Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-09-21

instead Of going on to her next visit.
and assuring him that she telt she
would never be- happy in fashionable
society. never be happy anywhere. in
deed, away from him and everything
she cared for, papa was memorable.
Ii was natural she would be homesick
ut first, he replied; natural and, indeed,
unavoidable, that she should feel
strange and lonely; and, as she well
knew, she could not possibly long more
to be with him again than he longed
TO have her. But there were all the rea-
sops she knew full well why she should
stay In town has had been arranged.
The very reasons which had made him
send her now made him say she must
remain. Her good u would show
her the soundness of his motives, and
she must behave like his own brave
Maisic. And the girl never knew what
this letter had cost her invalid father,
nor how he had shrank from opposing
her wishes. &,
"Sne set off so cheerfully," he said
to himself, and she has only been there
three days. And she seemed rather to
have enjoyed her first dinner party at
| the concert, or whatever 1t was, that
Gertrude Englewood took her to. What
can have happened at the evening par.
ty? She dances well, l know; and she
is not the sort of girl TO expect or care
much about ball room admiration"
Poor man! 1t vas so far a ~djsappoint-
mcnt TO him. He would have liked to
get a merry. happy letter that morning
as he sat ut his solitary breakfast. For
he had no fear, no shadow of n fear,
that his Maisie's head ever could be
turned.
Il have guarded against any dangers
Of that kind for her, ut least he said
to himself, provided / have not gone
too far and made her too sober-nirdcd.
But no; after all 1t is crring on the
safe side-considering everything
Three or four evenings after Mrs. En-
glewood's dance DeSpard found himself
at n musical party. He was in his W
! milieu this time, and prOportionately
a~ffable-with the cool, condcsccnding at
liability which was the nearest approach
to making himself agreeable that he
recognized. He had been smiled at by
the beauty Of the evening, much en-
joying her discontinue when ne did
not remain many minutes by her side;
he had been all but abiectly c%ntreated
by the most important of the dowagerS,
n very great lady, indeed, in every
sense of the word, to promise his as
sistance Mt her intended theatricals: he
had, in short, received the appreciation
which IA due to him, and was now
resting on his oars, comfortably in.
| stalled in an easy chair, debating with
himself whether il was worth while
TO give Mrs. Belmont a fright Ivy en-
I crossing her pretty daughter, and thus
causing to retire from her side In the
sulks Sir Henry Gayhurn, to whom the
girl was talking. For Sir Henry was
rich and was known to be looking out
for a wife, and Despard had long since
been erased from the maternal list Of
desirable possibilities.
"Shall L." he was saying to himself
as he lay back with Il smile, when a
voice beside him made him look up.
1t was that of the son of the house.
a friend of his own; the young man
seemed annoyed and perpleXed.
"Norreys. oh, do me Il good turn,
will you? I have to look after the
lady who has just been singing, and my
mother is fussing about a girl who has
been sitting all the evening alone. She's
a stranger. VIII you be so awfully good
as TO take her down for IN ice or some.
thingf'
Despard looked around. He could
scarcely refuse a request so couched,
but he was far from pleased.
Where is she? Who is shc?" he
asked. beginning languidly to show
signs of moving.
''There-over by the window-that
girl in black his friend replied. who
she is can't say. My mother told me
her name was Fforde. Come along,
and I'll introduce you, that's Il good
fellow"
Despard by this time had risen to his
feet.
Upon my SOUL" he calculated.
But Mr.. Leslie was i'll too great a
hurry to notice the unusual emphasis
with which he spoke.
And in half a second he found himself
standing in front of the girl who, the
last time they met, had aroused in him
such unwonted emotions.
Miss Fforde," murmured young Les
lie, may L introduce Mr.. Norreys?"
and then Mr.. Leslie turned on his heel
and disappeared.
Z Despard stood there perfectly grave.
He would hazard M repulse; he waited
for her.
CTo be continued)