Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-07-06

mOt0er ana QtI duALks WutecAdCSo auu
with set lips.
ssI've followed your advice she said,
accusingly. 1--WE turned my back on
poverty
She went up the stairs to her room,
and the women heard her turning the
key in her door.
'Poor child" said her mother. with a
thrill of real compassion. Its little
hard for her now"
eyes," admitted Aunt Lucy. But nei-
Their of them felt remorseful. They
looked on themselves in the light of
surgeons.
That night the girl folded up the
little blue frock she had worn and laid
it away in a box. With it she laid a
bunch of letters, withered rose, and a
copy of Lucille"
what a spectacle I am making of
myself" she soliloquized, contemptu-
ously. "Stin," she reflected, ST can
hardly be said to be spectacle when
there are none to see. It's my own
foolishness, and no one will ever know
anything about it,
Two weeks later Erard Allen said to
her:
s'I love you dearly, Lillian; I have
asked your mothers permission to
speak to you, and she is quite willing"
"Oh, yes,'' said the girl, with some bit
terness, 81 know she is entirely will
ing
'And are you? Are you willing 10 be-
come my wife?'
"Why not?" responded the girl,
sharply, and the lover had to make the
4. oaso
ceptance.
Mrs. Erard Allen ca>&ae to be known
as a brilliant and successful woman.
Her beauty, her wealth, her gracious
ness Of manner. her hearty friendliness,
and her intelligencewona distinguished
| place for her.
s'What a different woman Lillian is
from what she might have been ii she
| had married that poor Dick Under
WOOD Aunt Lucy Fayorsham re-
marked at frequent intervals, and
| Lilian's mother acquiesced. They had,
| however, some complaint to make, in
spite of their freely-spoken admira-
| ton.
sLilian never comes to sit with us, !"
| they said to one another. eff we go to
her House she is always surrounded by
| others. We are invited there to dinner
or to "a tea. She never appoints time
| to be alone with u.s. Do you remember
| what pride she used to take in making
| little gifts for US? Now she buys things
ready-made and sends them up. 1t
sometimes seems as if she had forgot
| ten us, doesn't it?
The woman they spoke of knew many
! mental vicissitudes, but she confded
them to none. She had her temptations
for she was beautiful, and men
| guessed that she did not love her hus-
| band-but she conquered them. She
| became a student, and knew the deeps
| of intellectual joy. She bore and lost
| two children and soundedisorrOw. And
at last her husband died. and left her a
| widow.
"Well. there's one comfort COM
mented the mother; ''she's got enough
| to keep her in perfect comfort to the
last of her days"
| While she was congratulating herself
In this fashion her daughter was max
| ing over to others the fortune which
! had been left her. A part of it went to
an old aunt of her husbands; more
went to certain large families remote
|
Some went for a creche, some for free
| kindergarten. Then, clad in an lift
ting blue frock, old fashioned and
| frowsy, she presented herself one day
! at the door of a certain poor man.
"Dick,' she said, 81 have been a widow
for two years, and L have waited for you
to come for me, but you did not"
Lillian! Have mercy. I have resist
1 1o1,
! day. am almost as poor as ever
was"
eve come in the little blue dress I
made, Dick. It'll do nicely for we'd
ding dress, if If you think-if you
think a wedding dress is needed"
He was incredulous.
''It is fantastic Dream he said. cit
cannot be true that, after the mockery
| of endless dreams which faded as I
| grasped them, you are here, in the
flesh
She threw off her hat and clasped her
hands upon the table before her.
Look at me, Dick" she commanded.
"See how my eyes say: I love you
They look with perfect frankness and
naturalness for the first time in many,
many years. For the first time the
tones of my voice seem to ring true to
my ears. For the first time feel hon
est with myself. This is me-this
woman who says: 4 love you, Dick
OF course, if you like, you can send me
away. But I'm SO poor now, ands-''
She pretended'to look melancholy.
"It must be a dream" he murmured
still. But there is no harm in embrace
ing dream, so it be kindly one, and
he embraced this dream tenderly, with
/ many broken words with tears 1uhioh