The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-22

1
| dance with hcr and no ether woman IL
the room. But liz wCG:d have to do il il
rather patronizing way or she might
| think too seriously of ii. lie concluded Il
! do it. 1t would be clever thing to tel
! the young ladies at more pretentious af
! fairs, when he should go east on leave Of
! absence.
| He walked gracefully over to her and
babe her good evening in his most gal
| liant way. She blushed a good deal more
| but could not even reply. The schoo
| teacher had the modesty and discretion tC
retire from her SIDE, just as he had ex
pected he would. He knew that all in the
room were looking at him. lie had to ad
nit it was bit exhilarating lie did not
forget his patronizing way, however.
How pretty you are tonightp' he said.
'Am II" she answered, blushing again.
"Wonderfully," be answered, hardly
knowing whether his own admiration was
mock, as he wanted it to be, or honest.
DO look like girls in the east when
they go to dances?" she asked him.
Just exactly, although much prettier, u
he replied He noticed that he was begin
ming to be overgallant in the good old army
way. He concluded that he would 0ance
with her What" said he, Sin all this
world would you rather have me do this
evening than anything else?" he asked her.
e'Will you do it," she asked in turn, but
with strange earnestness.
Il solemnly promise" he answered
laughing!y
''Ihen take me and dance with me and
talk to me just as if | was a. live lady in
the east, and as if this was great ball,
with everything just as nice as it could be,
and as if | was a-was a girl that you
l-l-iked," she said
He did it. 1t seemed like a challenge
and he was gallant. 1t was great temp
tation, he felt the intoxication OF her
beauty and he was human. He danced
with her; he paid her compliments by the
score until she was ecStatic; he talked to
her just as he would if she had been a
countess, and she was delighted. He
monopolized her until the little school
teacher went off home pale with rage and
modification, and the other men began to
wonder if the lieutenant had fallen in love
with old WhittiInore's daughter, and the
women became as envious as women can
become, which is a great deal. He meant
not word of it, but he was soon talking
at lovemaking was trick he had learned
to perfection at West Point. He took her
out into the moonlight, and talked about
being as true as the stars are to the sun.
He told her that even the trees and the
mountains and the flowers were in love
with her. and jealous of him. He told her
that the bubbling Popo-Agie was singing
her scramble. He enjoyed it a great deal.
1t was more than enjoyment to her.
He walked home with her, too, when the
affair was over. The road seemed never
before so short to her, and never before so
long to him, Tor he was beginning to tire of
the Irritation. Besides that, it reminded
him of the delightful times the fellows in
the artillery and engineers stationed in the
east and near the great cities were having
all the time, while he and all the rest of
the cavalry fellows were doing all the real
work Of the army, and it is not well for a
cavalryman to brood on these subjects So
they were very silent until they reached
the shadow of the Whittipore house. Then
he said, Good night" and started to leave.
To his surprise, as he did So he found her
arms outstretched to him and her face held
up to his own. As | have said before, he
was human. Moreover, he was cavalry
lieutenant. He kissed her.
"Good night" he said again, this time a
little more tenderly.
when will you come tomorrow" she
asked him.
He was little startled. The tone of her
voice told him that. as he had feared, the
affair had gone little too far However,
it was not possible, he thought, that she
could have taken him seriously. 1t was
embarrassing. The odd contrariness came
over him again.
Il think FL take ride down the river
tomorrow, he answered coldly.
And not come to see me at all?" she
continued.
Not tomorrow; perhaps some other
day." he answered lightly.
But you said that you could not live
an hour without me-" she said tremu-
lousy.
"Oh, well, Nellie,'' he replied, that was
only in fun. OF course you must not be-
lieve everything that / have told you.
was only in fun. Good night" He turned
on his heel and walked away in the direc-
ton of his camp.
Old Whittimore did not care for society
He remained in the house this night and
went to sleep very early. He knew that
Nellie would turn up all right, for she was
quite able to take care of herself. He was
awakened several times during the night
by the shooting of the cowboys, who cele-
brated the last dance of the first ball in the
Popo-Agie valley by unnecessarily expend-
ing ammunition. 1t seemed to him that
there was one shot rather close to his house,
though and if there had been another he
would have dressed and gone out and given
the boys piece of his mind. But it was
not repeated.
He rose rather early the next morning
and went out to look after the horses He
turned the corner of the hoghouse and ut
tered an exclamation of horror. Before
him on the ground lay his daughter-dead
She was still clad in the white muslin
dress. Her revolver was clasped in her
white hand, and on the bosom OF her
dress, just over the heart, was a bright red
circle. 1t was wet. Il was blood Lieuten-
ent Hardy never repeated the story of the
Irritation for the edification of young ladies
in the east, or any one else. -Harper's
Weekly
Early Instance of Free Education.
In Diodorus Siculus XII | find the fol-
lowing among the laws of Charonidas for
Thurium, b. c. As, that all the children
of the citizens should learn to write, and
the city should pay the master wages"
quote from the translation of Booth of
Chester, London, 100, 70. Is there any
arla O,,o