Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-07-26

vears her senior? Lane rang the ooor
bell that night and felt once more tnat
his heart was beating even as II QUO ~
| o'clock when he was ushered into 'ne
awful presence Of her father.
Miss Vincent has not left her room
TODAY. and is not we'll enough to come
down tonight, SIR" said the servant VINO
came to the door, land Mrs. Vlncen'
bepeed to be excused because OF MISS
Mabels needing her."
I'll am very, very sorry" stammereo
the captain. please say that Mr.. Lane
called" they had known him so well foI
two months as Mr.. Lane that he could
not vet refer to himself by his new title),
"and-and would call again tomorrow,
boping to hear Miss Vincent was much
better"
And then. detected and miserable, and
vet with something akin to the feeling
one experiences when going to dentist
to have a tooth drawn and the dreaded
wielder of the forceps proves to be away,
Lane retreated down the broad stone
stems until he reached the walk, gazed
up at the dim light in the window which
he thought might be hers, anathematzed
himself for his lack Of self possession IN
not having asked whether there wasn't
something he could bring her-some-
thing she would hke-for the simple
hearted fellow would have tramped all
night all over town to find and fetch it
and then happy thought occurred to
him: Women always love flowers" He
ran to the next street, boarded west
bound car, and was soon far down town
at his favorite florists.
"Give me big box of cut flowers
the handsomest you have" he said; and
while they were being prepared he wrote
few lines on card, tore it up, tried
again on another, and similarly reduced
that to fragments, and finally, though
far from content, limited the expression
of his emotions to the simple words:
"Do get well by Saturday at latest. !
cannot go without seeing you. F. L."
where shall we send them, sirY' ask
ed the florist, as he came forward with
the box in his hand.
"Never mind; I'll take it myself" was
the answer as the captain popped in the
little missive.
And when he got back to the house the
light was still burning in the window in
the second story, and the doctor had just
left, said the sympathetic Abigail, and
had said it was nothing serious or alarm
ing; Miss Mabel would have to keep quiet
q day or two; that was all.
But what hard luck for poor Lane,
when the days of his stay were so very
few! All Thursday morning was spent
at the rendezvous, counting over prop
erty and comparing papers with Noel.
Then, while that gentleman went to the
club for luncheon the captain fastened
to the Vinceuts' door to renew inquiries,
and was measurably comforted by the
news that Miss Mabel was much better,
though still confined to her room.
Would he not come in? Mrs. Vincent
was out, but she thought-did that most
Intelligent young woman, Mary Ann
that perhaps there was message for
him. Like Mr.. Toots, poor Lane, in his
anxiety to put no one to any trouble,
came within az ace of stammering: Its
Of no consequence" but checked him
self in time, and stepped into the bright
parlor in which he had spent so many
delicious hours listening to her soft, rich
voice as she sang, or as she chatted
bithely with him and her frequent
guests. It was some time before Mary
Ann returned. Evidently, there was q
message, for the girls face was dimpled
with smiles as she handed him q little
note. Miss Mabel says please excuse
pencil, sir; she had to write lying down
Miss Holton has just gone away. after
spending most Of the morning."
Excuse pencil! Lane could hardly
wait to read the precious lines. How he
longed to give the girl five dollar bill!
But this wasn't England, and he did not
know how Mary Ann would regard such
a proffer. She promptly and discreetly
retired, leaving the front door open for
his exit, and the sweet June sunshine
and the soft warm breath of early sum-
mer flowing in through the broad vesti-
bule.
"How good you are to mel" she wrote
"The flowers were-and are still-ex-
quisite. l shall be down stairs a little
while tomorrow afternoon, if the doctor
Is good to me as you are. Then l can
thank you, can l not? M. L. ""
The hours dragged until Friday after
noon came. He had to go to the With
erses to dinner on Thursday evening,
and a dreary, ostentatious, ponderous
feast it was. Noel, in his full dress uni
form, was the hero of tho hour. He
greeted Lane trihe nervously.
II meant to have telephoned and
begged you to bear me out, old man, ("
caid he, "but this thing was sprung on
me after l got home Cousin Matte
simply ordered me to appear in my war
paint, and had to do it. You are to 90
In to dinner with her by the way; and l
wish you were en- grande tenue instead
of civilian spike tail. Here's Amos"
And Amos marched him around to
one guest after another-"self made