Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-08-30
A DESERT CLAIM.
By MARY B. sTIOKNEY.
roopyrishA tDA by J. B. Appinoott Company. ]

roppyrishA tDA BY J. B. Appinoott Company. ]
CHAPTER XII
Mrs. Hallet, widow Of the late Rich
ard Hallet, lawyer and politician, pos
sessed one Of the most beautiful homes
In that most beautiful Of residence quar-
ters, the Capitol hill of Denver, but it
had come to be remarked by her friends,
with good humored smiles, that she was
seldom to be found there save when her
journeyings elsewhere had so clogged
her footsteps with acoumulations of
brio-a-brao that she was fairly driven
back to this delightful dumping ground
to disembarrass herself. Certain it was
that since the death Of her husband, fol-
lowing soon after the birth of their only
child, some three years before, the wood.
bine climbing the walls had had the
handsome graystone structure very
much to itself, the fair mistress of the
mansion, as often as she returned, SEEM
Ing ever seized with new restlessness
impelling her toward another departure
There were those to remark that Bar
bara Hallet's evident lack of love for
her home might be due to the fact that
for her perhaps the place was peopled
with a company Of ghosts she would
fain escape. It was generally under
stood that her married life had been
unhappy, her husband having been no.
toriously untrue to her. but for what
ever sins Of omission or commission
Dick Hallet might have been guilty Of
toward his wife he had made what
atonement he might by opportunely dy-
ing, and now 1t appeared that the lady
must be unreasonable indeed if she i'm
agined any just cause for complaint in
q lot 80 fair. She was young charming
in person and manner, AMI, as might
have been expected, greatly admired
and sought after, with wealth sufficient
to crafty every reasonable desire, while
she had her beautiful boy to give breadth
and purpose to her life.
"But we were perishing with ennui,
baby and l." she gayly declared when
she was making Edith Ellery welcome
In the prettiest guest chamber, one
whose windows looked across a vexed
sea of roofs rufled with waves of sway
ing tree tops, across the vast sea Of
plains beyond, bare and brown as a
beach at low tide, on to the royal noun
tain range lost in the blue mists Of the
horizon line at north and south, that
rufled line Of shadowy pinks and grays
and purples feoked with eternal SHOWS
to Mrs Hallet, as to most Denverites,
one of the grandest views which earth
might offer. IF there is any place
duller than Denver in July, it must be
Denver in August So far as appear
ances 30, the city has its best foot for
ward in summer, but socially we are
simply dead"
"Ah, the luxury Of being dead for a
little whilep' returned her guest, with
something in her laugh which called a
keen light Of inquiry into the soft blue
eyes which had a certain trick Of seeing
most where they assumed to notice
least "You could promise me nothing
better"
Although they had known each other
but short time, warm affection had
grown up between these two. 1t had
happened few months before this time
that Barbara Hallet, returning with her
boy from a winter in Egypt, had loiter-
ed in New York for few weeks, when
Edith, opportunely visiting in that city,
had received peremptory demand from
the Wyoming ranch that she 60 forth
with to call upon Nelsine dearest friend
from Denver. From matter of duty
this call had developed into a delight.
Edith had fallen in love with the
charming widow at first sight, and find
ing her planning visit to her old home
In a Massachusetts, village had urged
that the journey be extended to include
visit with her in Boston. This, duly
occurring. had afforded opportunity to
develop the impulsive affection each had
conceived for the other, leading even
tually to their journey west together
and to Edith's visit in Denver now.
She could not have come to O better
place to recover from the severe mental
as we'll as physical strain to which she
had been subjected. Barbara Hallet
was that rare type Of woman who can
entertain without overentertaining her
guests. Full of gracious thoughtfulness
for the stranger within her gates, she
was yet too unselfshly equipped with
tact and womanly intuition to make
her attentions intrusive or burdensome.
To follow guest about all day long
with pestering sociability, as fussy, tact
less women are ever doing, was night.
mare Of duty which could not enter her
mind And Edith Ellery found herself
In gracious calm for which she was
duly grateful So fast events had trip
ped Oh one another's heels that now, in
surprising weariness of body as we'll as
mind, the memory of the days just
passed was as but the blurred outlines
of a dream. 1t was as though she had
awakened in another world, to WOO for
getfulness in q languorous repose In
which no note Of disoord could ever
sound. With all the love which had
grown up between them there had not
been time in their brief acquaintance
for anything like real intimacy. Their
lives had but touched Oh the surface.
But Barbara Hallet had missed little
that came within the range of her bri1ht