Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-02-18


Rosalie had ridden home together after
quick run with the Pytchley, and
love had got the better of prudence.
and he had proposed and been refused.
Pretty Resale. though she had only the
experience of a single season, had
enough of worldly wisdom to know
that though Vincent Bourchier was
handsome, clever enough to be
pleasant companion, of good birth,
brave soldier Che had already distin-
guished himself at the age of five-and-
twenty, was no mate for her. She
was penniless but ambitious girl, de-
pendent upon the whims of her aunt,
Lady Silverthorne, stern matron, who
had preached her pretty niece many
sermon on the folly and wickedness of
girls who married poor men.
81 don't think you are the sort of
woman who would be happy with two
new gowns a year." she was in the
habit of saying. think of living in a
six-roomed house in the suburbs, with
maid-of-all-work to wait on you. No,
Resale, you must marry a rich man or
/ wash my hands of you"
Miss Dryden had not sufficient
strength of character to defy her aunt
and marry Vincent Bourchier, whom,
in her heart of hearts, she knew she
loved. A couple of months or SO later,
Josiah Ormskirk proposed to her and
was accepted.
81 wonder if she would remember
me if we met again." thought Bour-
CHER, as he turned into the Park.
The afternoon being unusually fine,
the drive was thronged with carriages.
Bourchier paused several times, and
leaned on the rails to watch the moving
panorama of beauty and fashion. The
interminable stream of vehicles, and
the constant succession of faces that
looked blankly at him as they passed,
made him feel somewhat melancholy.
He was about to turn homeward when
he became aware of a pair of large
brown eyes regarding him from a
handsome barouche that had just come
to a standstill not three PAGES from
where he stood. As his gaze rested on
, the piquant face in which the aforesa aid
eyes were set, a flashing glance of
recognition shone from under the deli
cately arched brows, and pair of fresh
rosy lips parted in bright smile over
set of the most dazzling little teeth
imaginable.
"Rosalier' murmured Bourchier to
himself; land she has not quite forgot
ten me after all"
He raised his hat and went quickly
forward to the side of the barouche to
greet the woman he had parted from in
bitterness and anger ten years ago.
Vincent Bourchier, declared said
Mrs. Ormskirk. as she extended her
daintily gloved hand; II thought 1
could not be mistaken. When did you
return from India?"
''Only the day before yesterday" he
replied, looking her full in the face.
cit is pleasure to find am not quite
forgotten-a pleasure / hardly antici-
pated. l have been in the Park for ala
hour OF more, and you are the only
person who has recognized me-"
IL have a good memory for faces.
And you are very little altered" she
finished, with blush.
That ready blush of pretty Mrs. Orms-
kirk gave her an air of girlish SIM
plicity that was more charming than
real.
"Woald you have known me again?"
she asked with an innocent air, which
became her wonderfully.
81 should have known you any
where" was his fervent answer.
"How crowded the Park is this after
noon," remarked the lady, changing
the subject abruptly.
"Isn't it wonderful where all the peo-
pie come from? And such queer-look-
ing people some of them are! Just
look at that woman in a pink bonnet
and yellow gownn'
"May call on you, Mrs. Ormskirk?"
he asked, when they had talked about
mutual acquaintance, criticised the
passers-by, and chatted amicably, after
the manner of friends who meet after a
long interval of absence.
''Of course you may. 1 live at Me-
gatherium Mansions when l am in
town. You will generally find me
at home about four o'clock" And,
with another of her sunny smiles, Mrs.
Ormskirk drove off.
Major Bourchier saw good deal of
Mrs. Orinskirk during the next few
weeks. On some pretext or other he
contrived to drop in nearly every day
at Megatherium Mansions. The lux
urious suite of rooms occupied by the
fair widow was on the seventh floor of
the huge block of buildings. conse-
quently they were reached by that use
full modern convenience, lift. Bour-
CHER soon cherished quite a senti-
mental feeling of affection for the cozy
little cage which carried him SO easily
and so swiftly upward to the dwelling
of his charming Rosalie, and had he
been of poetical turn he would GER
tainly have penned sonnet in its
praise.
He was resolved to try his luck again,
and, in spite of the fair widows Occa-
sional fits of caprice, he believed his
chances of success were considerably
better than they were ten years ago.
The worst of it was that Mrs. Ormskirk
had at least half a dozen pretendants,
and the name of her admirers was Le-
gion. Bourchier was often mortified
to find that the attentions of one or the
other of this band of aspira,os seemed
more acceptable to the little coQuette