The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-09-10
The Sovereign of the Village.
"a story in the English magazine, Mac
Millan's. In four parts.)
PART TT


she turned the corner by the SIGHT of an
| imposing stranger in a shooting-jacket.
The park gate had swung beyond him, and
! he was advancing rapidly in her direction.
| Norry put up pink finger and laid it
| against her lovely mouth. With her this
| signified grave perplexity, and the gest-
| IRE was rendered still more quaint by the
| lLes Of intense mental effort that so de-
! liciously corrugated her forehead, and vest
| ed her in fascinating aspect of worry.
| Even at so young an age are the cares
| OF sovereignty apparent, and regal mind
| is none the less uneasy because the en-
| biem of royalty happens not TO be visible.
| Here was stranger entering NOrry's do
| m.n;ons with an air of command, while she
| herself was not acquainted with him. She
! did not puzzle out the situation upon lines
! quite so clear, perhaps, but she eyed the
| imposing stranger questioningly. ami
| promptly made up her mind. II is possible
she had a preference for ragged human
! ity but she was quite above such mean
ness as drawing the line in the matter OF
! tailoring. After ALL the lonely. unhappy
stranger could not help being well dressed,
| she may have supposed, and il was really
no reason why he should not be greeted
as We'll as her favorite tramps and idlers.
So she walked unhesitatingly up TO him.
and barred his way with one Of her impe-
rious gestures.
The stranger cast casual glance upon
her. She was not effectively pretty, and
you had to look twice until you knew her.
to realize how adorable she was. He was
moving on in his cold, ungenial nood-for
children as mere children did not appeal
TO him, above all the children OF his Irish
tenants-when her lisped demand and
frown of ecstatic seriousness arrested him.
Man, what's your name?
The stranger stared al the little creature,
at first in something like dismay; then
the frown and the imperative glance that
revealed nature not to be trified with,
amused him, and finally captiyated him.
He thought 1t the oldest thing in the
world, and smiled almost pleasantly as ne
answered, "Grandby."
'Dood-morTow, Dandy; I am glad to see
you, and the blessings of bod on you.
Dandby."
There was a whiff Of royal favor in the
greeting on her side, a sense of duty ac-
complshed and a generous feeling that this
different kind of man had as much claim
upon her good will as Murphy. the tramp.
The Marquis of Grandby. on his side. was
convulsed with the comicality of II; for he
vas not SO saturnine that he had no
sense of humor You see, he was born on
Irish soil, by which we explain any virtue
there might be IN him, while the vices
we good-naturedly lay TO the account OF
his Saxon training Anyhow. if he did get
out of bed that morning on the wrong side
her Majesty Queen Norry soon set him
right He showed his entertainment in
the situation by barring his teeth under a
heavy gray moustache; then he drew HIM
self up, lifted his hat, and thanked her with
a gravity no less superb than her own.
Norry, 1 have said, had no salient marks
of beauty; there was nothing about her
either of princess or fairy, and she wore
no more picturesque raiment than little
red wooIlen frock and a plain pinafore.
But she stirred the heart of the Marquis
to an unwonted softness- He was about
10 ask her name when she continued in
her broken eagerness Of voice: Have you
tum to stay with US, Dandby?"
Norry included the whole town in her
definition of family. and the man living
at the other end of the street was only
a man occupying another room, and apt
at any moment to drop into the family
circle.
May I not know your name, too, little
MADAME"
'.Norry," she said inpatiently, as If IN
reply TO an irrelevant question.
And mammals name?" asked the Mar
quis-
Mothers name is O'Ne.ll. She lives
down there; we all live down there" she
jerked, chopping up in her excitement her
Espng syllables upon the click Of tiny
teeth. Wouldn't you ike to see Jacky
Molloy's puppy-a doaty little dog? The
Sergeant gave it 10 him.
Let US go and look at Jacky MoIloy's
puppy, by all means" said the amused
Marquis. But first, Norry, l think you
ought to give me kiss
Norry held up her rosebud mouth without
smile upon her perpleX> and shadowed
countenance. This was Part Of her duty
to kiss mankind, and the moment she felt
TO be a very serious one. The Marquis
lifted her in his arms, and marveled at
himself as he did so. When he had kissed
her, an irresistible impulse seized him He
did not set her down again on her fat, short
legs. but Just dropped her on his broad
shoulder. Norry shrieked with delight
Here was virtue triumphantly rewarded.
She had done a good turn by an acQuaint-
ance worth making-a man who could
hoist little girl so easily and jolt her at
a swinging pace through the air.
She indicated the direction of Jacky's
house with a d:rnpied hand, and concluded
her information with the assurance that |
she was glad she had met him. At the
cottage-door the Marquis raped, and said |
to the white-capped woman whom he sum-
moned: ''Norry and / have come TO see |
Jacky's puppy" The woman at once !
ourteseyed in a iutter OF recognition and |
surprise II met this little lady near my |
gates. and she was kind enough TO make |
acquaintance with me. She proposed 10 |
take me here TO see a puppy in the light |
OF a favor. and l see she :s accustomed |
TO have her way" he explained.
Sure 'tis our own Miss Norry. blessings |
or her. cried Mrs. Molloy. gazing tenderly |
after the child. who had already made her |
way into the inner room. where Jacky lay |
in bed nursing his puppy. Sure its her
self we love. me lord; she's Ike sunshine
OF a wet day"
''Tum in here. Dandy. tum:" Norry
shouted imperiously. Watch me pull the
ruppy's tall
Mrs. Mouoy's face wrinkled in fright
cred smile Il was nothing less than awful
TO her 10 hear the great man addressed as
"Grandby."
The Marquis submissively went inside,
and satisfied Norry by kissing Jacky Mol
10y and taking the puppy into his arms.
II one thing 70 kiss Norry, but he
really felt that. had any choice beea left
to him. he would have preferred Tot TO
kiss poor white-cheeked Jacky- He had
no sentiment for children, but having ac-
ceptsd NoTry's protection. he knew when |
l. was becoming 10 yield.
Now Norry could not stay long in one
place. and when she entered a house she
felt il an obligation TO visit every living
member thereof. so while The Marquis. for