Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-01-23


When Margaret descended to the sit
ting room she looked still more winning
than before, and Ruthyen was consid-
erab1y disconnected by her raising the
hand he extended to her lips He was
not at home in the society of young
girls. The mixture of childish simplic-
1ty and timidity which she exhibited
made him feel almost as shy as her
self, and he seized the first reasonable
opportunity to leave the room.
Margaret turned to the bookshelves
and possessed herself OF a volume of
Ruthven's plays. She was deep in their
perusal when the door was suddenly
thrown open, and the bright, handsome
race OF Hamilton Shore appeared.
The boy and girl did not at first rec
ognlze each other. Both had grown out
or knowledge, and changed still more
than they had grown.
L beg your pardon" commenced the
young man. thinking he addressed a
stranger. Are you waiting to see my
uncle?'
No: I have seen him, I th4nk you.
L am Margaret O'Reilly,'' she answered.
Margaret OReilly!" he exclaimed.
HoI iitlle reg, surely!
Yes; / was Peg-but they call me
Margaret now. But I don't remember
YOU"
Why, am Hamilton Shore, who be-
gan to teach you to read Don't you
remember my natural history book,
with the colored pictures of animals,
which you said were so much like men
and women, and Garrett made row be-
cause l scrubbed the names of some
people [ knew under them
Margaret clasped her hands to the de-
light of recollection, whilst the crimson
color rushed to her fair face.
oh! l dO-do, indeed, and you are
the boy who was so kind to me? You
gave me four-penny bit the first day
we met, and 1 have never spent it. /
have it in my workbox now
Have you really? How jolly of you!
And how you have grown never
should have known you again; you are
nearly as tall as l am, and you are SO
So
$50 what?"
You won't be angry with me if I
say it, will you?"
How can I tell before you have said
it?',
We'll, then. you are so very pretty.
Has no one told you so before?"
"The3 girls used to say so,'' replied
Margaret, h1ushing all over: "but then,
they were fond of me, you know
We'll, you are, and no mistake, aw-
fully pretty; and such lady, too; who
ever would have believed it? And had
you quite forgotten me?'
II am afraid 1 had, but I don't for
get you now"
and uncle, too?"
"Oh, no! How could 1 forget him? I
| remembered his face directly I saw it.
1t looked as kind and good as ever"
1.-THE .would-be dramatists don't say
he is kind when he sits upon their
plays, nor the men at the Cannibal, I
fancy, when one of his own had been
sat upon. Have you seen his new piece,
The Poisoned Flower?'''
mo; how should u"
'Of course. What a fool I am. But
you must see it. 1t is first-rate. The
first night it was played the whole
house rose to cheer him. l never saw
such a sight
Il have never been inside theater.' .
How nice! Then you've got it all be-
fore you. I envy your first sensations
mine happened so long ago that 1 have
forgotten all about them
At this moment Ruthven re-entered
the room.
"Unclev' exclaimed Hamilton. eager
ly, I'VE must take Margaret to see The
Poisoned Flower she has never been to
a play in her life
'All the BETTER grumbled Ruthven,
land the longer she keeps away from
them the better
He had already abandoned his de.
sign of putting his protege upon the
stage.