Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-24

o4e "a bu6 lAsulky -
Merely an old friend - tho Captain ex-.
planned.
" An old friend, chi Then I'm glad took
the precaation Of speaking to you. You
must deal gently with her, for she's seen
about as much trouble she can bear,
and il you're going to worry her with any
bad news or otherunpleasantness you won't
see her at all, aud that's plump" -
The Captain felt very uncomfortable.
1.-THE piano mans been here this morning
and taken the instrument away, though she.
starved herself to pay the hire, and too
proud she is to let me help her. Lord above
knows what she'll do if some Of her people
don't turn up-but, gracious, I'm letting my
tongue wag, and precious mad she'd be If
she knew I'd let on about her troubles"
May see her, pleasea' the Captain
asked, meekly.
"Yes, suppose must tell her you are
here" the woman said, reluctantly. ssWalt
few minutes and / will fetch herr
Left to himself, the Captain began to de-
plore the obstinacy of women in general and
Kate Frobisham in particular. Why, in the
name of goodness, couldn't she let his boy
alone? But he would bring this young per-
son to her senses before he left the city,
sure as his name was Daniel Winthrop.
Suddenly the door opened and Kate
Frobisham stood before him.
Now, it is one thing for an elderly gentle
man to make big resolutions and another to
carry them out when he is confronted by
lovely young woman looking exasperat-
ingly beautiful, and piercing his very heart
with a glance OF pitiful entreaty. Such a
sad, sweet face, too! What a shame that
fortune should deal so hardly with her. So
instead of reading her lecture on the i'm
propriety Of her conduct, he found himself
holding both the girls hands in his and
drawing her to him with fatherly kiss
81 was so surprised to hear you were
come" she said, in shy, soft tones.
And so glad, my pretty-say you were
glad too"
II think am glad-nay, will say am
sure I am glad, Captain Winthrop"
For an hour they talked, yet not word
did the wicked Captain say of the object
which had brought him to the city; and so
confidential did they become that when she
showed him some water-colors she had
sketched IN the vain hope Of selling them,
he had the unblushing mendacity to declare
that he knew picture dealer who was ach-
ing to secure just such things, offering, if
she would entrust them to him, to transact
the business for her-which he did much to
her wonderment and satisfaction.
/ Then he pleaded that she must have pity
on his loneliness in the city and ''show him
about a Bit" and even succeeded in in
weighing her to dine with him at his hotel
gether conducted himself in such repre-
hensible manner, that am sure the reader
has lost all confidence in him.
The next day was repetition Of the pre-
viOus one, and the more he saw of the
charming girl the more his heart warmed
towards her, and he became so demonstra-
tive in his affection that he scandalized Mrs.
Wilson, Kate's landlady, so that she felt
it her duty to warn the young lady against
the danger of the elderly gentleman's adj
miration, which brought the first smile she
had seen in Kate's face for many day.
By and by they became more confidential
and she told him many of the struggles
through which she had passed and her man
ner of encountering them, all of which tend
ed to more deeply impress him with the fact
hold her own under any difficulties.
But the crisis of the Captains inconsis-
tencies came upon the third day of his visit
to New York. Bright and early he was at
Mrs. Wilson's house, for Kate had promised
to accompany him on a trip to Staten ISL
and. AS he sat in the little dingy parlor
waiting her arrival-fOr Kate was not with
out the feminine weakness of being a wee
bit behind time in getting ready-he saw q
scrap of paper lying on the floor and recog-
Missed at once Harry's handwriting. I make
no apology for the indelicacy of his action,
for am simply historian, but the wicked
Captain picked it up and deliberately read
it through. 1t was a portion of a letter con-
tanning the following: ~
"While acknowledge that he is the best
father man ever had, am deeply panied
to add that there is no sign of that unrea-
sonable animosity to the name Of Frobish-
am wearing away; and il, as you say, you will