Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-12-26

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house to be sure, but
still it goes. And one day while she
was In her little room-his room was at
the opposite end of the hall-she over
heard two of the servants discussing
certain photographs. She learned they
were in his room. She also learned
that they were photographs of ladies'.
Now, the dominant characteristic of the
feminine mind is curiosity. Sorry to
say so, but it is true. Some will go to
almost any length to appease it. And
many a woman has brought trouble on
herself and friends to crafty it. And
our little heroine was plentifully su :
piled with this valuable article.
''Can he have another girl?" she asked
herself; then quickly answered it: ''Of
course he has. But perhaps he is en-
gagged! Think of it-engaged! Is such
a thing possible?"
And fully impressed with the horror
of the thought, she flung her door open.
There was no one in the hall; the door
of his room was open, for it was the day
after Christmas and he was out of town
gone to see that other perhaps. Her
mother was Out-nO chance of detection
from that quarter. She remembered
that the occupants of the other room
were also away for Christmas-no one to
discover her there. Surely the coast was
clear. Yes, she saw it, and with rapid
step walked boldly into his room. All!
how she flushed at her own pretty face
in his mifror-a dainty hand-painted
thing doubtless the gift of that other
But what other? She looked around and
saw, not one feminine face, as she ex-
pected, but many. But there was one
which seemed to have the most promi-
hence. This stood on the bureau, and
she bent over to examine it closely.
The upper drawer of the bureau was
open little way-all else was in good
order. She had been studying the pho
tograph, perhaps minute, raptly and
critically, when she was Mortified by
hearing the front door in the hall below
open and shut heavily and rapid step
come hurrying up the stairs. She turned
pale with fright, for she recognized his
quick step, and never had it seemed so
dangerously quick-never had she ex-
perienced such sensation of perfect
dismay. Not pausing longer, she turned
abruptly to hazard run into her own
room, for he had climbed but one fight
of stairs-there was yet time.
At her bosom she wore a dainty glove
buttoner of oxidized silver-a pretty
thing, the gift of a dear friend. 1t had
become dislodged from it's resting-place
as she sat reading in her own room,
and when the thought of those photo
graphs came to her she rose so sud
denly that she still further loosened it;
while bending over the picture on his
bureau it hung by just the slightest
thread, and when she turned quickly
to fly it fell into the partly-open drawer.
She heard the noise as it fell. but could
not pause to find it at so critical a mo-
ment.
When she entered the room-his
room-she easily lodged around a chair,
which was placed little awkwardly in
the center of the room; but in her
eagerness to escape she thought not of
that obstruction, but rushed into it,
overturned the chair, which fell with
crash, and, humbled most piteously, she
sprawled full length upon the floor,
dozen hair-pins flying in all directions.
Alas! for her lordly dignity!
just at this juncture he, a little
wearied with the climb, reached the
upper hall and swiftly approached his
room. 1t would be utterly false to say
that he was not surprised. 1t would be
equally false to say that he was liter
ally thunder-stru.k. He paused alb