Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-12-03

those dreadful sailors coming at you
with a knife!" Both of the plump
hands were on the sleeve of the uni
form now. Even the unsopbisticated
sense of officer Kyle could not help see
ing something curious in this last re-
mark. Did the widow think he meant
to make love to her? He was chival-
rous soul, and would no more have
fostered such a mistake than he would
have perjured himself. Besides, he
had great respect for Mamie S
mother, as such. He cast about him
for means to extricate himself from the
difficulty, but the widow, still with
tears in her eyes and quaver in her
voice, went on:
"I'm sure / know how to feel for
YOU. Ever since dear James died I've
been SO lonesome that, but for Mamie
and your visits, must have lost my
senses; and now that Mamie is going
to leave me-"
ssO!" cried Officer Kyle, relieved,
thinking that after all she might not
have misunderstood him, ''that needn' t
be, I'm sure; no one would think of
separating you But the widow was
unconsoled. She drew in her breath
with sob. ''He may take her away
any day, and then what shall l do?''
You don't mean that she's engaged
to that young fool with the spotted
necktier' calculated the desperate
sutton, with unmasculine intuition.
Mrs. Trussel threw herself back in the
chair.
There, now,'' she cried, 81 told
Mamie you wouldn't approve of it.
"You told her that?" he roared.
Then a sense of his own helplessness
came over him and he said quietly, with
grim humor: "Well DON'T
Its great pity" sighed the widow,
'.that when we're SO happy otherwise
we should have such trouble as this. !"
The visitor rose.
''Well,'' he said, between his teeth,
''under the circumstances l don't see
as there is anything left for me to do"
He was going, but Nannie's mother
clasped him about the arm and held
him there.
Don't be angry with the poor
child!'' she cried. ''She's always been
an obedient daughter to me, and I
hope she will be to you" The I'M
fortunate officer positively staggered
as he felt the full force of this blow.
"But, Mrs Trussel-" he was be-
ginning when the impulsive widow
threw herself forward and leaned
against him, sobbing.
Il don't-know-how to thank
you for being-so kind" she managed
to say between gasps. " You'll never
repent it-no, never. You wouldn't
mind kissing me, would you, George?"
There was no use in Officer Kyle let
ting his arms bangle by his side. Nam
ME, the golden-headed, tender-hearted
little goddess of his dreams was lost to
him forever. The future seemed to
him as bleak as a December day and
well, the widows eyes were black and
her lips were rosy, so he kissed her
Then he rushed from the house.
He was obliged to hurry back to his
beat. He walked with his eyes on the
ground, unconscious of everything but
the incoherent agitation of bis mind
He could have struck brother officer
who stopped him with a pleasan
"Howdy' dot
There's mighty pretty girl allow
in to you," said his friend. ''and l
couldn't be mean enough to let you
lose it." Officer Kyle looked back.
"Why, it's Mamie Trusselr' he ex-
claimed, with an embarrassed blush.
"She looks smilin' enough" his
friend continued. 81 suppose it's be-
cause she's thrown over Dick Smith.
They say woman's never so happy as
when she's breaking somebody's
heart" Kyle started as if shot.
"What! That little dude with the
spotted necktie?'' he cried, trembling.
/ don't know nothin' about his neck
ties,' the other man was beginning in
a humorous tone, but officer No. 1,414
was in hot pursuit of the escaping cul-
prit, who walked unconsciously down
the street. She looked as rosy as
June sunrise when she saw the tall fig
IRE in the blue uniform looming up be-
side her.
"Nannie," blurted out the big fellow,
Il went up to your house to ask you to
marry me, but somehow l proposed to
your ma instead. l don't know how it
but really it wasn't my fault,
and if l can get out Of the scrape sO0as't
you have me?''
He looked like blubbering, over
grown school-boy. Little Miss Mamie
Deeped up at him under the dropping
i'm of her hat. ''Well, l declare" she
said, and she stopped right there on
he pavement and laughed till the
cherries that she carried in the paper
Dag in her hand burst through the bot
5om and jostled each other out upon
he pavement like crowd of boys es-
gaping from school. Officer Kyle was
,lad Of the excuse to hide his face by
picking them up, and he had excuse
enough, for the harder she laughed, the
aster they dropped. Then compunc-
ion seized ON her tender soul and she
set to work with him, holding up her
'tarched skirts daintily from the dust.
But the mirthfulness seized her again.
80 what a lark!'' she cried. 'What
will we do?''
.'Do you mean about the cherries, or
7our mother?" asked the piqued police
nan. He felt utterly contemplate and
vas sure she must think him so. but the
act is she felt nothing of the sort.
co. she said shifting the air, ''T'n
manage ma if you manage the cher
les" They got the cherries up finally
md Kyle said:
"Tve got to 60 back to duty, Miss
Mamie. If you must laugh at an old
DOL like me, wait till you get home. I
zee there's no hope for me-" Having
ortured him to her hearts content, the
Merry maiden was ready to make rep
lratiOn.
well. she said, Il wouldn't COM
nit suicide if / were you. IL"
he looked down and blushed as red as