Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-12-02

quite a problem how to entertain her.
She didn't go to dances or dinners.
She could, perhaps. ride and play ten
mis-. but tennis she did not care for.
Riding was unpleasant. because there
were no winding wood roads, no elastic
turf. The mesa was pebbly or sandy
by turns. the canyon narrow. the roads
dusty Ladies' lunches. very, very
quiet and informal. she consented to at
tent, but she did not care for lunches
The women presently declared she did
not care for women.
The men, especially Minturn and
Whitaker. had early become devoted
to her. and there could be no doubt of
her powers of fascination. The gunner
and the trooper grew cold and con-
strained in their manner toward each
other, and Whitaker quit going. as go
he used to day and night2to Haynes or
Merriam's. The coionel's wife, dying
to be hospitable, had urged a little,
quiet home dinner. 'Just yourself,
your friends, the Graftons and Merri-
| ans. and. say, Mr.. Minturn." Mrs. Graf
ton assured the kind army woman that
Mrs. McLane would not think of ac-
cepting. Mrs. McLane amazed her host
ess by eventually saying yes.
Since the Tuesday evening of their
| call, not once had the Merriams held
| conversation with the widow. She
called. as has been seen. and Mrs. Mer-
Ram had to be excused. Mrs. Merriam
| used to love tennis, but quit the game
| as soon as Mrs. McLane began coming
| to the court. Mrs. Merriam. who used
| to love to ride with Randy. had discon-
| tinued it a day or two after that al
l Jn
| the illusion, but by the Thursday she
! again appeared in the saddle and gal
! loped out upon the mesa by her hus-
bands side. Returning, they met Mrs.
McLane just starting out with her gun
| ner friend. and the ice had to be broken.
The stylishly habited widow beamed
on both, begged Floy to let her know
! at what hour they would ride next day,
as she adored it of all things. and next
day Floy's horse was reported dead
! lame" and she would ride no other.
| When Mrs. Colonel's invitation came for
| that utterly unlooked-for dinner, the
Merriams were cornered, for Floy,
though looking sallow and heavy-eyed
now.was not really i'll and could urge no
! excuse. Garrison dinner "bids" must be
answered as promptly as those in city
Il >
Ram calmly. 80 send our acceptance"
81 won't 60" said Floy to herself. as
] she penned and signed the little note,
and when Saturday came she was too
i'll to leave her bed! Mrs. Hayne came
| to minister to and sit with, her. The
I Freemans were hidden instead, and
Mrs: Freeman could have stamped
her pretty foot in vexation, for neither
she nor her lord thought it the proper
thing for Mrs. McLane to be going to
| dinners so early in her widowhood; be-
| sides. there were other reasons.
/ The dinner came off. however, and
| was dismal feast with dramatic con-
| c1usion.
| AS has been shown, only twice had
Mrs. McLane had speech with Merriam
during the seven days, and both times
| it. was in presence of his wife. The
| Graftons, Haynes and Freemans were
| delighted with him as a consequence,
| and rejoiced in secret over her. But
not whit did the widow show odisap-
pointment or discontinue. She was
amply entertained, apparently, with
| the increasing devotions of Minturn
and Whitaker, and the latter spent
| two miserable hours this Saturday
evening in jealous contemplation. of his
own outcast lot and Minturn's presun-
able bliss. Yet the colonel could not
have both to dinner, so Mrs. Colonel
was allowed TO decide, and her pref
erence was for the artilleryman. The
| Graftons went with rather bad grace,
Mrs. Grafton warning her guest that
the whole garrison would be talking
| of her Inconsistency, but, as Ned Parry
remarked on a previous occasion, Fan
had had her own way ever since she cut
her first tooth. and did not propose to
be ruled now.
ALMOST the last words Mr.. MeLane
whispered" said she, Indignantly,
"were to implore me not to waste my
youth in vain lamentation. Life is too
short to be spent in tears were his
| very Words" and evidently the widow
was here in full sympathy with the
| expressed or reported views of the
dear departed: She went. She looked
'uncommonly pretty in a gown of deep
est, most somber and most expensive
Grape. She sat at the colonel's right,
and made eyes at him all through din
uer, leaving Minturn on her right to
| sulk and scowl and seek comfort in the
commandments champagne. Fanny her
self partook mot too sparingly of this
seductive fluid. and was sparkling with
animation and good spirits when, just
before coffee; was served-iust as the
trumpets were sounding tattoo out on
the moonit parade. a servant came and
whispered to the master of the house.
''Tell him I'm at dinner and can't see
him now"
The servant vanished, then reap
peared, bent and whispered again.
Tell him I'm at dinner and wont
see him now" said the colonel, not IN