The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-01
ITO Be Called For. I"

o BE Caiied FoT.
pen, Pen! Are you there? Are you
there, Pen? Supper's ready" old Mrs.
Milligan called shrilly; but in vain, for
! Penelope had gone out to keep her tryst
beneath the copper beech.
| But Pen was away down the glen; she
had no thought just then for her grand
| mother, or supper, or aught else up at
the farm.
AS she walked quickly away to the
! trystingtree her thoughts were busy
back at that night, just a week ago.
| when she had stood beneath those pup
pie, dropping branches with Herbert Mac
| lean beside her. and he had whispered
intoxicating suggestions into her little
| pink ear; but, best of ALL he vowed that
he loved her He didn't ask her to be his
wife, but he had asked her to meet him
again beneath the beech al shutdown, and
well, he loved her; the rest WAS sure to
! come right.
She could see the path to the village
! from where she stood, and soon in the
| distance she espied speck coming nearer.
| Yes, il was he, But as the "speck' ad-
vanced she saw that 1t consisted OF two
| figures not one only, as she had hoped
two figures. both men. Herbert was
marching along swinging his cane, cutting
! off heads of dandelions as ne came. Iae
other was shorter and broader; he carrleu
| a stick, but he did not swing it.
At last they came so near that she could
| distinguish their faces clearly.
"Hallo! The little wench isn't here yet!
Who'd although of her giving herself
such airs?'
rs this the chosen spot? The altar Of
| Cupid?" asked another voice-a strangely
full, nelodious voice.
This is the place, sure enough re-
sponded Herbert. What she means by
not being here first can't imagine
Not being here frst?" A smile OK
amusement played round the others lips.
rs that the way you 90 lt-Iao4es AlSl'
even at the trysting-tree?"
women are always so beastly unpunct-
nal" said Herbert. They can't fix time
and keep IT. So, always name quarter
of an hour earlier than mean TO ap-
pear"
..Always?" There was note Of scornful
interrogation in the tone.
You don't suppose" Herbert laughed
foolishly-"you don't suppose that this IS
a solitary instance? Ha! ha!
Il suppose you've met her often De-
fore?"
Not this particular her my dear boy.
But girls are cheap. One must amuse
ones self"
peated the stranger, angrily. DO you
mean to say you're such thorough
paced cad as to"
Draw it mildly, old chap! The girls
all right. We're both playing at the same
game"
you're sure of that?" Maclean stirred
uneasily beneath the others flashing eyes.
you're sure she holds things as cheap
as you do?"
well, Jove! old fellow; really I never
" asked her She is a pretty little thing.
It's dull in the country without some
fun. And 1 asked her to keep the
tryst-"
Never imagining that 1t would be
kept" interrupted the other, scornfully'
80, yes; she's only girl. expected
her to have kept the tryst. To tell you
the truth, 1 expected she'd have kept It
, till called for 1 expected she'd nave
been here long ago"
'sWell, I'm off, you and I don't agree
in our ideas about women ana hohoI'
you know. We never did
"And never shall, old chap, while you're
so beastly strait-faced and old-maidish!
said Herbert. laughing.
, But the other had turned on his heel
; and was striding across the sott~sreeH-
sward in a whrlwind of disgust
"Girls are cheap How the words an
gered him! Was this girl-this pretty Pen
elope-really making herself so cheap IN
her so-caled lovers eyes?
Maurice Dean could have seen the
"pretty village Penelope" just then he
would have needed no further answer
The stars were all out as Pen crept
home in the summer night. Her grand
mother was mapping before the dying en-
bers. So, slipping off her shoes the girl
stole softly up the stairs to her own little
chamber.
$50. that's the way the cat jumps, is
| it?" Herbert Maclean stood facing his
friend some weeks later, CLEAN 10
amusement in his eyes. The old grand
mother is dead, and Pen is heiress to the
family-stocklngr !"
"Heiress to a great deal. It seems re-
sponded Maurice Deane, slowly Inc Ola
: woman was much better off than people
thought. Penelope has quite fortune"
"And Perelope has smiled on you, eh?'
sneered Herbert, jealously. "You didn'
go to see the old grandmother without
knowing il was worth your while. ., you
doctors are such precious humbugs!
Maurice didn't vouchsafe any reply TO
the taunt. He had gone 10 Drybrldge
three months ago as locum tenens 10 the
. village doctor. His time had nearly eN-
pired. but he had made many friends
and the little flower-girl and her grand
name had never been mentioned.
Maurice Deane wished her grandmother
had leFt the girl beggar, or that she
hadn't died just then. There was some
thing he had lately longed to say, and
the family "stockingful'' seemed to form
a barrier He wasn't the kind of man TO
whom girls were cheap and Pen SEEM
ed to him the fairest that ever breathed.
Herbert Maclean walked homeward in
a meditative frame of mind.
However, It wasn't too late to mend,
! so before he slept he penned and posted
l a neat little note. Would Pen meet him
at the old tryst the next night?
The next night he was ID good time Ak
the appointed spot. AS he approached he
saw that no one was there only white
patch-an envelope-was pinned TO the
soft brown bark: while on the messy
ground at the foot of the ancient beech
, lay a parcel. The note was addressed ii
him in Pens own neat little writing:
MIR. EERBERT MAGICIAN:
TO be kept till called for