The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-11

I suffered at his hands, though l always |
hid as much as possible. I only sued |
for divorce after he had repeatedly gone |
away on his periodical sprees and left |
me unprovided for, and with no knowl-
edge of his whereabouts, or the time of
his return.
"But this has all been public knowl-
edge long time, and the trial of the
suit, which he has offered to compromise
for trifing sum, will bring it all out"
Mrs Harris talks about her trouble
with sob in her voice.
Then she goes out to order the supper.
and some one ON the front lawn shouts
papa is coming"
She meets her husband at the front
gate and as hear the greeting I feel
that just now, this Eden has serpent,
slander.
do not hear what she says to him as
they come up the walk, but 1 do hear
him say, 81 will not talk about that" and
then l know l have prejudice to over
come at once. and am prepared for the
rather reserved greeting, which this usu-
ally most cordial of men gives me.
We sit down and Colonel Harris says
Sometimes you newspaper people are
intruders, sometimes you are not; you
will find that recognize no sex in this
matter, aud shall refuse to talk to you on
the subject" and a stern look crept into
his grey eyes. and about the corners of his
firm mouth, which is now shielded only
by a grey mustache instead of the beard
Col. Harris used to wear.
AS he talks he is opening his mail and
hands me marked paper. The paper
is the Clay Center Dispatch, and the
paragraph marked says that the damage
suit brought against Col. Harris is plain
ly political scheme as we'll as a desire
for revenge, but most of all is intended
to bleed him, and that it will fail of its
purpose to injure him; being brought as
it was by a drunken sot against a re
spectacle and honorable gentleman. It
will not hurt him with esLectable peo-
! pie. 81 hope," said Col. Harris, ''that the
latter part of the paragraph is true"
"Regarding the first part. which refers
to this being a political scheme to hurt
me in that way, as Kansan who is proud
! of Kansas and Of her representative men,
| be they of whatever party, L should hate
! to believe that any of them could stoop
to anything so low as connivance at an
affair of this kind"
/ could not but admire the very noble
ness which prompted this sentiment,
coming so quickly, so spontaneously, so
evidently from the heart
He continued, "there are things of
which men do not talk. this is one of
them: if I am permitted to fight this
suit, and l will be, vindicatiOn will be
certain"
Dinner was announced, and I was no
longer the newspaper interviewer, but
the honOred guest of a southern gentle
man. Not the Kentucky colonel given
us in an exaggerated form by the novel
| and the stage today, but an educated and
refined, cultivated Virginian, at once the
most hospitable and entertaining of men.
AS we discussed the fresh milk, the
home grown vegetables, the peaches and
cream and other good things, Col. Harris
said, sff you like we will Introduce you
to the shorthorns and the blue grass,
of both of which we are justly proud.
believe you can appreciate my fondness
for blue grass, having come from that
kind of a country yourself If l have
never done anything else for Kansas l
may be called a benefactOr in that I've
perhaps sown more blue grass in the
state than any other man has.
Ppm in favor of erecting a monument
to Mr.. Ingalls, if for no other reason, be-
cause of that classic of his about blue
grass. l keep a copy of it handy all the
time, and when l read it over my pride
in my seven hundred and fifty acres of
blue grass grows stronger"
Then we all went out into the from
porch and enjoyed the scenery, while
Col. Harris told me how he found his
beautiful homo twenty-five years ago.
before the DeIawares vacated the site.
He was surveying for the railroad COM
pany, being a civil engineer by profess
sion, when he saw the place and made up
his mind to secure it from the company
which was then. negotiating for it, with
the Indians. =
$50 you see," he said, 81 am the i'm
mediate successor of the noble red man.
NOl -
home from Fort Worth, Texas, SO I did
not see them. Beside himself and wife
met but one other member of his in.
teresting family, his bright son Master
Craig Harris, who, unlike most boys oi
twelve, thinks his home preferable tC
one in the city.
When Mrs. Harris goes into the house
for her hat to accompany me on my way
to the station, I again refer to the dam
age suit, and Col Harris says: "Ol
, course this is most notifying to me anC
, my family, but, as l said before. it is onl.
: the attempt of a besotted and depraveC
, | man to persecute and perhaps be re
. | venged upon a woman who, as his wife
he grossly neglected and mistreated TO
Z years. l shall fight it of course, and will
: | win"
= Have you been to Lawrence to Sc
anyone about this?"
, Ou KNOW FRANK NSDSLeF roC6nLl
h published in the Lawrence Gazette tn
opinions of different people on the sui
n ject"
g BIrs. Harris joins US again, and W
walk down through the pasture and NEE
y the herd. Calves and all are named, an
= such pretty names as Fairy Queer
!. Queen of Hearts, Lavender, Lochie
Z Lochinvar aud Sir Galahad, who is Lead
: er of the herd.
q Here is beautiful heifer called Law
}. ender the Eleventh. They are all Shor
d horns and Col Harris imports them him
self from Scotland.
a am fain to linger, but trains do nj
a wait, and try to thank my kind hoi
i and hostess for their genial hospitalit,
- as l say goodbye.
It Colonel Harris graciously says: "W