Connecticut western news., 1895-05-23
CANAAN CONN, THURSDAY MAY 23 1895

1Onu eoWh hafluk oiAfOh oFoA. WI promptly discovered that Miss Rohan could not dance-at least her way was not our way. She went around in a circle, which was enough to make even soldiers head swim; but, then she took it so cheerfully and sweetly when she stepped on our patent leather pumps and informed us so honestly that she ''guessed she never had been much at dancin" that we were only too anxious to assure her that she was a perfect fairy. In course of time she came to be- ieve it. ...... ...
 She had one habit which was delight full It was so old fashioned and quaint She said "Yes'm" and "No'm," ]" "Yes- sir" and "Nosir," always. Captain Grant said it was like servant girl. But, then, he had just been on leave and was engaged to an eastern girl.
 We thought she was very good com pany, and so did the garrison children. They took violent fancy to her. She played tag and prisoners base with them, she climbed fences and wood piles. she sat on the top of the barns, and she rode barebacked horses around the post. And. then. she was such a thoroughly good hearted girl. generous to the last degree, and such q cookl
 For . long time Bayard and Blake divided the honora Miss Rohan and fate smiled on both equally. But Miss Rohan was . girl with considerable natural tendency to aim high. Moreover, her married sister had an eye to the main chance. If there was one thing moro than another that she hoped for, it was to see the girl Kate Bayard.
 Here is the case stated plainly: Given 8 lieutenant of 26. who is born with a fondness for feminine society, who has not had any of it for at least year that is. not any young feminine society; given also two women. one of them married and determined. the other un- married and not unattraotive. It needs no great wisdom to see the natural out come. Had Bayard just then had one redeemfnR. womanly influence, had he broken away for . month and gone back among his equals, or had one of his equals come to him. he would have been saved. As it was. he was left alone with his ambition and this girl.
 He fell In love. Therefore he lost his reasoning powers; otherwise he would have been bound to see that this woman and ambition could not both be in his life. He fell in love, and he married her then and there. She wore the dia- monds of the stately old mother as she sat on the porch at guard mounting with her manicure set.
 The first intimation we had of the way the wind blew in that family was when the young Mrs. Bayard sat one day on the front steps and read copy of Don't" which she told us that "my husband'' had bought for her. She was very much pleased with the gift and took much pleasure in reading it. We noticed after that that she was most careful about breaking. biting and cut ting her bread at dinner, breakfast and luncheon, but ''Don't'' evidently did not include any reference to manicure sets. think Bayard told her about them. though, after time, for she ceased making her appearance in public with 1t, but she bit her nails nervously.
 went away on leave about this time. When I came back, there was little Bayard. which promised to look very like its mamma There had been great quarrel as to the naming of the child. There were a good many quarrels now anyway. Mrs. Bayard had liked the name of Kathleen-she said 1t was her mothers name, and, for my part, it seemed that it was very musical and pretty-but the father was determined upon Beatrice, with the accent on the second syllable The child was baptized Kathleen.
 When had gone east on my leave, Bayard had begged me to give my atten- ton and what personal influence had to his promotion as captain and com | missary at Washington. He wanted it even worse than he did foreign at- tacheship.
 saw the turn affairs had taken-that madam was growing stouter, ugly and untidy; that she neglected even the manicure set for the very noisy and un- prepossessing baby; that poor Bayard's s | spick and span clothing and appearance were thing of the past; that he looked I worn and did not seem to feel at ease | among his brother officers So carried to him some encouraging news with re- | gard to his erstwhile desired appoint ment. told him that knew it to be a sure thing: that the enviable post in Washington would soon be his; that ere long he would be again in his native | air.
 An uneasy look came into his brown eyes. He shrank back as his wife and the baby came into the room. For an instant his glance rested on them. l "Thank you. old fellow" he said. ''I think shall be content to pass the rest of my life on the frontier, far from the madding crowd you know" he added, with choking laugh.
 i Poor Bayard! And this was the end. But I knew he was right, and went away, leaving him with his future and | with his wife. e.-Gwendolen Overton in San Francisco Argonaut