The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-11
In The Beginning,

1t was the Pentlands' first dinner under
their own roof-tree.
As city editor and society chronicler OF
the Lone Star. the Pentlands had met
loved and married, and continued TO Work
side by side until their joint earnings en-
abled them to build this pretty queen
Anne cottage; and to the house-warmlng
had been hidden their Christmas eve
friends tried and true. Elizabeth Pent-
lands ambition was achieved; she pos
seSSed = home
How like a story said Mrs. Wether-
ell; 'one of those good old-fashioned,
wholesome love stories 1 am so hungry
TO read. BY the way, can anybody tell
US what has become of the old-fashioned
love story?''
Notwithstanding the speed and spirit
Of the times said Return Betram,
sculptor, who had outlived his contempt
raries, consequently his fame, material
for Jane Austen stories is not wanting
in our own days
"Betram has a story he is burning TO
tell, cried the city editor. Mrs. Weth-
erell has given him the cue 1 wager
choice public is about to be supplied with
a revised, annotated, up-to-date edition of
Jane Austen"
Imagine Jane Austen Of the Latin
encouraging nod.
For once the clever Mrs. Pentland IS
in error" said the sculptor. settling in his
chair with the ease of a reconteur sure Of
one telling arrow in his culver. Moth
ing could be more remote from the Latin
Quarter than this story which the drift
Of the conversation makes so timely. To
be candid, my chief purpose in accepting
Mrs. entland's hospitality was to recount
Hillhouse's romance.
He was my best friend continued
Betram, encircling the table with sec
ond significant twinkle. II may say a
lifelong friend. About a year ago Hill
house was called TO Harrington to work
on the equestrian statue of which you
may have heard.
One Of his studio windows looked al
most impertinently into hall room of
the most imposing house in the row. To
Hillhouse's surprise his mirror one day
reflected its occupant, who riveted his at
tention with a fascination almost as ir-
resistible as that which wrought the ruin
Of Paul Pry." Betram paused. The in
terest in the auditors eyes urged him
on.
81 know not whether it was the style
Of her dress-the white null fichu closed
on the low bosom to fall in graceful folds
~ the mem u llC4 NbluhllilO0S u6l n ShAl u
or the outline of the couture. so like the
mode prevalent when Hnlhouse was the
Beau Brummel of his world-that attract
cd his attention; but the sculptor soon
found himself modelling her delicate pro-
file. Hllhouse, it goes without saying,
was a bachelor, in whom the wine OF
youth was scarcely less beady at so than
in the flush of youth
"a street faker had evidently inveigled
her into buying a mechanical toy. such
as abound in the streets of our large cit
les during the holiday season. Far into
twilight this stately autumnal flower sat
playing with the trivial thing, and the
footprints Of time magically vanished
from her sweet face as she repeatedly
pulled the string and the grotesque wood
en- monkey. with it's multicolored jacket,
slid up and down the yellow pole. Sudden
~ there was a rift in the lutte. The toy
fell from her hands a wreck; disaster,
dire. distress, beclouded her face. Not a
shadow escaped Hillhouse. In a jiffy he
had seized his hat and was knocking at
her door.
"T have observed from my window
am your neighbour he exclaimed, locat-
ing his eerie den across the way-'that
you have met with an accident. I am
not without some mechanical skill, and
I thought I might be of service
Some days elapsed before Hillhouse
had the courage to knock a second time
at his neighbours door. In the interval
he had learned a little of her history. 1t
was not without purpose that he scan
ned the bookcase until his eyes lighted on
a strangely familiar volume
81 see Miss Foxglove is an admirer of
Lucille remarked Hillhouse.
" TT belongs to the past
Then it has not been opened for some
timer
Miss Foxglove's gray eyes turned with
in.
a quarter Of century, she said.
HE took the volume from the shelf.
and with strange misgiving turned the
leaves until arrested by a much under
scored canto, from which fell a faded
foxglove.
" With a smile whose divinely deep sweet
ness disclosed
Some depths in her nature he never had
known
''She took the volume Hnlhouse handed
her to read in the lines the foxglove had
stained the confession she had waited in
vain to hear from the lips of the borrower
so long ago.
you don't mean to tell su." cried Miss
Dashaway. that there lives in this age
a man stupid enough to expect a woman
to look in a book for a proposal?''
But that happened a quarter Of a cen
fury ago." laughed Mrs. Pentland.
True" said Betram, land the poor
lout supposed that the girl had eagerly
devoured every word underscored, while
she naturally laid the volume away and
never looked at ii again until Hillhouse
opened it and bade her read the lines
which embodied his proposal Not having
heard from her, he went away in a mo-
ment of pique and never returned.
Betram's glowing eyes took in the
guests who had followed his story with
the bantering old friendship admits.
Tomorrow at high noon" said he. 'the
Rev. DR.. Broughton will await you AZ
the Red Brick Church. and after the
ceremony Lavinia and I viii be at home
at the studio--its latchstring. YOU know,
Is always out-where we hope to dispense
Christmas cheer throughout the year -
The deuce," cried the city editor. You
said the chaps name was Hllhouse-"
And so It is" smiled the sculptor
Return Hiuhouse Betram.
Ex Senator Eyarts and Senator