The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-12
the Contrariness Of Things.

You onsider him. then. rough dia-
| mond?" said 1 to my sister, Lady Emily.
Exactly, and mean TO cut and poll
ish him"
Polish him first and cut him after
ward, when the voyage is oyerF'
Certainly not; I hope We shall always
be friends
II thing the experiment is dangerous.
1t is my opinion that you Will be blown
w."
Il don't understand"
He is a handsome fellow, and his
unlform-he is third officer, I believe
is becoming. Brass buttons are always
dangerous
IF you think 1 am likely to be so silly
as to fall in love with him. you are very
much mistaken
Such a thing has been known"
For you TO be mistaken
NO, for you to be SO silly as to fan
in love-
Twas a little angry with Emily. and
knowledge of her past was as . sharp
sword in my hands.
To the best of my brotherly knowl-
edge there bad beeen about dozen of
them up to the present. Emily is a
young lady OF considerable personal at
fractions. We Massinghans are all-but
digress.
''Yol are a brute" said Emily.
Il am your brother" l replied.
We sat in silence for a moment. and
I observed hiatt Emily was frowning.
And then, supposing he falls in love
with y9u?"
Her flown vanished. A dimple sank in
either cheek; the corners of her mouth
stole gently upward; her eyes sparkled.
Was Il possible that she could be smil-
ing? Surely she could not be pleased
at the prospect Of such a catastrophe?
rose, and bent over her chair.
you would emulate Lady Clara We're
de Vere?" I inquired. sternly-
Who was she?" asked Emily.
"a young lady who lived in a poem.
She broke a country heart for pastime
ere she went to town. She wa sa most
reprehensible young person"
81 remember"
Emily remained In deep thought for a
few minutes. At first she looked sad,
and I knew that she saw the right
course TO adopt Then sch smiled and
I knew she had determined not to adopt
it.
Then she said Don't be silly and
walked majestically away.
Ny sister Emily is. before all things,
a woman
Throughout the ong, lazy days that
followed / had little to occupy my mind
but the conduct OF my sister (always an
interesting study. and I could not help
admiring the skiilful manner IN which
she carried on her nefarieus design. She
succeeded in frequently eonversing with
he young officer without unduly excit-
Ing the scandalous tongues Of our fell
low passengers. Only once did I venture
to remonstyate with her again.
''You still persist In this cruel. heart
less conduct" I remarked, one day as
we sat watching the flying fish shoot
like silver arrows over the blue water.
And 1 am sorry to say that Emily so
far forget her ancient lineage and her
manners as to tell me to mind my own
business" So I said no more.
AS the day OF parting drew near be-
came little anxious. I knew Emily's
tact in these matters, but her manner
puzzled me. She was auieter and more
thoughtful than l had ever seen her be-
fore The young man was also a riddle
I could not read. Altogether, the affair
was sufficiently impossible to be proba-
BILE and so ridiculous that 1t might end
in tragedy
The anchor was down and the little
tug alongside. I watched Emily shake
hands with the young officer. and then
assisted her down the ladder. AS we
steamed away I saw the officer talking
to another, and heard him laugh bois-
terously. Then 1 turned 10 Emily. She
was paler than usual. and held her hand
kerchief in her hand. She applied Il to
her nose ostensibly when she observed
my gaze
Evidently things had not turned out
quite as I expected.
But | said nothing.