saw Mrs. Anstruther shaking her head
at Lucy from a corner. 1 insisted
that Lucy should dance with me in
stead of the count, but she refused, of
course.
Half an hour afterward, carpet. bag
in hand, l had left the house, and by
morning was miles or my journey city
ward.
I had recovered my sense by that time,
and was sufficiently conscious what an
idiot l had made of myself,
Whatever conceit was left in me
then was taken out before the day was
| done.
AS I got off the cars at noon q strange
man put his hand on my shoulder. l
was arrested for stealing Mrs. Anstruth-
er's diamonds. She had autographed to
have it done, and Lucy had not hind.
cred her.
It was odd, but I never felt myself
more a man than at that moment. The
touch of that terrible finger of disgrace
was like the prick of the surgeons Ian
Get to q swooning consciousness. By
noon the next day Mrs. Anstruther
herself came to the city to me in my
prison cell.
The woman was positively wild about
her diamonds.
"Oh, give them back to me, Felix,
and l won't prosecute the thing. I've
got money enough to hush the matter,
and [ will; and I'll set you up in bust
ness besides. Only give me back my
diamonds, Felix. How could you have
the heart to touch them? Why, man,
they've been in the family more than
200 years.
Mrs. Anstruther wrung her hands
wildly as she pleaded, and chung to me
when l would have risen from my
chair.
MADAM, you will never see your
diamonds more, if the return of them
depends on me-" said /.
"You ungrateful boy!" cried Mrs.
A~nstruther.
[ smiled. 4
"After oil Ihave done for you"
II am aware that I owe Mrs Anstru-
Their one debt which it will be impossi-
BILE for me ever to repay"
do you meal Lucy, sir? Give me
back my diamonds, and you shall even
have her"
MADAME values her diamonds ut a
curious price,"
do you mean to keep them in the
face of everything? What good will
they ever do you now?"
Madame forgets that there is q limit
to durance vile, even for stealing dia-
monds. Manga man has toiled longer
for a fortune than that"
Mrs Anstruther thought I was in
earnest. Her face wAitened and she
trembled with agitation.
well, then, Felix" she said, "if you
aro 90 hard aa flat I mrnk lnnro 20 u