Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-09-19

beneath her head shot OF 1.-THE chair and
rolled down out Of her reach. She made
two weak, Intellectual efforts to clutch it,
and. thereupon, in the sheer weakness
and petulance. engendered by that un-
ique malady OF tho sea. she commenced
to cry like baby.
She could not have uttered more than
four Of those plaintive little sobs before
she felt the pillow being replaced. A
strong arm, clothed in a soft flannel
sleeve, had raised her head with an air of
cool proprietorship. and its fellow
smoothed and patted the pillow into
place as skillfully as though 1t had never
known any other duty. Then the owner
Of the two arms stepped back Ia pace or
two to survey his work, and Miss Gray
looked up and beheld-her enemy OF the
blonde mustache.
His eyes were dancing withi merriment
and mis- chief. Miss Gray noted with bit
terness how handsome and healthy and
daring he looked. Tall, slender, straight
as an arrow, every line of his figure ex-
pressing grace and the consciousness of
it. He looked primed for mischief.
A sudden sense of her former expert.
ence rushed across Miss Gray's mind.
The combined bitterness of that and of
the sickness she was just recovering
from were too much for her. She was
not to be trapped twice. She half rose
on her elbow and cried, peevishly:
eco away"
Over the young mans face swept
look Of amazement to be followed by
one of combined amusement and pique.
He bowed low, with great grace, and did
as he was hidden.
OF course the young lady regretted her
action the next instant. She knew that
she had been rude, inexcusably rude.
She began to wonder if the young man
would come back, and next to hope that
he would. Then, as the minutes dragged
by and he did not come, she began to re-
feet on what an extraordinarily hand
some young man he was. There was
honesty and breeding in every line of his
face. He had done nothing but what
ordinary courtesy would dictate. He did
not look like a young man in the habit
of taking liberties. The upshot of her
reverie was that she remarked, quietly:
'Lucretia Gray, you are fool" Then
she cried little more, and felt better.
She could not accuse the young man of
presumption after that. When she met
him, in her frequent promenades on deck,
his face assumed the expression of
stone wall. For all that he appeared to
know to the contrary, she might have
been at the bottom of the Atlantic in
stead Of sailing across it in the same ship
with him. He persisted in this course.
He never looked her way, and it was not
very long before people began to notice
it. Acquaintance had sprung up be-
tween the passengers, as they always do.
and bye and bye these two young peo-
pie were actually the only saloon pas
sengers who did not speak to each other.
Strange as it may appear, the longer it
continued the better Miss Gray liked the
young man. She fell to studying him, as
he paced the decks or lOunged on the
ca bin sofas with an unread book in his
listless ingers-the fingers that were al
way SO beautifully white, and tipped, to
the brink Of effeminacy, with such won
erfully polished nails. Once she was
guilty of gazing long and earnestly at
him through the windows of the music
room as he sat stunning idly at the
piano. He could not play note. but,
strangely enough, the discords that he
struck seemed far from unharmonious to
the young lady, herself an accomplished
musician. But, then, she was looking at
his hair, and marveling inwardly at the
tricks the sunshine played with it. After
except at such times she knew her
chances would risk being intercepted.
Once he caught her-caught her fairly and
unequivocally. He was leaning over the
railing, and turned suddenly to find her
gaze full upon him from a distance of a
short six feet. Was it prank of the inn
| agination or did fash of pleasure CLEAN
into his eyes. as she hastily turned aside
| with her cheeks, neck and brow all scar
let with modification? No, she was sure
| of it, and in five minutes she told herself
| she hated him passionately. In ten she
| told herself that-if it would not seem so
| supremely ridiculous-she believed she
| loved him; yes, actually loved this yell
| w-haired Adonis whom she had snubbed
for doing her kindness. and who had
ignored her existence ever since as a con-
| sequence.
The days slipped by very monoto-
nously. The voyage was nearly over, and
the other passengers came and went,
| smoked and ate. and slept and talked in
the same dreary round of ocean life.
Once or twice she was on the point OF
speaking to her tyrant, as she now
mentally termed him, but always paused
before she had quite completed the sac
riice to her pride. She grew to abhor
the very sight of the trusty old cap
tain, who seemed inclined to exert to the
fullest extent his prerogative Of guardian
"a failing not uncommon with gentle
men of his persuasion.
One bright afternoon, when they were
within seven hundred miles of New York,
Miss Gray came to sudden conclusion
that the state Of affairs was uncomfortable
She would have 1t cut with this yOune
man let the consequences be what they
might. Perhaps-she found herself
shuddering slightly at the thought few
moments conversation with him might
dispel her Illusion and prove him un.
worthy of the time she was wasting IL
thinking of him. She paced the decl
slowly, all alone. The passengers were
all down at luncheon, while she, who had
10 appetite, remained there. firm in thu
resolution to go through with her self.
imposed task.
On a sudden impulse she neglected te
turn at the limit OF the wheel -house. bu
continued her walk round to the rear Of
it. and, arriving at the railing overlook.
ing the stern, whom should she hnt
leaning down over the water in his ha-
bitual graceful attitude. but the object OF
her Quest-the young man of the superb
figure and dropping, golden mustache.
Now those who have made voyage II
modern ocean steamship are quite Ia
miliar with tie advantages OF the marrow
!, space between the sternwheel railing
and th~ .ear of the wheel-house for pur
; poses ut tetes- a-tete. Two persons en-