The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-02-06
.wbether she'd have you or not, / sup

"Haye mel She'd be lucky to get me-
poor as q church mouse, and teacher!
She'd jump At me-"
81 know who'd be sorry for it, then.
Those Eastern girls never know anything
'sNot she! I'll take care of that" with a
loud laugh. "As for work, she'd soon
learn, and ! should expect to keep girl"
Mod came to dead halt before q store
they were passing. "Won't you drop in
and order your cooking stove?" she asked
ments seem to be complete"
"Don't you. worry replied Stephen,
laughing good -humoredly; shat will be
ready in time for the wedding" and they
walked on together again.
But Stephen was even more in earnest
than Mod supposed.
1t was not difficult matter to obtain an
introduction to Miss Tracy, and when he
asked permission to call the girl had not,
as she said afterwards, sufficient presence
Of mind to refuse. Myra, indeed, was
profoundly amused ut herself, and scarce
less SO at Stephen The handsome, Hitter
ate young giant was q new type to the
high bred, "cultured" Philadelphian; and
though she considered flirting . very
unladylike proceeding her esthetic interest
was sufficiently visible to afford Stephen
all the encouragement he needed.
But for its elements of possible tragedy,
the situation would have been rather q
comical one to a locker -on who could have
read the hearts of those interested. Ste
phen Dare was thoroughly accustomed to
consider himself . great catch, and it never
entered his calculations to be regarded as
an inferior by any one who possessed less
money than himself He was simply and
frankly unable to estimate worth by any
ofh ofov ri Qsvkh In finv,- pafno.
ment, he considered accidental qualities,
like the shape of ones nose: the first
always valueless, the second and third
occasionally useful as q means of support,
and not bad for women. It was no doubt
the peculiar delicacy of Myra's beauty and
the dainty polish of her manners that made
her so attractive to him, and perhaps it
points he was half incapable of appreciate
ing her. Smoketon manners were by no
means deliberately finished; were, in fact,
but roughly blocked out. So it ID small
wonder that when Myra lifted her great,
pathetic eyes to his and murmured 'Thank
you 50 much" In return for his gifts Of
fruit and candy, he should fancy that her
manner meant fra, far more than the loud
voiced gratitude of the bellies of Smoketon.
On the other hand, while Myra readily
understood that Stephen admired her, it
would have been impossible for her to
realize that he looked upon her In full Sc
curity as his whenever he chose to claim
her. The gulf between them was, to her
eyes, so impassably abyssmal. 1t was true
least not more than grain-of what her
own conscience or q man in her own circle
would have called encouragement. She
had refused his invitations to drives,
theatres, ETC., without hesitation or excep-
tion, but on the plea Of her deep mourning,
and with eyes Of such tender sadness that
Stephen quite believed it to be "only those
way. And when he came to the house il
was quite impossible to refuse to see him.
He was q good -hearted, honest sort of fell
low, Myra thought, though rather monot-
onous II one had him seven times week,
for he had absolutely no general informa-
tion, and his range Of thought was narrow
in the extreme. That terrible Miss Bangs,
who called one afternoon in an apple green
silk and velvet which would have been hor-
rible even had she not been so conscious of
it, and who was 20 evidently In love with
"Steve," as she called him, was twice -
intelligent. A very good wife for him, too,
IL he would only be brought to believe it.
It was so much better for people to marry
In their own class.
The truth was, Myra as well as Stephen,
judged her fellows by a standard Of her
own establishing. and the one who most
truly measured things by the eternal yeri-
ties was poor, homely, neglected Mod.
Consequently when Stephen, at last,
asked Myra to be his wife and was rejected
with naughty surprise which she could
not quite conceal, 1t was Mod who was
least astonished. Stephen believed he
understood the whole matter perfectly, for
it was, in fact, the presence of Champ
Preston in Smoketon which had hurried
him on to declaration.
"A long, lazy, tow-headed fool" was his
terse description of the all-conauering
Champ. whose soft voice, handsome face,
languid elegance Of manner, not to speak
bonds and landed property, had for several
seasons made him the lion Of Eastern
society. He had been abroad at the time
of Mr.. Tracy's death. Immediately upon
his return he followed Myra to Smoketon,
where, rs he coohy informed her it was
his intention to bivouac with the aborigines
until she was ready to be married and re-
turn with him to civilization.
Myra readily allowed herself to be per.
suaded. Smoketon was more distasteful
TO her than ever since Stephen had taken
his dismissal in such vehemently bad part.
"He seemed actually to think was in love
with him, and declined to be convinced
that was not, )" she confided to Champ.
"They all do, my DEAR" he replied,
languidly. "If q fellow il decently civil
to one Of the daughters of the land she
thinks directly he Is wildly enamored Of
her. Don't be afraid of this aspiring but
dingy sutton; high tragedy in love has
gone quite out of style, assure you"
"I'm not afraid" she answered.; "but
you should have heard how he went on.
It was thoroughly shocking and disgust
ing"
Horribly bad form,n assented Champ,
meditatively caressing his long, yellow
mustache.
Stephen fully believed himself to have
been outrageously trifed with. II don't
blame her, he said to the long suffering
Mod, "for he's got ten times the money
have; but it 8 pretty rough on fellow, all
the same, to be sacked like this; and I'll
get even with him yeti"
"That's the trouble" said Mod, perfectly
unconscious that she was enunciating q
profound truth. "That's the trouble,
Stephen, about money. You are certain
to meet some one who Is worth more than
you are. For my part wish there wis no
such thing, people care so much about II. -