Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1899-04-08

sees one apparent sign Of interest In
another. Poor grill He was her first,
her only love. He was hers and only
hers, and should be only hers, for when
that other-creature had scorned md
denied him, had he not been brought
sore stricken TO her doors? Had she
not won him back to life through the
wealth. and glory Of her own unsuspect-
ed love? From the day Of their we'd
ding until this woman came never had
she known q wish that was not his. Day
and night she dreamed, planned, and
thought for him, sought only to make
herself worthier his love, dearer to his
eyes-sweeter to his cares. Who was
there 10 compare with him in manli-
ness, in courtesy, in knightly bearing?
What officer was the peer Of Handy
what officer even In the dear old
Rifiers with whom had been her home
from baby days? They chided her,
some Of the girls, in what they called
her detection. "You used to say there
could be no regiment like the Riaers,
Floy. You used to VOW you'd never
marry out Of the old regiment" "Aye,
but that was before Randy came" WIS
her simple answer, and then they told
her Randy was her world, and proudly
she answered.: II believe he Is" They
warned her-some Of the older and
wiser matrons--and God knows they
had much on which to base their views
it was never safe to love any man too
much, even Randy; to which she an
swered with sunshine in her eyes:
"How could one love Randy too much?'
Mind you, she never volunteered these
overfowings Of her heart, but these
women had been her friends from her
earliest days. She was still shy, even
with him, but such wellImeant warn.
ings always seemed to put her on the de-
fenslve, as II were, and, poor child, she
believed II her duty 10 her husband that
she should never allow him TO go unde-
Tended, even though the attack were
intangible as. woman's sneer. And
they looked so well together, and he was
so proud OF her, so devoted TO her, $50
conscious OF her." rs some one said.
Nowhere In that garrison was there
man or woman who was able TO say that
Randy had not borne himself as an al
most ideal lover and husband ever since
that sun-kissed wedding day. Many
could even feel sense Of what Is called
agreeable disappointment" which al
ways strikes me as a physiological
parallel for that other remarkable
euphemism Of so many Of our country
women-"she's enjoying poor health"
Yet withal, Florence had the sympathy
the genuine affection Of all Fort Sedg-
wick, even in-or rather notwithstand-
higher enthusiastic estimate Of RAN
dy's qualities as husband and as man,
and her own extreme beatitude as
wife. Then Mrs. Buxton ventured to
fire shot. as she stood watching them
strolling homeward after parade one
evening. absorbed in one another, and
to observe to her own supremely in
different lord: "There now. Bux,
there's another girl making fool Of
herself over man, only she's the sweet
est fool I ever knew in my born days"
Bux himself ronred II out for Floy's
benefit not long after, and did 1t SO tina,
half Fort Sedgwick heard it, for the one
valuable quality Bux possessed us q
cavalry officer was his voice. The vol
ume Of sound he could produce when
believing instructions to a regimenta
skirmish line was something prodigious
but Of so rasping and exasperating q
timbre that his old-time derider, Blake
likened II In force to fog horn and in
staying power to boiled cabbage-no'
a neat comparison but one expressly
fitting.
And now, strangely enough, this mad
dest of nights poor Florence could moi
get those words and that tone out Of
her head. She had flushed and turned
speechless away at the time, hurt to hel
soul and indignant, too, but the train
ing Of her youth was strong. These
were people her father and mother had
taught her to respect, and though an
cry, indignant remonstrance was II
her heart, she stifled the words thai
strove to spring to her lips.
II expect I've put my foot in 1t again
to-day" reported Bux to his better half
when he got home.
swell, I'm sure I'm never surprised
was the lady's prompt reply.
~ fear I've been rude TO Col. Buxton
Randy" faltered Floy, when that gen
tleman came in from troop drill an houl
later.
"You couldn't be rude even to Bux
my darling" was his answer, as HI
folded her in his arms.
And these are not types of the "firs
year welded" and the quarter cen
fury mated" love as seen in the army.
have known many and many couple
who have risen together through every
grade In the line, loved, loving and Low
ers to the end.
At one o'clock Florence had set hel
lights in the parlor window. At two
with that booming, gong-like sound re
serberating in her ears, that incessan
repetition of Buxton's coarse words
she had sprung from the chair in which
she had been brooding, writhing, shud
dering for half an hour, and then, tear
ing down the shade, close looping thu
curtains, she hurried to the hall ant
locked and bolted the door. "Anothe
girl making fool Of herself for maj
another grill" God! how the word
raug-resounded through her brain
buzzed and whirred like angry wasp
In her ears, Kissed and rnttled, aye
stung like the venomous reptiles sh,
had learned to shun from early child
hood. "Making n fool Of herself for
man who would leave her-so soon-fC
that painted-yes-that padded thingl'
4