Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-08
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NJEANETTE H.WiAlWORTHA

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He wanted to comfort John. They all
did, in fact. The bond of brotherly at
lection was very strong among the Lor-
inner boys. Johns face was not that of
a happy groom 1t wore an unfamiliar
look of anxiety-somewhat as if, hav-
ing consciously wandered very near the
edge of a precipice, he was calculating
the chances of plunging over. Lorimer
turned his eyes from Johns flushed face
to the dusty pampas plumes which Dick
had criticised SO severely. He smiled
at the undue Importance the boy had
given them The mantel vases might
have been ornamented with sides OF
bacon for all the notice they had ex-
cited. Everybody had been stiff, I'M
natural. uncomfortable.
'sYour wife is beautiful woman,
john" Lorimer said, soothingly.
John answered almost combatively:
eyes, Nora is handsome. And she is
sweet, good woman. A better one does
not live
''Any fa1nily?''
"Yes-no. That is, nobody but Nj
nette and Ninettes mother
''Ninette's mother is alive, then?'
s'No-ycs. Devil take it, boys, 1 never
was in such snarl before. What be-
tween supreme dislike to appear so
mysterious here among you all at home,
and my desire to respect Nora's wishes,
/ am acting like an imbecile. l don't
know what to say or to leave unsaid."
BE loyal to her, John. Never mind
about u.s.
John turned grateful look in Lori
mer's direction: Thank you, Lorrie.
You are right. 1t is easy enough not to
mind about you fellows; but how about
mother?"
Lor1mer shrugged his broad shout
ders and looked powerless. Dick grunt-
ed obviously. RATE laughed nervously.
The harassed look came back into
Johns face; evidently none of them
was prepared to help him over that
difficulty. Lorimer offered some adj
vice:
f'It is well to leave some things to
chance and to Providence. The boys and
] will gratefully accept any crumbs of
information you choose to fling us, but
where mother is concerned j would adj
wise you to confide in her as far as posi-
Bile" His mellow voice rose irritably:
s'kou were ridicu1ously young to think
about marrying at all, Johnnie. Only
twenty-five last MONTH"
IT have been in love with Nora for
two years. She boarded at the same
house with me. She supported herself
Is a stenographer and typewriter.
Good old family, but everything gone.
Old story. Ruined by the war. She
refused me three separate times. Then
all of a sudden she asked me one day if
L was of the same mind. When l told
her was, she said she would marry me
that day two weeks. And she did.
That is all there is to tell you, boys.
And if she fails to win mothers heart,
it will be the first failure for her to re-
cord in that line. Everybody grows
fond of Nora. Oh, say, haven't you
anything to tell me about Dennis? Been
seen? Been heard from?''
Neither seen nor heard from"
''And Ida Fairbanks?"
s'Things are about as usual over there,
4 suppose" Lorimer was spokesman,
@'she wearing her life away uncom-
plainingly for a selfish old sybarite
whose luxuries are supplied out of her
earnings"
''Earnings!"
<'Bl own bread and flower peddler."
''Ida Fairbanks?'
s'Ida Fairbanks"
Great heavens! She is a FOOL
"a fancy that the majority of women
are when it comes to question of put
ting their own comfort before that of
some man brute who has natural OF
an acquired claim upon them
Lorrie's sage conclusion seemed to set
them all a-thinking. Silence fell on
the little group. John sighed heavily.
His pipe lay along the arm of his chair
quite dead. AS he leaned over to knock
the gray ashes out against the tall brass
fredogs, he was wondering how ''poor
little Nora was making it, with his
austere mother. He was painfully
alive to the possibility of his bridal
chamber being turned into chamber
of the inquisition that evening.
But there was no inquisftion in prog
ress upstairs. The mistress of White
Cliffs was somewhat frigidly, but with
entire courtesy, making her daughter
in-law at home among her strange sur
roundings.
There were peculiarities about the
lock on the big bureau drawers to be
explained; the location of the linen
closet where an inexhaustible supply
OF fresh towels was always to be found
to be indicated; the meaning of the
various bells which would ring in the
morning was to be made clear. Then
she must examine with her own hands
to see if enough covering had been put
on the bed. Nothing was ever left to
chance by the mistress of White Cliffs.
But all the while she was moving
about in that slow and stately fashion
of hers, giving her domestic informa
ton in soft, even voice, she was in
wardly bordering some strange words
that had fallen from the French bonne's
lips just as she, Mrs. Lorimer, followed
by Johns wife, had entered the room.
From the small adjoining bedroom
which had hastily been prepared fol-
= the unexpected Ninette came the WON
ans angry voice. The door was open
They could see the child lying asleep
one dimpled hand supporting her round
pink cheek, and they could see the
Frenchwoman putting things to order
Little fiendI She has quite worn me
out. Anyone could tell that she wa.
the offspring of a devil and igh
woman. And now she sleeps like al
infant saintl''