Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-23

that you may form some idea of the sort
of good fellow Christie was. Yes, and
really q good fellow, too, for she would
give, away the rings eff her fingers to any
one that needed help. But that would
make my story too long.
"SWaiu was all broken up when she
told Kim in her most decisive manner
in answer to a regular proposal, mind
yOu-that if he Ouidn come to see her
like the other fellows without trying
all this lovemakinS business ned bet
ter stay away altogether.
THE worst of it was Swain is a rich
man and a man OF leisure, like most of
the other fellows and so he had no
steady occupation to distract him from
his trouble-no necessity of keeping on
at the grindStone until he wore his sor-
row out. All he could do was to run
away to his mothers country place in
Westchester county, and give himself up
to fOX-hunting.
while he was away trying to break
his own neck, apparently-for he rode
rccklessly, everybody said-anothcr man
was watching his opportunity with
Christie. This other mani showed him
to you-profted by poor SWANS example
and took care not to push his love-mak-
ing into prominence. l could see plainly
that his plan was to nlake Christie like
him partly for the very contrast between
his cOmradclike behavior and SWANS
1 L -'iN W Slo'iA. ''O
only danger for him was that the young
lady might begin to be struck by remorse
for her treatment of Swain.
"The war seemed to settle that doubt
all in the other mans favor. Yes, I was
watching the whole game with deep in
terest and close attention. At the very
first opportunity Swain had himself en-
rolled-as a plain enlisted man-and was
off to camp in. the south. Then the
other man began to take a great interest
in the war, read the papers diligently
and was always asking your opinion
about how long it would take to get the
SpaniardS out of Cuba.
That anxiety helped to spoil his game
for him. But. besides that, Christie, as
1 told you, had begun to put forth strong
symptoms of patriotism. Her clothes
were a moving Fourth of July show
She tried to sew things-housewifes and
all that sort of thing-to send to the
soldiers, though / don't believe she evel
made anything that was fit to send. Ant
all this put the other man in a very un'
pleasant prediCament.
He wanted to find out whether III
was losing ground with Christie b!
staying at home when he might have
gone to the War-for he is as much a mar
of independent means as Swain. But sh'
always seemed just as pleased as ever u
have him with her, helping her in all he
skylarks, Il talking to her as II she ant
he We're a couple of college boys. Why
I've known that girl meet him-th
other man-on Fifth avenue and Dor
row five dollars from him to buy cara
| mels, and then he would tell the crow
{ about it and dun her, and they woul'
all laugh and think it the biggest joke
. and guy him about the way Christi
l touched him.
l That was how things were going Of
all through the early summer of '9s.
suppose the other man made up hi
mind that it would be better policy t
l stay near her han to go off and see
). laurels to bring back and lay at he
, feet. l must say. she wasn't the sor
. that would have seemed likely to wan
laurels laid at her feet; anyone woul