Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-09-20
MY GUARDIAN JIM.
Changing the Might Have Been
Into the Shall Be.

Into the Shau be.
''And sec here, Nell, you must UNI
derstand this: On the first symptom of
your chronic wickedness breaking out
I'll put George Hamilton on his guard. y
my chronic wickedness! What do
you mean?"
''Miss lngenue, cOquetry may or may
not be as harmless as any other femi-
nine fad. 1t depends on the tempera-
ment of the man on whom it is tried
Harry Petrie, suppose, rather enjoys
it, and the other half-dozen lovers to
whom you at present distribute your
smiles with touching impartiality are
used, l dare say, to flirting with a
pretty girl, and will feel none the worse
when the comedy is ended. With
George Hamilton it might be differ
ent."
''Oh! you are apprehensive of your
friend making love to me-"
''Rather, I'm seriously apprehepsive
Of you making love TO my friend"
"Jim!''
''Not in words; you are too finished
an artist to bungle after that fashion.
Since you escaped from short dresses
you have been a psychological study
to me, and do you think l haven't
tumbled to all your kittenish tricks?
The studied information of the voice,
the sudden dropping of the eyelids be-
cause their lashes are long and silken,
and that charming habit of blushing
apr0pos de rien save that it be-
comes you. Pom my word, Miss Mel
rose, you are the only young woman
/ ever heard of who could blush to
order, as some emotional actresses
claim they can shed genuine tears on
the stage when the exigencies of a
part demand it. Now, if you were
anatomically constructed on the lines
of other human beings and had a
heart / wouldn't mind Hamilton fall
ing in love with you, for then he
would be taking only the ordinary
chances. So give you fair warning,
if catch you at any of your old tricks
I'll give you away without cOmpunc-
ton" And with this threat my
guardian abruptly left the room.
Yes, he was my guardian, this man
of thirty-four, and l had lived beneath
his roof since my fathers death ten
years before. My poor father, he was
the medical practitioner of our little
town, and despite the disparity of
their ages, between him and James
EsmOnd friendship almost fraternal
existed for many years. Yet people
thought it strange that the sensible
DIR. Melrose should have left his little
girl eight years old to the sole guard
ianship of man of twenty-fOur. But
in his quiet home with his mother,
who had been indeed a mother also to
me, an orphan child, my life had been
a singularly happy one. For the first
time in all these years believe was
really angry with him this afternoon,
and setting his threats and authority
at defiance l was resolved to flirt to
my hearts content with our coming
guest. Mr.. Hamilton arrived the fol-
lowing evening, and as my guardian
introduced him l could not possibly
mistake the meaning of his warning
look.
81 trust, Hamilton he said. ''that
Miss MelrOse and you may learn to be
excellent friends. During your brief
holiday you will necessarily spend
most of your time together, for the
work on the farm leaves me little
leisure to devote to even as old a
friend as yourself. But Nell is clever
young person, who can make herself
entertaining when she chooses to take
the trouble"
OF course Mr.. Hamilton's sense of
gallantry compelled him to say that he
felt quite sure the hours he spent in
the society of the clever young person
would be simply delightful. and men,
tally recorded vow that Iwould take
the trouble to make them so.
well. what do you think of him?''
was the question my guardian asked
me when our guest had retired that
night.
'.Passable. suppose, as men 60"
HE is certainly handsome" he said
tentatively, land the best fellow in the
world, but little over-sensitive.n
HE is sensitive, therefore he is
vain. There was never yet a sensitive
man who was not vain one"
..Fudge"
s.But faint fudge, sir, for sensitive
ness is, after all, only the offspring OF
self-cOnsciousness."
.sSay, youngster, did you evolve that
bright idea from your own small brain?
Don't let Hamilton think have lit
erary nuisance beneath my root. And
now be off to bed"
Mt. Hamilton possessed, with fair
share of good looks, a more than aver
age share of intelligence and educa-
ton. and when a certain shyness or re-
serve, which seemed habitual, had
worn away, found him, indeed, an in
teresting companion. If were writ
ing . love story might be tempted to
lineer over the days that followed, bu!
Is 1 am not l may be allowed to epit
omize the events that rounded out
these days in a sentence. Mr.. Hamil.
knn becare the most ardent of ~