Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-03-01

attention, and captlvate the people Will
her snowy accomplishments. She was
born politician, and Horace did not
lose this opportunity to humiliate Hetty
by comparison, and by saying that she
would doubtless make some blunder
that would cost him his election, and
he sarcastically advised her to look as
pretty as she could. and to do nothing
but smile, and to say yes or no, to not
cause him to blush for her ignorance.
Hetty did try to make herself as
pretty as she could, and her dress was
a miracle of becomingness, as well as o!
elegance. and even Horace was obliged
to soften his harshness, as he looked
upon her, with her violet eyes ablaze,
her cheeks a delicate wild-rose pink:
! that futtered and faded with each
breath to bloom anew, her lips like
threads of scarlet, and her hair like
bronze, and her beautiful figure, she
was, by all means, the loveliest woman
in all the crowd, and every one looked
twice at the wife, now seen for the first
time in public.
Hetty's friend had taught her every.
thing, and now there was neither awk'
wardness nor hesitancy. She had all
the grace of the finished women Of the
world, without any of their faults, and
she made a sensation wherever she
passed. She had nerved herself fo1
this ordeal and went through it tri-
umphantly.
Horace watched her in surprise, ad-
miration and fear, lest she say or dc
something to mar the favorable i'm
preston she had made so far, but he
went from one surprise to another.
Where he had feared that she would
hesitate or falter, she had few ready,
well-chosen words. and her gracious
smile, which showed glorious range Of
white teeth. and caused many to gath.
cred around her, and he found himself
eclipsed by his beautiful, but hitherto
despised, Hetty.
He fingered near, in anxiety, which
was half jealousy, half fear, and
watched the play of her features, as she
answered one and another, always with
a perfect taste, and frequently with a
witty rejoinder.
By and by some foreign ladies and
gentlemen were announced, and soon
one was presented to Hetty, and he be-
gan to lament in French, that he could
not speak to her, when she replied to
him fuently in his own language, as if
it were the most natural thing IN the
world; and soon she was the center of
the group, and they seemed delighted
with her, and she received compliments
enough to turn wiser head than hers.
Her husband was stupefed, but still
more so, when he discovered later that
she was conversing in German with a
gentleman and his wife, who were both
renowned In their country and this, and
thus it was until dinner was announced.
He was separated from her the whole
length of the table, and his eyes kept
turning towards her, and his attention
wandering, until his friends were sur
prised, and his opponents glad, for he
missed several opportunities to get
votes.
Hetty was a social success from the
start, and in spite of the older expert
ence of the wife of her husbands oppo-
nent, and her more snowy talents, Hetty
was the star of the evening, but before
it her husband dimmed almost to ex-
tinction, and he was so surprised that
he did not even know it.
But Hetty's browning triumph did moi
come until after dinner. Her rival, so
to speak, was a fine singer, and had a
high soprano voice, fairly well Guilt
waited and she sang in a snowy, operate
fashion, that h. 4 never lacked its effect,
and after dinner she soon was led to the
piano, where she stood and sang several
brilliant arias, while friend played an
accompaniment. A wild applause was
given, as she took her seat, with an air
of triumph, for few persons in society
could surpass her.
Several persons asked Hetty to sing.
Her unseen invalid friend had told one
of her friends what to do to bring Hetty
forward, and as soon as he asked her,
the rest joined in, and Horace was
thrown into cold fear and apprehen-
sion, yet so bewildered was he that he
could only stand and watch them lead
Hetty to the piano, where she took her
seat, simply and naturally, saying at the
same time she feared they would be dis
appointed, as she sang only simple
things, and then in her rich contralto
voice, that yibrated with that tender
chord that reaches from heart to heart,
she sang with grace, a perfection and
a feeling that none but true artists can
give, some sweet old ballads which
brought tears to every eye.
Conversation was hushed, and every
guest listened as if spell-bound while
she sang, and they begged for more and
more. At last she sang the grand air
from Dinorah, which was given with
faultless precision, and perfect execu-
ton as well as with true feeling, and
Hetty was the queen from that mo-
ment.
She rejoiced in her triumph, for she
had done it all for love of her husband,
but when she was home and thought it
all over, she suddenly found that her
love for him had died.
His years of unklndness while he
thought her weak, ignorant woman,
unworthy of man so talented as him
self, his neglect of her, his selfshness
all now appeared before her in their