The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-01

Town. manly though passionate
letter, detailing his love, his trials, his
hopes, and last, if not SO fully, his po
sition.
This, duly addressed to miss Fous-
ST." he posted, and waited with what
fortitude he could muster Tor an an
swer.
be had been out of patience. 1t was
week before he knew anything, and
then his own letter came as returned
one from the dead letter Office, the en-.
velope playfully annotated with "Try
Fishy. " Not known" PUSSY" TRY
Leicester street." and SO on.
Harker groaned So near his object,
yet so strangely baftled.
Oh, the agony of that week of sus
pense A whole week gone-lost,
And that horrid Fiphins SO jubilant;
day by day growing so luxurious in his
habits living on the fat of the land, if
his lunchcons were fair sample; talk
ing SO vulgar about letting out his
waistcoat--triumphing in such coarse
fashion over him perpetually! Bah!
He would hear it no longer. He felt
it was maddening him. He would hy
from the neighborhood before he was
tempted to do something desperate.
| Bill Harker took commission on
the road. He visited the west of Eng
land. 1t was three months or more be-
fore he ventured to set his foot in Lon
don again. The first time he did so he
encountered Fipkins by accident in
Grove road. Stockwell. The rivals
started. Their meeting was like the
traditional one of the strange cats in
the garrett Fipkins' brass for once
stood him In good stead he was the
first to speak. He held out his hand
cordially.
''How are you, old fellowp" he said
frankly. as if nothing was the matter.
Whoever would have thought of see
ing you in this part of the world?"
Harker did not strike him, did not
rcpel his friendly advances. In truth
time had smoothed off the raw edges
of his wound. And then Fiplins
looked SO happy, he didn't have the
heart to distress him. They ad-
journed to the nearest bar, and, in the
course of a series of "refreshels," Ftp
kins told of his intended marriage.
which was to take place the next
week at St Giles Church, Gambler
we'll
1t grated on Harker's feeling to no.
tice that Fipkins in some sort looked
upon the union as sacrifice.
There are property considera-
tions,' he said several times in half
maudlin sort of way-'property con-
siderations, my boy; and folks cam.
afford to lose sight of those in hard
times like these"
Mercenary wretch! How Harker
despised him, even while he fratern-
lied with! What strange power
the fellow always had over him! He
could neither understand nor escape
from it. He found it hard to realize,
after Fipkins had left him, that he had
actually promised to be his "best
man. at the wedding. But it was so;
there was the entry in his own order
book-in an unsteady hand-that
F1pkins had insisted on his writing at
the bar. He had not the courage to
decline it, and, as he had promised
honor and curiosity both prompted
him to see the drama to the end.
As the two ex-clerks stood waiting
| for the BRIDES ARRIVAL on the auspic-
ious morning one might have heard
Harker's heart throb; it beat like a
drum with intense excitement. But
astonishmcnt overpowered every other
feeling when, rs the bride entered the
church, perfect mountain of finery,
he recognized in her the dragoon-like,
fiery-faced boarding house propric-
tress, and knew that it was she Fipkins
had chosen from property considera-
| TORS" ,S.z
Confused as he felt, Harker could
understand that in her case, wcighty
as she was, something in the shape OF
bonus would be acceptable. He had
little time to think of all this, however,
for the first bridesmaid. he found to his
great Joy, was the nameless one! Her
white glovcd little hand rested on his
trembling arm as they walked down
the aisle after the ceremony, in the
wake of Mr.. and Mrs. Fipkins; aud
before they reached the hotel where
| breakfast was laid, he diccovered,
among other things. that his fair COM
panlon's name was not Foussi, but Cas-.
Teton.
Harker still calls his model of a wife
Foussi; but the glove he had treasured
did not fit her. Old B.. who had pick.
ed it up, might first have dropped it
One thing is certain--he astonished ev,
eryone by marrying, before the year
was out, mere child; and her hand
as it rested in his on the wedding day
looked small enough to have been his
daughter
Student Walters.