The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-06
Stories of an Inland State.

yellow smudge in the east and so crosses
TIE heavens, the great dirty shadow that
has been prolonged through the day slip
ping imperceptibly into the blackness of
night, at an hour that the clock says Is
evening
The creeping shadows Of dawn continue
throughout the day and are also the dusky
shades Of twilight.
The wind Kisses down in an unyarying
gale as II blown from some great world
forge, and through it all there is mist OF
tiny dust-specks. This dust Is the f1ecks
of foreign soil. II the wind IS from the
north the people in one state say the dust
is from the state just north of them; If
from the south that il comes from the state
just south of them. Evidence that it is
not home product is offered with the
fact that the dust flies very high as well as
low; that it is quite as impenetrable on a
wide, unbroken prairie as II is in the streets
of a town; that such days have been known
with the ground covered with snow pro-
tecting the earth.
But this Is summer time. The great dirty
haze cast upon the earth, throws strange
lights on familiar buildings and gives the
countenances Of men a sickly hue. The
green leaves of the tree are laden with this
dirt and turn nasty white. The rough
bark Of the cotton-woods holds thousands
of pounds of it in the rough ridges to the
windward. The dust creeps into the feath-
ers of the birds and keeps them continual
ly preening. Men who are out look hike
Coal-miners. Their eye-lashes are accen-
tCated strongly, their nostrils are dry and
irritated and black line gathers on the
outside of their lips which they continually
moisten, taking in the dust upon their tom
CUES and dissolying it unconsciously in the
saliva and swallowing the solution. The
skin becomes parched and the dust is
ground into the pores. Nothing escapes.
The furniture in a tight house is soon
covered with a white layer of this fine dirt
and at a pump the first gush of water from
the depths below is black.
When men commit suicide In the west
they select these days.
Mrs. Tilford. the janitrix, was In a rage.
She had been rushing from one end of the
building of which she had charge to the
other all day long, brushing away for dear
Efe. But she no sooner conquered the dust
in one place than it gained new ground
some where else.
At last tired out she sat down and con-
demned the country. 1t Is an inalienable
right TO abuse your country and that was
what Mrs. Tilford did.
Clara Drew came in. Her face had not
escaped and the veil she wore was filed
with the fine dust.
N.Y. said Mrs. Tilford. "What sight
I must be-
You are not exactly progressing" ans
wered Clara.
well, you've nothing to brag on your
self. wish you could see yourself
81 know IT. Have you heard anything
from him in the newspapers"
Eyes. He's given another performance
Here's the paper"
Clara raised her veil. noistened her dry
lips and read the account of Algernon
Burr's latest triumph in the city.
Mrs. Tilford." she asked. Would you
mind showing me his room?''
THAT one that that Lawyer Jennings has
now?'
yes"
well, IT'S changed around considerably
since he left. Lawyers amt as particular
as musicians. can say for 'em, but, good
ness sakes, amt got no use for law
yer"
''Will you let me go In there4"
'Yes, Jennings has gone home. OF cours,
you cam
Mrs, Tilford led the way.
The room was considerably altered as Mrs
Tflford had said. There was a little book
case on one side and desk in the corner
covered with tangle of papers and an in
crusted ink-stand and a dirty pen or two.
There's a window leaking dust down on
the first floor horrible" said Mrs Tilford,
''and I've got to go down there. I'll como
back pretty soon. Just sit down and make
yourself at home. I know how you feel.
Pve just sit down here by myself somo
times and thought about II all. How poor
and despised he was here and how great
he Is now. Do you think he has forgot
ten?"
Yes"
81 don't believe It."
Mrs. Tilford marched martially out Of the
room brush In hand.
Clara looked slowly around the room and
burst into tears that furrowed down her
dust-oovered cheeks The shadow of the
dreary day deepened IN the room and lulied
the young woman into memories of the dis
tant past. The musician stood before her as
he had years before, with his great benig
nant eyes and hts gentle voice.
You have come into my life as its only
happy sunbeam" he said
The old words rang IN her ears and she
closed her eyes,
And you shall go out Of 1t again and be
only q memory"
Only a memoryl
The woman rose and looked INTO the
. a
in his memory. Yes, But a memory that
IS dead and only comes back when It Is
roughly recalled-or creeps involuntarily In
a dream that IS forgotten upon waking.
Yes. He had forgotten. Forgotten In the
heyday OF fame, where events jostle and
elbow for little room in the mind that
was once empty save for a young girls
love-
She took a seat at the window and gazed
out upon the dusty. deserted street
We'll" said Mrs T.lforf springing into
the room What You've been crying?"
Mrs. TSlford was supplied. She placed
her hand under Clara's chin and held her
face up and looked into Il.
u never suspected that" she said.
The other smiled wofully,
Now l see Il. And I suppose he loved
J VI. iOc. enc pilAt-u sen vi hEtN-
ing with what was going on IN this build
irg for nigh onto ten years. I'm an old
sure!'
Clara arose and dropped her veil
1T all comes to me now" said Mrs. Til
ford. Now. Miss Drew. do you know wha.
I am going TO do? I'm going TO write TO
him. big as he is and tell him all about
you. know how faithful you've been
ro- tnnu- how many a~arS yof;'va rai
and you've refused TO the plumb amazement
OF the whole town That's what 7 know.
I m going to write and tell him everything,
He amt so great that he's forgotten every
thing"
70 him.