Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-12-04

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tho least, can only quote NJ. 6pnes
that il was ssimmense."
The Misses Plague forgot to forebode
tbs coming indigestion and did the hon
or OF the table with unexpected cheerful
ness. Miss Williams preferred to dine
up stairs with her neice, 80 as to give
her attention at any moment TO the
ki!chen.
Mr.. Thompson kept quiet, which was
the most agreeable thing he knew now
to do, and little Sprigs' sister laughed
at every thing Mr.. Burley's brother
said, with good will that delighted that
facetious gentleman.
Mr.. Burley's brother was very funny
indeed, and among other funny things,
ne told story 1T the expense OF bus
friends, whose name was Blake, and at
the expense also of considerable cham
payne. Mr.. Blake didn't seem to enjoy
the story. but he tried-and failed--to
appear Indifferent. Mr.. Burley's brother
said that Mr.. Blake had come. all the
way back from India to find an old
sweetheart he had parted from in anger
almost forty years before. As was us
ual in such affairs, he felt that he had
acted the brute to sweet and loving
girl. Mr.. Burley, at this juncture, tried
to switch his brother of on to another
track, but he was 80 overloaded with
champagne and loquacity, as to be un-
pilotable.
"Mr. Blake, himself" continued Mr..
Burley's brother, Though you mightn't
thiuk Of it to look at him now, was a
handsome, strapping young fellow in
those days. Here's to you, as you were
then, Blake, old manv'
"Thanks," murmured Mr.. Blake, re-
signedly.
"Now he's come back to find his faith
full love, for she has been faithful and
he's widower, OF course" concluded
Mr.. Burley's brother. "You all want to
know this fair ones name"
"Hush!" cried Mr.. Blake.
'Shut upl' shouted Mr.. Burley.
These abrupt orders 80 confused Mr..
Burley's brother that before he could
collect his fuddled eenses they were scat
tered again by the extraordinary conduct
of Mr.. Blake. That gentleman sat fac
ing the door on the right of Mr.. Bur-
ley, who occupied the head of the table.
He rose so suddenly that he took part of
the table cloth with him, and his face
was as white as though he saw ghost
instead of what everybody else saw
only pretty Dolly Daner standing in the
doorway with bunch Of misletoe clasped
in her hand.
"Alicep' cried MI. Blake, with arms
outstretched, regardless of everybody.
"I'n be gummedp' said Mr.. Burley.
| 'Mr. Burley's brother said something
louder, with broad sound on the "a''
for Mr.. Blake's sudden rise had over
turned the cranberries on his holiday
clothes.
Mr.. Blake must have gone deeper into
champagne than any one suspected,
thoug h he did walk round the table
without stagger, for he went straight
up to Dolly Daner with such a yearning
look of love in his eyes that she was not
in the least surprised when he leaned
down and kissed her.
Then there was little cry of pain and
establishment, gasp and a sob from
some one standing just back of Dolly.
Craning their necks, the boarders saw
Miss Williams, and all of a sudden they
remembered that her name was Alice.
This then must be the lover that had
Tilted her when she was pretty and
young like Dolly.
"Well, did these old lovers marry and
live happy all the rest of the sever after"
that remained to them? Alas, no! they
did not; for after the transfguring light
that love had shed upon his face when he
learned to kiss little Dolly, and by which
Miss Williams was enabled to recognize
her handsome lover of long ago-when
that light had died out, it left only fat,
dyspeptic, irritable-looking old man.
AS for Mr.. Blake, he never could have
believed, except for indisputable facts,
that the scraggy, wrinkled, shrewish old
woman, who kept Burley's boarding
house, was the sweet, pretty Alice Viii
liams he had left, but never forgotten.
The Misses Plague, continued to tell
all about the 'curious affair" on all the
subsequent New Years, and many times
in between. Mr.. Thompson spoke of it
as warning to young men all, to wait
and see what sort of tempers their sweet
hearts would have at so or more. Little
Sprigs and his sister soon forgot all
about it, Dolly never did.
As for Mr.. Burley's brother, whenever
there was any cranberry sauce at hand,
he never failed to tell the story on sight.
Ridiculous Episode.
Here is ridiculous episode of the re-.
cent ladies' cycling tour to Cape Ann:
The fair Athenian, we will call her Mrs.
O., was riding on the front seat Of a tan
dem tricycle.. the rear seat being occupied
by her husband, when, without q Sec
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