The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-26
Stories of an inland State.


fered the hardest shock in its history. ex-
ceeding all former seismic or emotional dis
turbances whatever.
Joey, John Wright's bashful, retiring.
non-communicative hired man, actually
drove up to church behind a mule and a
horse, with the beautiful Miss Everett from
| the city at his side
1t was an awkward-lool,inE team, which
Joey explained to his companion would
make her beauty come out ell the stronger
| in contrast. and she laughed and said 20 far
as she could see their team had as much
style az any they had passed
He gave her his hand as she sprang from
the carriage, and such a hustering Of rib
bons and purr Of silken friils and swish Of
| fascinating draperies, that neighborhood
had never seen before.
And as they walked into the church this
| vision OF loveliness and her roughly dressed
| companion were greeted by an almost au-
dible drop Of every lower Jaw in the church.
The spectacle Of "Bashful Joey" and this
/, fair flower OF a brighter world than theirs
| eibow-to-elbow was a benumbing blow.
| The minister gave cut the number Of q
| hymn, conscious only of the presence Of
the beautiful creature under Joey'scare and
reading the words with . mechanical par
rot-tone, and aware at the same moment
| that the congregau ton was deaf to him and
itself only conscious Of the presence of this
| butterfly and the grub who attended her,
| who had been in the church but twice
| since he had arrived IN the neighborhood.
| And as the minister went on with the
| hymn the congregation recovered slowly
from IT'S surprise and then as If by electro
cal information all turned again to the
| beautiful creature to see if she had taken
| flight as a fairy the moment before and
left her earthly companion sitting there
| looking up in the thin air after her But
! the congregation saw them still there and
| as joey with most abandoned manner
bent to her thin, pink car and drew from
her red lips the ivory glisten of smile.
four eyes burned like flaming stars, for at
! that moment Madge Barretts heart ached
| with murder at the easy intimacy of the
| joey she had believed to be bashful dolt.
| while turned to the beautiful face OF Miss
| Everett were the blazing eyes of Lewis
Barnes, dumbfounded that Joey should
have succeeded where he so signally failed.
The smile which Joey's remark had coax
ed to the willing lips of the lovely woman,
tntruded on the hymn, the minister halted,
suffered, coughed and slurred his words
| and went on with an embarrassed rapidly.
Joey turned to his neighbors and friends.
His mild eye ran from face to face with
unconcern, Q glance that brooked neither
superiority nor assumed 1t, the glances OF
even-handed happiness
But at the same moment his fair COM
panion glanced around upon the plain coun-
try folk and In her glance there was the
token OF her own sense Of superiority, her
contempt for them, not active contempt.
but the contempt OF langu;d indifference.
And they resented 1t. They did not envy
her her fine apparel. but they restrained
themselves from admiring it. She was not
one Of them. She was not below them.
Above them? They would not concede
that And as they analysed the feeling OF
resentment which followed the first sur
prise each individual was again struck with
the remarkable circumstance that this crea-
lures companion was Joey.
The congregation arose to sing and Nell
handed her gloves and handkerchief to
Joey. 1t was Q tiny bit OF lace, but he
pressed 1t into his palm savagely, that re
might enjoy 1t all he possibly could before
she would reclaim il. And ne found him.
self stroking the gloves and stopped with Q
blush. The rustling touch Of her dimity
against his hand drew his eyes to her
checks. He would have looked into her
eyes. but he dared not presume and he
feared that-but he looked to her cheeks
and studied with eyes burning with ardor
the delicate silken texture Of her skin. She
turned quickly to him with some smiling
pleasantly, and he raised his eyes to her
with such a strong fear that she would
know, that he felt himself now staring,
now grinning foolishy and at last with his
eyes buried In hers. guilty of re-actionary
seriousness which did not In the least pro
sent q fitting welcome to her whispered
criticism Of the minister's bald head.
II he had dropped his eyes ne would have
lost. He was sure Of that now. But he
had stared it out and she did not know.
1t was a question Of honor with him. not to
let her know.
So the service continued with him stealing
little guilty glances at the beautiful woman
at his side and she watching the people
about her curiously.
When they had driven to the home Of her
parents, he lifted her down from the buggy
with the touch Of the tips Of her fingers on
his hand which he wished would remain
there warm forever. And he came in the
afternoon, with the same ridiculous team
and they drove up and down the country
roads for an hour. to the growing amaze
ment OF the people who saw them. She
was a woman OF much frivolity and she
laughed easily over the manner.sms and
expressions of the people she saw The
comedy was to her liking. In her humor-
Gus view Of the neighborhood she was con-
stantly Joined by her companion, much to
her surprise
do you know" She said turning to him
with that keen air Of scrutiny which he had
faced so boldly. that 1 never knew one
who could be Of a class and see plainly that
class weakness"
You have not known many clod-hep-
pers" he said.
That IS a rough word" she said in pro-
test
And strange for clod-hopper to use OF
himself?''
Yes 80
But the world is the same" he went on
lowering his voice with masculine intensi-
~. mo matter how poorly We are dressed
and In what part our lots are cast-we are
ali the same creatures after all. after all"
You are not sustaining yourself" si.s
said SXah a smile.
treas a slip he sait wondering what
she could mean. 1T Goes maze all the diff
ference in the world. Miss Everett. Your
world OF culture I could no. enter graceful
ly and lacking grace would not strive 10
enter"
She looked at him again with her frivo-
lous smile absent
"Ah.'' he went On, I'VE are not all the
same. The beggar poets tell up that, but
they lie"
You are right" she said with a mother
ly ar which cut him deeply. The poets
lie-it is plain word but lie is lie-you
should always remember that"
The gulf tha; divides US Is indeed deep,