The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-08
Stories of an Inland State.

| Myrtle Dawn progressed finely N her new
position. She was everywhere in the great
house at all hours. silent, graceful and
winning, matronly to the servants and dig
nifiedly obedient to the commands of her
many employers. She had come 10 know
ali the servants well and did not find them
! inclined TO that mutinous freedom Of which
she had been warned.
| There was q woman in the kitchen named
Sally and an assistant to her named Lilly
and maid who attended to the sleeping
rooms and another who swept the house
and kept It tidy. In addition there was
about the house. Lecompton Williams. a
] young, jovial colored man, who was gen.
eral servant, whom everybody ordered
about and who never lost his temper or
suffered his good nature to diminish, much
as he was imposed upon.
With these Myrtle Dawn was soon on
friendly terms and they obeyed her orders,
given quietly and gently, with great will
in ness. much TO the establishment of Sup
erintendent Riggs.
She had occupied the new place for about
a week when she saw a carriage driven up
and a very elegant gentleman alight AMI
come to the door and walk IN without
knocking.
He was a stranger and this action sur
prised her. As she started down the steps.
one of the maids stopped her and said:
TITS Watson that's come"
Myrtle Dawn had heard that Watson
was president Of the Hastings Farm. She
went on with her duties.
Albert Watson, attired, as always, with
extreme neatness and style, threw himself
into leather chair in the library and closed
his eyes.
Resting a bit he opened his eyes and
reaching over to a table drew to him an
elaborate and highly coiored prospectus
which he had issued at the beginning of the
Hastings FARMS experiment.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and read
the pamphlet over refectively.
II can't see," he then said, chat II was
my fault in the least. I was taught that
figures do not prevaricate, in a school
where we had addition, subtraction, multi
plication, division, fractions, but not a
word about cholera. If the future genera
tons are to be honest there should be a
department on cholera in every schoo,
arithmetic. The figures were all there One
thousand sows in five years should produce
2o.0G0eoo hogs in five years. The multiple
cation IS exact; there is not the slightest
exaggeration or juggling, but we said no
word about the cholera, and no figures on
earth can Withstand the substracting pow
ers of cholera"
He raised his eyebrows again and con-
tinued:
'.At least, Albert Watson, you have done
your duty by these young Englishmen. Mr..
Riggs is teaching them to farm and that is
all you have pledged yourself to their par
ents to do. They have not been ill-treated.
They draw good salaries. magnificent sala-
res and they do not callous their hands il
Riggs tells me the truth
He dropped the subject there and then
in his own mind and thought along this
line:
Albert Watson, you have done much.
You were powerful at arithmetic but you
are weak at love. Why can't you win
Grace Beffel and her dollars? Does she
love you? No. Could she love you? Yes
Why doesn't she then? Wynants, young
Wynants. Because Wynants is her friend?
Is he any more than that to her? No.
Haven't you had that from Grace's own
lips. Then why should he interfere? Be-
cause she hopes he may be more than a
friend? And while he never showed her
the slightest encouragement, she still hopes
because she mistakes friendship, friendship
that can never be more than friendship,
for infant love-
"Wynants is hog" said Watson to him.
self with great gentleness. "Why doesn't
he stop Haunting, encouraging friendship
and give me CHANGER"
Watson's reasoning was very correct
Young Wynants had been friend to Grace
Beffel: had fancied himself In love with
her, they had been betrothed; but Wynants
had found that his affection for her was
not more than friendship and had broken
the engagement and remained her friend |
while she still hoped to win him back So |
long as Wynants held out this encourage
ment SO long was Watson's suit barred |
II was with the hope Of having her in his
company alone for few hours that he had |
arranged an evening dance at the Hastings |
Farm and had invited Grace. 1t was with |
anger he had heard her request |
that young Wyuants be invited also to |
go out to the farm with them
He had come now to arrange for the |
party. He rang a small bell on the table |
and a maid entered.
Come here" he said gently.
AS the maid approached he caught her |
and pulled her down and kissed her. She |
Come" he said langu:dly. You do not !
always act SO. Do you mean to tell me |
that those young chaps do not kiss you
sometimes?'
mo sir. and I'd thank you to keep your
hands to yourself"
Certainly" he said. Those young Eng
ishmen are icicles. It's In the English |
race We Americans are different CAN the 1
please"
Eve have new one" said the maid
That doesn't matter. Let her come In !
here"
A moment later Myrtle Dawn entered.
Fall and graceful. her fine black hair clus-
tered about her high white forehead, her
ustrous eyes melting in luminosity, her
appearance drew President Watson 10 his
'eet, but he sat down again and smiled |
iweetly and said:
so you are the new housekeeper?"
'Yes sir"
Pardon me. Have a seat. What IL
your manner" lifting his eyebrows slightly !
md fixing his eyes on her face.
Miss Myrtle Dawn"
Quite g pretty name" lifting his eye
orcws higher still. quite a charming
lame and fitting her II identifies"