The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-03
Stories of an inland State.


had anticipated. He wandered about the
great store in dream, from department
to department, CHANGING casually from face
TO face. from shelf to shelf, wandering
from floor to floor and back again dreami-
~, to the counting ROOM
The hard work of the farm appealed 10
him. He turned his great brown hands
over and studied the knuckles enlarged
and knotty with toll. He thought OF the
brassy sun there, and the white faces or
these cab:ned clerks here and philanthropic
dreams foated in his mind. He thought OF
the early hours, the grey misty dawn, the
rurple twilight, the twinkle OF the star-ht
night, the velvet caress Of the prairie WIND,
the golden plunge of the sunsets shafts
and the ulutterable peace OF country que
tude. And for the moment he longed 10 go
back and leave it all. SO strong are the
1orning instincts of man, that residence be-
comes a part of him Choice may select,
or circumstance control selection, but when
we halt upon a spot We haliow Il hence
forth.
And 60 as he wandered through his great
esta bl:shment he longed for the country
1,fe again. He felt. too that great thrill
the impulse of reformation which seems SO
neculiar TO Kansas and which is imbibed
for a justification of his present position
and could find none These clerks about
him who worked for pit:able salaries, why
should he be preferred by Fortune TO them?
And WHY was It not possible for farm
hand. and there were so many more COM
netent than he, for farm hand without
tbe connivance of previous circumstance,
10 be given the opportunity TO gain what ne
had gained. He felt that justice demand
ed more opportunities for the honest sons
of the farm. and knew that custom denied
it.
The first day he had passed two young
sslesvonen. One had whispered TO the
other:
THE SON.
! "He stares at us like a country gawk,
said the other.
He would lo:ter down to the counting
room and delve into the great books ana
study the accounting systems. and the sys-
TENS within the systems. pondering aO-
stractIy over the mounds of Arabic 1gures
built ike bricks into great grotesque OUT
| lires of castles and palaces, the crow-tracks
o; the dollar that has passed through, the
record of a note that was held there yes
terdav. here today, and went forth again
! into the laDyrlnlIi VI OOAiiAA1~-0 - ~
! and was lost forever.
| Two weeks had passed and the JOY OF
the return had Debated His nature began
10 vearn after two faces which did not ap-
pear.
! DENYING himself the right to wish Tor
her stiu he did wish for Nell Everett, wish
n cir and dream in the Graduating glory OF
| her affinity for him. The wish was guilt
and ne knew It But he took feeble refuge
in that thought that her presence could not
weaken his fidelity TO Madge. He soothed
! his conscience with recourse to ire Oh
r,ea of that friendship which being no less
than friendship is no more. II she couid
be near him, he felt he would be happy
If she were near him he knew ne would pe
happy. Could he deny himself her mere
! presence? And If ne could, should heE a
| s:rena sat upon an ancient shore and sans
end men could not withstand her. Iha'
was the day Of fable. and that was gone
! Surely If modern civilization had brought
ANYTHING il had brought self-controL Ao-
stractly, temptation was powerless against
the determination not to be tempted. lie
owed everything to Madge. Madge should
be his sweetheart and his wife.
But Madge had not appeared. He hac
expected her to put in an appearance at th'
store, seeking employment the first week
She had not come. The second week hat
giided by and she was not here yet
He d,d not fear for her She was 50
strong, so self-relant, so willing and aol'
to meet circumstance and ill-fcrtune, tina
he knew that she would come. He die
not wish that she might not come, for II
questioning himself on this very point, h
! fr,a Of a
ard rejoiced.
! Conscious of her power over this man
Nell Everett had acted with federation
The greeting of the first day over and she
g]ided away from the Reuter- home and re
NAMED away, much 10 the keen misery o
the diplomatic Mrs. Reuter-, VINO did no
suspect Nell as a tactic:an. But Nell, II
fun knowledge of Joey's nature, feeling
kepnlv her former rebuff of him and Ger
tain OF his offense, and probable diminutior
of regard for her because she should have
refused him on account of his position II
society, knew that strategy called for al
efacement of eagerness on her part. s.
she had remained away from the Reute
home where her visits formerly had beer
of daily regularity.
NTa9ge. on the other hand. fearful Of hav
ing joey offer payment for his obligation!
to her in any way whatsoever and with tn
Illogical impulse of those who are in love
doing something purely because there IS nj
good reason for doing IL. Madge had wand
cred about from store TO store interv.ewin:
managers without end and IN vain. FINAL!
with an empty purse. the best logician, nal
ing its crushing. eloquent argument, sh
turned to the store of Reuter- & Son.
| She gazed up at the sign and the wort
.aSon" seemed 70 become animate and vocal
telling all the world that the Son had re
turned ard that this woman gazing upon I
had brought him back. had done him grea
service and. Insignificant ard unlikely a
/ she appeared now. was his friend and h
I benefactor.
Her breast filled with pride and she walk
e5 into the store relian;ly, was shown III
managers room where she watched apQii
cents for places shown in and out in tedious
repetition.
The manager OF the store was AT ola an
nioye His nose was hooked. Ike horn
ont Of a dark shrewd face. HIS glasss
re~cbed sauc!Iy upon the bridge OF nj
rose and his hands were always busy at n
desk even when he was taIkirg and Z wa
verbally believed that these members wer
entirely independent Of the rest OF his boo,
and went or about their business reEariies
Of what his eyes or feet or brain wer
doing.
He poured sharp questions out 70 Mafga
sill lingering about MS desk and apparen;
" not noting her replies, but absorbed 4
aa eagerness 10 run through his whole is
OF questions as quickly as possible. al
al last with his eyes upon her but his IN
gers making 4 selection from among severa
veas with great sententiouSness and deiib
Grafton;
MY va-lrg woman You lack exnerfe1ce