Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-01-20

her head and turned her sad eyes full
on me, asked: How about the
pretty Devonshire cousino"
/ 81 was a bis startled, and a good
deal annoyed with those fools Smith
and Langton, who must have been
blabbing pretty freely. But I rose to
the occasion in way that surprised
myself. For that one night Jane
son, / was a poet, in other words, /
was madly in love. / would have
risked everyth;n / had in the world
for that woman What was the
Devonshire girl to me now? A mere
dream.
"'Do you think I said, that a
man would not drop a common way.
side forget-me-not when ne had the
chance of plucking rare and beauti-
full orchid?'
"She drew her hand away hastily.
Hush! he is coming she whispered:
if he sees us together here, we are
lost. Good-bH forget me and my
misery
t'Never.n Isaid, i cannot and will
not let you go like this. 1 must see
you again. Shall you be on the
Maria tomorrow
No, no! let me go!' was all she
would say. But l couldn't and
wouldn't / was mad, and I took
her in my arms and kissed her pas
sionately and vowed I would not let
her go until she promised to see me
again. At last she promised to slip
out at the little gate by the Taurus
tine bushes half an hour later, and,
what was more, she returned my pas
sionate kisses, ard I felt that she
was mine.
'sIt was only for few seconds, and
then she darted away, and saw her
join an elderly man, handsome after
fashion, but one of the most vii
demonstrating l ever beheld.
Jameson, you can imagine my
feelings. A thousand wild schemes
surged through my brain. At any
cost she should not fall a victim to
that rutfian. 1t seemed hours that
waited there by the laurustine
bushes, dazed with the whirl of the
tumult within me, and thrilled with
the memory of those passionate
kisses. At last l heard some one ap-
preaching and turned in glad expec-
tation to see that miserable pair,
Smith and Langton, come round the
corner. It seemed that could never
be free from them for a moment. I
did my best to look unconcerned, but
I don't think it was quite success
They evidently guessed something
was up.
''They wanted to know what I was
doing. and begged me to 60 aboard
with them in the captains jig, which
was just about to start. controlled
my feelings as well as could and
said I'd catch them up in minute or
two.
ut was no use, they wouldn't go
without me. They impIored me not
to wait a moment longer. They de-,
cIared that l should regret it to my
dying day if I didn't listen to their
warnings. They would have dragged
me with them, I believe, had they
dared to do so.
s'But wouldn't listen to them for
a moment I laughed their childish
tear to scorn. What did care for
the bullets Of a cowardly trustee! l
was turning to leave them when be-
came conscious of the soft rustling
of skirts behind me, and the gentle
voice Of the Countess, close to my
ear, asked: do you still prefer the
orchid to the waYside forget-me-not?'
"' Yes, now and forever I an
swered, and would have seized her
in my arms in spite of Smith and
Langton and all the world. But she
drew back.
"Then bursting into a peal of
laughter which rang through the
quiet morning air-it was nearly day
light-she dropped the domino, mask,
and wig and stood revealed-the
youth Clyde!
For a moment I was dumb
founded Then I made a dash at
that extremely clever young man. If
7 could have caught him I should
have killed him on the spot. But
Smith and Langton seized me and
held me back. and he was out of sight
in trice. I would have turned on
them, but as they dragged me away,
the captain came on the scene and,
mad as ! was with rage, / was abso-
Iutely powerless. Later on I settled
accounts with Smith and Langton,
but even now thirst for the blood
of that wretched boy Clyde"
At this point jameson collapsed
into roars of laughter. When he
could speak he said, "But what
narrow escape you had"
Narrow escape, what do you
mean ?"
Why you might have had an i'm
pecunious Countess on your hands for
the rest of your life. And what has
become of the Devonshire cousin?"
She married the curate. jane
son, you're brute"
Fit Punishment for q Vandal.
The vandal, with his barbarity and