Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-06-20
A LITTLE FILTRATION
It Was q Very Harmless, But Very
Expensive Affair.

Every body wondered why pretty
Mrs. Lightfoot, with all the alluring
possibilities of Newport, Lenox and
Bar Harbor in full view, should have
chosen to bury such charms as hers in
that out-of-the-way. dreary nook, Bore
ton-by-the-Sea. In truth. it was
trifie perplexing that widow, young.
handsome and in the period of miti-
gated grief-just beginning to take no
tice-to whom the air of Bellevue ave-
nue. or Frenchman's Bay was as the
breath of life. should calmly elect her.
self denizen of little, lazy seaside
village, too far away for the man of
business, but not far enough nor fair
enough for the man of leisure, and
whose male contingent exhibited, there
fore, an unlovely blending of the cradle
and the grave.
Still, there she was, the one gay fig
ure amid a thrOng of health hunters.
listening with sympathetic grace to
lurid details of symptoms, aches and
agues, kaleidoscope in variety and
picturesque in detail as a patent med
icine puff, the very air raw with sug-
gestions OF the Geneva Cross with am
bulance trimmings.
Yes, her world marveled greatly at
such a butterfly turned grub, yet ap-
parently smiling at the change; but
that world has never yet been capable
of getting inside of smile. Had it
been able, what an deliberately with
cred sarcOphagus it would have dis
covered at the back of this one. For
our dear little Lightfoot was. in truth.
a gilded picture of misery and an i'm
age of inwardly growing despair. She
herself was on a health-hunt, like all
the others at Boreton, except that the
weakly object of her solicitude and
nursing care was her bank account,
not her rosy, bright-eyed SELF
The fact is, that early in the spring,
visions of pretty toilets with which to
delight Newport, ensnare Bar Harbor
and thrill Lenox, had so absorbed her
very being that, regardless of last win
ter's output. she had held high carni-
val at the modiste's. which resulted in
an accumulation of purple and fine
linen fit for royal progress, and a
warning note from her trustee to the
depressing effect, that next quarters
income was so forestalled that she
would probably have to make it con-
venient to camp for the summer in one
of her large trunks, with a small one
by way of kitchen annex.
This note brought to Mrs. Light
fao FIJI off he
iron fact it is impossible to spend two
thousand dollars a month. out of an
income of six thousand year. with
out speedily stranding on the weather
shore of Cape Hard-up and being buff
feted by waves of bills payable.
Imagine such thunderbolt launched
upon pretty head brimful of dreams
of summer conquests! Imagine all
those new gowns changed to sackcloth
and ashes at one swOOp of that musty
trustees pen! Think of that brilliant
campaign from Rhode Islands shores
to Maine, and the Berkshire Hills
turned into a Moscow retreat, like that
of a standard theatrical troupe! So it
was. however. Early in July the CEN
sus of Boreton-by-the-Sea was in
creased two souls by the arrival of
Mrs. Sylvia Lightfoot and maid. and
the number of its habitable structures
was nearly doubled by the advent of
their luggage. On arriving at the sta
ton, Maria, the maid aforesaid. shifted
stern disapproval of Boreton and all
its surroundings. She had been Syl-
Was nurse from the day that. as a
baby. she uttered her first indignant
protsss. at being brought into this
world without her consent being first
asked and given. From nurse she had
developed into general proprietor of
the orphan girl, which office she filled
with all the tyranny of affection, grim
ly resigning it when her charge mar
ried. and resuming it like an heir re-
stored to his own when death removed
1.-THE obstacle" as. in her heart of
hearts. she called the husband.
The first day at Boreton fulfilled
Maria's impressions. There were
showers without and tears within,
alternating with that joy of woman's
life, unpacking- however, in
Sylvia's case, was lessened by the dis
covery that her jewels. instead of be.
ing sent to the safe deposit. as intend
ed. had been packed and brought down
IN her luggage. Here was . sleep
destroyer! With those jewels in the
cottsge, phantom burglars in black
masks would hover through he