The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-05-10

III the CatSklllS the houses were crowded
and some of the young gentlemen tour
lists actually camped out in the barns
o'ni"hts. And Barbara was here helping 9
me-the rose of the Catskills, one of my
young gentlemen guests call her, and some
how it grew into by-word. And if coax
ing and f1attering could turn a girls head
Barbara's 5 was in Il fair way to be turned.
Not that | can acuse her of flirting or car
rying on-that wasn't Barbara's way-she
Just went quietly about her business and
never said nothing to nobody. But
could see she liked Mr.. Warden was just
the one of the whole tribe and generation
of 'em that | could wish she hadn't liked.
You see, ma am, there's difference in peo-
pie, and for all he made such a fuss over
her, | could see he was as cold us a stone
and as hard as adamant
Things went along smoothly, however,
until Miss Arkwright came up from New
York-Miss Arkwright with her trailing
silk dresses and diamond rings and hair
built up in curls and frizzes Some folks
like that style; l don't. But Miss Ark
wright was very rich and very fashion
able, and the minute | saw her and Mr..
Warden together, | knew that poor Bar
baras reign was over.
1.-The idea of making SO much commo-
tion over mere servant says Miss Ark
wright. To be sure she's pretty, but so is
"A china doll
Il n A ri .,,rl,t1
said !, but Barbara is not a servant. She's
a neighbor's daughter said l, and kindly
does me the favor to help me a little at busy
times, bein' I've no daughter of my own
And Miss Arkwright put up her gold
glass and stared at me as if | was an
escaped wild animal.
Really says she, how very gratify
ing to knowr
and off she saunters, with her head
held up in the air like queens
THE very next week she asked Barbara
to go up to the stone tower with her. Bar
bara didn't want to 90, but Miss Ark
wright had domineering way with her,
and the girl could hardly refuse.
night, says Barbara.
II know it, says Miss Arkwright, but
| don't want to see the place in a crowd.
And you've nothing else to do Barbara
! Dale
$50 Barbara went all in new white
dress with blue ribbons, for | think she
half hoped to see Mr.. Warden up there,
being as he spent deal of time sketching
around the stone tower. He was an artist
by profession, was Mr. Warden.
But he wasn't there on this particular
afternoon. And once Miss Arkwright got
Barbara up there like mouse in trap,
she commenced her wicked taunts, telling
her how uumadenly she was; how bold it
was to accept Mr.. Warden's compliments;
how little he meant by EN-, and all that
sort of thing, and the poor girl was fairly
stung to the quick.
''She was sitting on the doorstep of the
tower, Barbara was and Miss Arkwright
was inside, leaning against the narrow
easement, so the sun shouldn't touch her
roseleaf complexion, when Barbara start
ed up.
"'How dare you talk so to me-? says she.
| What right have you to insult me when
you know that Percy Warden loves me?'
He loves mc.' said Miss Arkwright,
stripping wild rose of its leaves and
| tiinging them down on the grass below.
'And-listen, Barbara Dale-he returns to
Now Work to pirbt ba Sl NV fat for
my hand in marriage. And | alone of all
his friends am going to the train to see
him off Now, Barbara, you know all. |
have neither pity nor compassion for you.
Your own boldness and folly have brought
this upon you, and you deserve to sut1erN
"'You are going to the train to bid him
Godspeed?' said Barbara, slowly. No,
Miss Arkwright you are not The last
face Percy Warden shall see in the Cats
kills shall be that of the girl he has trifed
with and deceived
'And Barbara closed the huge oak door
and shot the outside bolt across its rusted
| fastenings with strength that was almost
superhuman.
Girl shrieked the heiress, how dare
YOU serve me such trick this? Open
the door at oncen
mot until have hidden Percy Warden
adieu said Barbara with mocking laugh.
And away she sped down the heights heed
less of Miss Arkwright's cries and entreat-
les.
''You may wonder, ma am, how | know
all this Barbara herself told me-told me
before the mists c!ouded her poor brain
fo,eyer-and she told it in such a way that
| could fairly hear and see everything for
myself.
But both girls had fingered longer up
on the mountain side than they had any
idea of Before Barbara could reach the
little depot-the cars were then Il new thing
in our part of the country-the train was
moving off, and Percy Warden's face at
one of the windows was all that she could
see In her blind haste, Barbara's foot
caught in the steel rail, the iron cow-catch
er flung her on one side and she fell with
her forehead against the reight-platform.
All the depot hands supposed she was kill
ed, but she wasn't
They carried her back to the hotel
carried her insensible and bleeding from
the temples. And that night one of those
tempests of rain and storm set in that we
sometimes have in mid Augusta tempest
that lasted three days. No one could stir
out, and all that time Barbara lay at deaths
/ door, unconscious and silent
But in the thunder and lightning and
driving rain of the third night sense and
reason came back to poor Barbara, and
she started up among her pillows.
"Where is Miss Arkwright? said she
"'She's not at the hotel dear, says
soothingly And Wedderburn thinks she
must have made up her mind at the last