Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-15

their girlhood, for protective fondness,
and to whom an early marriage is hence
an agency teeming either with porten-
tous misery or JOY. Treated with de-
cent marital respect she might have
made an excellent wife; treated quite
the reverse of that, she had turned wife
hood into a travesty. The aliment Of
frivolity on which she fed had aug
mented her natural feebleness of char
acter. She was like a child foraging in
a box of sugar plums, which can be
taken from it only with tragic shrieks
and tears. Alonzo dreaded something
of this sort now. And yet the box Of
sugar plurns had to be taken away.
There was no help for it.
ST always want to mean pleasant
things when I talk with you, Kitty"
her brother now replied. 81 only wish
that could always mean to say them"
'sYou don't always try" she pouted,
not at all comprehending him Just
| look how other women behave. I'd
have you understand that I consider
myself the pink of discretion"
'sYou should Hlzen yourself to a lily,
my dear, and not pink. Like the
lilies of the field, you toll not, neither
do you spin. But Pm afraid, Kitty,
| your-yopr vacation is over"
"My vacation over?" she queried, lift
| ing her brows, staring at him, for the
first time perceiving that his face was
colorless and that there were drawn
| lines near his lips. But still no real
suspicion of the truth came to her. ooh!
DEAR" she exclaimed, you're going to
Lecture me! You've heard something
horrid about me and you've believed it. ;"
A1onzo smiled sadly, and for a mo-
ment lowered his look. Give heard
something horrid about both of U.s." he
said, ''and I'm compelled to let you
know what it isl Then, amid silence,
he lifted his eyes, and soon added: SIT
concerns our money. There's been a
great loss!''
ga great 1oss2'' was her cry, as she
started up. ''When? Where? How?
Do you mean that any OF my money has
gomez
YES and as she again reseated her
self, agitated and frowning, he pursued:
''Kitty, what will you do when you've
heard the entire truth, since you deport
yourself like this on the mere threshold
of it?' He at once proceeded to tell heI
the entire truth, and some time before
he had ended she was almost in straits
for breath.
''Oh! Lonz," she at length gasped
Ell can't think of myself as poor! It's
too CHASTITY! Don't you believe thereI
be anything left?''
There's always something left il
these hideous affairs Alonzo answered
Its like a shipwreck-some kind o,
rubbish or another is sure to get washed
ashore. Pm sorry for you, Kitty
awfully So But the thing has got to be
borne
'sBorner' she almost shouted. CT
can't bear it, and I won't! Poor! ugh
1 1oathe poverty!''
''Most people do
sob! that vile Chichester! I Away:
did detest him! He was commonnes:
itself, with his twang, and his diamonds
and his negro coachman."
81 quite agree with you"
''He should never have been allowed
in the firm raved the sister of Alonzo
And then her hippancy broke through
her despair, in ludicrous contrast to it
HE didn't only have negro cOachman
but once I met him at Saratoga in tht
morning with white evening necltie.
''And he has ended crininally, a.
might have been expected
''Ohi you joke about it" moaned Mrs
Van Santvoord, bursting into tempest
uous tears. you'd joke at the can
mons MOUTH
THAT would depend upon what the
lannon's mouth happened to be saying
But, Kitty, look here: Phil
osophy in these cases can't but prove
the wisest course"
PHILOSOPHY! Pooh.' She had jumped
up from her chair and began an excited
promenade, pausing and turning every
few seconds with a swish of her sill1e1
skirt. PHILOSOPHY can't pay one,
; tradespeople for one! To be poor is t.
be low and contemplate! Oh, 20,
needn't tallSl I know the pettiness ant
nastiness of an empty purse! See here
l Lonz!'' and she suddenly shot up to hi
, side and seized lapel of his coat witt
: trembling hand. 81 shall go mad
know l SHALL 1 don't mean that it vii
break my heart, no doubt Hector dit
? that, long ago, and I've been living OF
with the two pieces humping on
against another in my breast and per
l haps making me the restless, feverisl
l creature I am. But if it doesn't breal
, my heart it will break my brain" Sh
t snatched her hand away from him as h
} tried to take it, and then stopped he
head while pressing n palm agains
l either temple. At the same momen
: she gave vent to shrin, hysteric laugh
/ A1onzo caught her in his arms and al
most carried her to a lounge. It wa
: not till good hour later that he &C
} companied her home in his own car
l rage
r Her exhibition of terrified weakness
5 had not, after all, struck him as strange
/ It was just what might have been eS
: pected of woman to whom the mer
( materialism of life had grown its dear
t est aim, its hardest fundament. Hero
: ism, nerve, resignation, acceptance o
: unforeseen i'll, was not to be antici
t pated from such as she. And Their
: were so many, he reflected, exactly Hlz
S her. The very spinal cord of their ferni
l nine dignity and self-reliance was prid
4 in the plethora of their pocl1etboolSs
''Thank God" he thought, while hi
sisters faint sobs broke above the rum
( bling wheels of the chill, dark cal
rage, my Kathleen is made of sterne
5 and better Stuff
= The Van Santvoords had lately gon
t into a spacious house on Fifth avenue
| within almost stone throw of tn
p partx Kitty had grand ideas OF til