Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-01-10
Contra POrrazO.
Tho Coloners Ruse and It's Unex.
pected Result.
BY Philip Firmin.

liz w llLCl Ol SullIOrnla is
very delightful, especially at the great
Hotel Balboa, but even there clouds are
not unknown, and storms occur at
times. Similarly the relationship be.
tween Colonel Talbot and his daughter
Josephine was said by their scntimen-
tai friends to be Il beautiful one, for
they loved each other devotedly and
were seldom separated; nevertheless it
had its periods of disturbance when
they failed to agree and when each
spoke freely according to the family
custom.
The colonel was man Of large
means, whose home was in an eastern
city. He had taken suit of rooms in
the Balboa for the winter for a party
which consisted of himself, his daugh-
ter, aged %, and his sister, matron of
about his own age. There was also a
maid.
The season was about half over when
the trouble between the colonel and
Miss Josephine began. The storm cen
ter at the outset was a certain Harry
Grandfn. Some time later a second
area Of disturbance was created around
a widow. Mrs. Bronson, but this was
declared by the colonel not to be a
genuine casus belli but merely a coun-
ter irritant and an attempt to get up a
side issue.
According to the material provided
at that time on which to base judg-
ment Harry Grandin was either a
handsome fellow, with exquisite man
ners. who could talk to your very soul
and whom all the other girls wanted
or he was pestiferous nuisance that
no>one knew anything about, a fortune
hunter most likely. who should be run
off the place if the colonel had his way
about it. And the widow, from the
same sources, was either a sly. design
ing creature that penciled her eyelasl-
es and pretended not to know that she
was flirting or she was an estimable
person, who minded her own affairs
and was nothing to the colonel nor lie
to her and who ought not to be drag
ged into this matter.
ut seems very strange" said Joseph
inc, chat the person love best in all
the world. my own father. is the only
one that thinks am perfect fright" /"
II don't think anything of the kind"
cried the colonel Indignantly. .You
are an exceptionally handsome woman.
as your mother was before you. and ]
know it as we'll as-as you DO" He fin
fshed with grin.
"Then why do you always assume
that every man who pays me the slight
est attention does so merely because of
your money!" She bcamcd on him as
one does who has scored
II don't assume it of every one be.
gan the colonel.
"Tllat is not rich and bald and stu
pid."
My dear" said the colonel solemnly.
"there are some things in this world
that your old dad knows little more
about than you do. and money Is one
Of them. There are two parts to get.
ting rich. One is to make money. and
the other is to hold on to it, The first
Of these is easy enough. but the second
is deadly hard Who was the English
man who said that whenever he woke
up in the morning in the city of Paris
and suddenly remembered that the
place contained, according to police
statistics, over GOOOO people who
would rob him II they got chance it
threw him into blue funk? Now, !
have some money, admit. There is
To o1l <o 70, I,,
and to do pretty much as we please
within reason. ! have put it in the
best possible shape to leave to you
when pass out. But how long do you
think 1t will all last If some rascally
young spendthrift should have a
chance at it as your husband? So I
would rather suspect 80 innocent ones
than have you caught on the hundredth
one who would play the mischief with
your happiness"
You must be pretty well through
with the 3d." said Josephine.
Like enough" said her father. "1n
that case our young friend Grandin
must be the hundredth that is specially
to be looked out for"
Nov, to go back to the point from
which this talk started" said Joseph
inc. II believe told you that there
was to be q fishing party tomorrow and
that Mr.. Grandln asked Aunt Harriet
and me to go. What do you think"
"po Just as you please about it." said
the colonel. you can't lure me into
forbidding things SO as to make 1t in
teresting. l am merely giving you a
little tip. Dodie. my dear. because
love you"
Miss Josephine flung herself over the