The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-16
A KANSAS GIRLS HEART.

Last Friday afternoon Wichita was visit
ed by one Of the most brilliant newspaper
writer's, politician and legislature attend
ants Of the state She is a woman, or
rather a girl, and her influence has been
felt in many a hard-fought state cam
paign, the various chairmen of the state
committees of her party often consulting
with her and seeking her counsel and adj
vice. She passed through the city Friday
on her way home from the far east, and
to an Eagle reporter, in a sort of profess
sional spirit and fellow-feelng gave out
the framework of one of the prettiest TO-
mances and stories which one can possibly
imagine, and as a basis Of a novel would
be welcomed By Hall Game or Richard
Harding Davis. Ten years ago this girl
visited a city in the east and was enter
tanned by a girl cousin who was engaged.
The young man to whom this cousin was
engaged had a close and intimate chum.
This chum, on first sight, fell desperately
in love with the Kansas girl and they soon
became engaged. The four We're inseper-
able companions, always going in pairs and
the two pairs always together. They took
boat rides, carriage drives, walks, and
tete-a-tetes together, and knowing friends
smiled and figured out double wedding
soon to occur There was an extra girl
in the case in each deal, and both were
broken hearted over the new arrangement
Just before the end Of the Kansas girls
visit there was a quarrel between herself
and her affianced,, followed a day later
by another quarrel between her cousin and
her affianced. 1t was bitter and unrelent-
ing, and neither would give in or listen TO
approaches Of a truce or a diplomatic ar
mistice. The two pairs were separated
and it all came like a thunder bolt out OF
a clear sky, unexpected and little under
stood or realized. The Kansas girl re-
turned home and suffered a little while
and then, after a shower of unanswered
letters from him who was now Tepentant
and humble, coldly announced that the
whole thing was off and negotiations
toward peaceful settlement impossible.
The cousin in the east had done likewise
and each girl soon, all too soon, girl-ll7e,
forgot all about the whole affair and cred
tied it up as only one more youthful fir
tation of no especial consequence. Eacn
young man was demoralized, as is usually
the case One took to drink, the other
city 10 drift, and finally wound up a
burst capitalist. About the same time
each of them married the girl they had
been first engaged to, which engagements
had previously been broken off by the
Kansas girl and her pretty cousin. Each
had two children born to the respective
families, and they were both OF the same
sex and all four born a about the same
respective time. Within the past few
weeks, after ten years, the two girl cousins
met again, the occasion being the visiting
of the Kansas girl with her cousin. Each
girl in the interim Of the flying years
had had many a lover and many a heart
experience, and perhaps some fresh en-
gagements. They had almost forgotten the
rosy experience of the double header deal
in the years gone by. when one afternoon
as they were strolling together in one Of
the parks Of the large eastern city they
two met face to face with the two men
who had been suitors for their hearts in the
dim and foggy long ago. The recognition
was prompt and mutual and after the nrst
momentary embarrassment a cordial hand
shaking and reunion was effected. Then
It developed that each of the gentlemen
had about the same time been divorced
from their wives, and in each case It was
solely from incompatibiltty. Neither had
been happy in their marital life and from
bad to worse. an honorable separation had
been effected. Then the four became
friendly again, and the cousin in the east
and her first love are now re-engaged and
will soon be married. As for the Kansas
girl, who ought to complete the pretty
story and carry out the unities Of the
romance, she declares she viii never give
in any or make up with him whom she has
never forgiven for the early onense- But, ,
nevertheless, the history Of the affair, all
Of winch IS true in detail and with all the I
strange condolences. : one out Of the /
and approaching the IDEAL /
fiction and story groundwork