Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-06-04
Copyright. 1901. by A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co.

CHAPTER VI1.-CONTINUED.
sNo, pray, Mrs. Besant, don't disturb
her. 1 really must be going-Flossie
will be thinking have tainted by the
evayside," and the young man hurried
away, eager to escape the spinster
from Chicago. who was mot at all good
looking and rather passe."
Imagine his chagrin then, when, as
he turned to fasten the garden-gate, he
saw Mrs. Besa mt, who had followed him
cut on the veranda, standing with her
arm embracing the waist of the pref
test girl Mark Henderson had ever seen
in his life-such vision of youthful
loneliness that he stood for the moment
transfxed-and to think that, if he had
only known, he might have escorted
these two pretty women to his sisters
house. Well. he'd pay Flossie out for
the joke she had played him, anyhow.
and make up for lost time in the even
ing.
On his return to his sisters, he found
that the parsonage people had already
arrived and that DIR. Burrows had
brought an addition to the party in the
shape of young Methodist minister. a
recent arrival in the place.
81 wanted to be civil to the fellow, :"
Harry whispered in Marks ear. ''but
I'm afraid you'll find him an awful
BORE
Rev. Lubin Ferry came up at that
moment for an introduction to the hero
of the evening. He was a gentle, over
grown young man, who wore glasses
and dropped perpetually sanctimonious
phrases from his lips; little scraps of
devotional expressions that were never
intended to pass as colloquial currency
in common cOnverSation-aS different a
man from the big-hearted. broad-prin-
cipled, scholarly Josiah Brentwood as
it was possible to conceive. Moreover,
he was the only son of q widow, who
had tied him to her apron-string from
the time he was little lad, following
him to college, and never letting him
out of h~r sight for more than a few
hours in his whole life. and the young
man had become so imbued with this
maternal srlicitude that he dragged his
mothers sentiments into every thought
he uttered, to Mark Henderson's in
tense disgust. especially when he
learned afterwards that the mamma
was selfish, vulgar old body. who
took every cent of her sons earnings
foot.
I'm so glad to meet you, Captain
Henderson" the young minister gushed,
taking Marks brawny hand in both his
chubby white ones and nursing it af-
fectionately. 1.-THE repose of this quiet
spot must be very soothing after the
turmoil of battle-wounded. too. they
tell me you've been. Well. as ma says,
we've much to be thankful Tor in this
vale of tears"
'Yet 1 don't feel particularly CRATE
full for bullet in my shoulder-blade, -
Mark said, abruptly. disengaging his
hand from the minister's grasp.
.''Ah, no. Bless me. no. I didn't
mean that at all; but do let me intro
duce you to my sweet young friend
Grace Brentwood" and with an air of
proprietorship he took the soldier across
the room and made him known to Miss
Brentwood, with as much sangfroid as
though he had been familiar with that
young person from girlhood. A few
hours later Mark heard him talking of
Mrs. Besant's niece as my dear young
friend Kate Lester" and wondered
what there was in the clerical profess
sion that permitted such breaches of
social etiquette, or, as he called it, I am
sorry to say, unlimited gall"
Grace and the Captain became fast
friends, and when he told her delicious
little anecdotes of Franks bravery and
general heroism, you may be sure he
did not lose favor in her eyes, which