The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-07-11

%1H" one afternoon in
~G@S ~s the early spring.
He did not care
how long it took him to get up Town.
For he last four days he had lost all i'll
tereSt in life, and time was no longer of
any importance to him. He was young.
he was ~fine-looking. he was Il rising law
yer: his mother had been Il Van Rens-
Salaer-yet he sat moodily gazing at
the handle of his umbrella. while the
years seemed to stretch away before
him in unbroken WEAKNESS.
He noticed it was beginning to sprin-
kle when they neared Twenty-third
street, and then Cornclia Winchester
came into the stage and sat down di-
rectly opposite him. She gave a little
start of confusion as he %gravely raised
his hat. and then turned her attention
tiXedly out of the window. Herbert
had cogitatcd Il good deal over which
would be the most trying way in which
to meet the girl who had rejected him.
He had Shiycrcd over Gibson'S man
forced to take her in to dinner, but now
that he sat opposite her in Il Fifth ave
nue. stage he did not know what to do.
He could not bolt. That would hurt
her tender heart. and be coWardly be-
sides. He knew she had II tender heart,
although ii did not beat for him.
His eyes We're lifted no higher than
thn hon, az bn,. lAl;n, ,, ,p,r l,,+ h.
saw that it was the same one that she
had worn that day at Mrs. Vaughn
Smiths tea, when he had beguiled her
into the conservatory to see the violets.
She had hoped that they might always
be friends, and he meant after a while,
when he was n little more used to it,
to go and see her, just to show her that
he had no feeling. But it was too soon
as yet for him to find it easy to see her
again, and thought he would leave the
stage at the club. That would be per-
fectly natural. He could stand il I'M
til then.
If he had looked at her face he would
have seen that she was not entirely at
ease either. Her cheeks alternately
flushed and palcd as she gazed persist
entity out of the window. But he did
not see that, as he lifted his eyes no
higher than the tip of her patent leath-
er shoe and the edge of that heliotrope
gown. He was thinking of her as she
looked when they went into the con-
servatory that day, with her golden
hair coiled under Il ~bewitching hat-all
green leaves and violetS. She seemed
the very incarnation of spring to him.
The driver growled "Fare.'' down
through his peephole. She started con
sciouSly and took out her purse. Her
viS-a-vis held out his hand with ALLOW
me- and the purse slipped to the floor.
Their eyes met as he restored her prop
erty. and she blushed wildly. He puZ-
zled over this as he took his seat again
after depositing the fare. why should
she be discomposed: She is sorry for
me-" he thought, she is so sensitive"
He must get out for her sake as we'll as
his own. Where We're they. anyway?
only at Thirty-fourth street, The rain
was now coming down heavily, and she
had no umbrella. He could not get out
OF course, unless he could leave his UNI
brella with her. But that would look
so odd. Very likely, by the time they
reached her street, the April shower
would be all over. Well. he would ride
on Il while longer and see.
On they vent past Sherry's. where
he had danced with her so often: past
h club, where he saw Billy de Peys-
ter and Remington looking out-BilIy.
whom he had decided upon for his
"bes man. on, up into the fifties, past
ST. Thomas, where they would never
be married now. The rain was falling
relentlessly. They We're almost at her
street. He had decided what To do.
Just before they reached Fifty-sev-
enth street he bent forward.
Miss Winchester, please take nv
umbrella" and he held the silver head
toward her.
How she started! "Oh. no, no, thank
you,' and she hurriedly pulled the
strap, without giving him time to do
it. and fairly sprang out of the door.
What could he do but follow?