Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-12-29
FLUFFY ANDHER LOVER

Fluffy was her name. Not the
| name by which she was baptized
| which / never knew and never cared
to know-but her real name. Every
one called her Fluffy as naturally as
one calls cat pussy. 1t was herself
her character epitomized in word.
She was a charming little thing in
appearance. She had the lightest
straw-colored hair, which tossed in
small fuzzy ringlets above her fore
head; eyes as blue as the speedwell,
and bright flushing cheeks The i'm
preston she gave Inc was of attract
i've youth and surface prettiness,
which no one attempted to define
with more severe accuracy.
Fluffy had her orthodox list of
schoolgirl accomplishments Her
little fingers touched the keys of the
| piano as lightly and as vaguely as a
| butterfly fits from flower to flower,
and with as little apparent purpose
| The light, dreamy ripple was de-
| IiciouslY SOOthing-atter dinner pay
| ing par excellence, for it was so IN.
connected and meaningless that ones
brain did not attempt to follow it.
l have heard Fluffy render the COM
position of many masters with per-
feet correctness of note and time,
but they all sounGed pretty much the
same under her nimble little fingers.
Fluffy had also been taught to draw
and paint 1t was in Rome that |
first met her, and l well remem Der
| the pumpous pride with which her
| father produced her portfolio of
Italian sketches L was glad to be
| aOle to allow some talent in the man
| agement of The cUlors and the correct
aeSs of perspective. but these good
| qualities were cOunterbalanced by a
battling vagueness and indefniteness
| Of treatment, and hopeless want of
grasp, The failure was the more
baking because il was so difficult to
| define exactly where it lay.
We all laughed at Fluffy and liked
her. 1t was through me that she
was introduced to my circle of friends
in Rome My knowledge Of Flutfy's
father dated back TO prehistoric
| times: ours was the conservative
| friendship of old cQuaintanceship;
otherwise there was so little that was
|
| wealthy merchant, who had rushed
through business and now rushed
through pleasure: l. an INDECENT art
| dabbler, who hardly cared to stir
from the pleasant nook of my tsunny
studio-that we should never have
attracted one another. AS it was
when he and Fluffy, in their mad
career through Europe, arrived at
Rome, / was the first person to whom
he presented himself and his daugh-
ter. They had settled themselves in
hotel exactly opposite my studio,
and were evidently determined to
''do" Rome or die. l recollect the
alarm with which contemplated the
many calls upon my time and
patience which would be the inevita-
bic consequence.
l poured my woes into the sympa-
| thetc ears of one of my artist friends,
| Tresham by name, a young man of
very attractive bearing and ready tai
entS, who was much sought after in
society. He was sutficieutly aware of
! his value, but his conceit was of so
subtle nature and so hidden by the
| charm of his manner, that it would
have been forgiven in the moment of
| discovery, even if it had not been
more than counterbalanced by a very
real generosity and innate goodness
of disposition.
The worst charge ever brought
| against Tresham was that intelIectu-
ally he was something of snob. He
was certainly exclusive in his choice
CT acquaintance as rule; so that
even though l suspected him of haV-
| ing caught sight OF my visitors of the
day before, / was tolerably taken by
surprise when he said carelessly,-
IF you introduce me to these
people, dare say / may be able to
save you the annoyance in some de-
gree. I'm sadly lazy this warm
weather, and I'm on the lookout for
a legitimate excuse to be idle"
/ was only too delighted to shift
the responsibility onto other shout
GERS; and the introd uction took place
in my rooms the following evening.
| l was forced TO admit Fluffy'S charm
the charm of quick dimpling smiles
and fitting blushes-as she entered
the room in her white and pink
gown. There was something sug-
gestive of springtine about her,
something fresh and young and IN.
formed, which seemed to render her
/ very shortcomings natural and inc
| vitable, while it constituted an
unconscious appeal for tenderness
and tolerance.
Tresham became more affable and
| condescending than / ever remem-
bered him. He was consciously let
ting himself down to her level vi
| talk; but it amused and pleased him
| to do so; aud she was chatting tC
him with the freedom and incense
| quence of a child. In the interval;
of her fathers ponderous CONVEX a.
| tioH-of which ! was left TO bear the
entire weight caught fragments
of their more frivolous talk. fresh
am, who hated dancing, was, found
endeavoring to persuade Fluffy
into going to a fancy dress ball
which he had mathematical to me in
round terms.
OH | should love to go. L must
gov; cried FLUFFY, clasping her hand:
in naive excitement. i have nevel
been-Fthat is. | mean / have been u
an ordinary ball, but never to one II
fancy dress 1t must be 500 70
/ u1anfic1