Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-07-27

II artopp asking if he might not see her
home.
For the first time in her life Flossy
felt ashamed of her vagrant habits.
Her mothers seedlings had never
touched her so closely as Mr.. Hartopp's
| evident concern that she should have
been exposed to this annoyance.
She at once recovered her self-posses-
| sion, and chatted pleasantly till they
reached her mothers door.
81 don't know how to thank you
enough she repeated won't you
| come in and let mother thank you her.
! self. or will you come tomorrow" she
added, hastily, as a vision of her
mothers probably soiled cap and shah
| by gown, and the general untidiness of
! the room presented itself to her recol-
| lection; Eyes that will be best She
gave him winning smile. and, raising
her shining black dark eyes to his. she
| held out her hand Tomorrow, then;
| au revoir.'
| When Louis Hartopp had thanked
her and taken his leave, he said to him
self:
| ''See her tomorrow! I should just
think 1 will She's perfectly lovely
and what figure!"
| Mr.. Hartopp called next day. Flossy
| had worked hard to make the room
pretty. There was a nosegay of
| flowers on the table, which she had got
at half price from her greengrocer, who
| thought Miss Barden beautiful, and the
''affablest LADY, he had ever seen. The
mother was Ordinary looking, but she
was quiet and lady-like. Mr.. Hartopp
was not a marrying man, but he liked
female society, and, as he had few con-
| genial friends in Liverpool, he told
| himself that this sudden acquaintance
was perfect godsend and would help
him to many agreeable afternoons and
| evenings during his exile from London.
| This was at the beginning of his visit,
| and half-an-hOur'S amusing chat con-
| firmed his impression. Then, as he was
| thinking he must leave, very unwilling
ly, for it was real enjoyment to watch
that beautiful face, and follow with his
eyes those gliding, graceful movements,
there came a sudden lightning flash,
followed by crashing thunder peal,
and the sky, which had been gloomy,
| looked very dark indeed.
| The invalid pressed Mr.. Hartopp to
stay. She said it would make her sadly
nervous if he ventured into the storm,
| and as she spoke the room suddenly
lightened with another vivid fash, and
] the house seemed to shake with the
| thunder that followed.
| When Louis Hartopp finally left, he
was completely infatuated with Miss
Barden. He was one of those men who
| at once defy a new acq uaintance
acquisition; he had gathered from the
] talk of the mother and daughter that
| they knew very few persons in the
| town, and he felt glad that he should
| have Flossy all to himself. He thought
| that she was not only beautiful, but
that she was extremely gifted, and
that she had cultivated mind. If his
| senses had been clearer he might have
| remembered that Miss Barden had
| listened far more than she had spoken,
| and that she had not only agreed with
| every thing he said, but that she had
| exerted herself to praise his opinions.
She had not feigned this sympathy;
| she was as completely infatuated as Mr..
Hartopp was, and she determined to be-
come his wife. She had not doubt
| about it, or fear; she was absorbed
| by the pleasure she had found with be-
ing with him. This was love, she told
herself, true love at first sight, and she
felt that it had begun with her before
| she saw him; even when she was look
1 my 1OI HILL GllOSC ClcI hSs
| she knew she was looking for the man
| she should love with all her heart and
| soul.
At first Mr.. Hartopp only called on
Sunday, but he met Flossy almost
daily. She spent great part of the
day out of doors. They did not walk
| together, but just chatted a few min
utes and passed on. Then one day she
said she was going to Manchester. and
he met her at the station when she
came back, and he saw her safe home.
! Little by little he came oftener to the
house, and Flossy used to linger with
him in the passage when she went to
let him out.
One day Mrs. Barden asked her
daughter whether she was engaged to
be married.
NO" was the answer, mot engaged,
but we understand one another
Flossy turned away with sparkling
eyes and slight stamp of the foot, at
which ominous signs her mother, who
had learned to dread her handsome
girls fight~ of temper, became dumb
with regaru 10 Mr.. Hartopp's inten-
tions.
Flossy was pleasant and extremely
good-natured until her will was crossed;
to do her justice, she had never been
taught to control naturally violent
temper, either by precept or example.
She was very angry at her mothers
question because she had been con-
stantly asking herself how much longer
Louis Hartopp would wait before he de-
clared his love: Miss Smith had also
said she supposed she would soon be
called upon to play the part of brides
maid. Though Flossy's temper was
vehement and her will undisciplined,
she could curb both when she chose,
and Louis Hartopp never imagined
that his beauty was not as sweet as she
looked. He was really very fond of her.
She had keen sense of the ridiculous,
and, like most men, he loved to be
amused. He was also fond of music,
and she sang very sweetly.
| One day, several weeks after their
first meeting, he was utterly surprised
to find her grave and silent. It was
the day after her mothers vexing ques-
ton; the girl had come some way from
home to meet him; she had been telling
herself Louis Hartopp must mean to
| hay- he 81 ho,. 70