Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-10-25

y =
from shock and fright because of a
fire. That's what she says, though.
What was it, gMaidie? . Was its.there
Mr.. Stuyvesant got that burn on his
facet and lost his. eyebrows?"
And then it TRANSFERRED that Mr..
Stuyvesants had been a frequent and
assiduous caller for whole forts
night, driving thither almost every
evening.
But Maidie was oddly silent as to
the episode Of thas fire on the train.
She laughed little about Miss Per
kins and her pretensions, but to the
disappointment of hers hostess could
not be drawn into talk about that
tall. handsome New Yorker.
And what seemed strange to Mrs.
Brent was that now, when Maidie
and see certain among the officers
steamer from the states, and have
happy chats with Sandy every time
he couldo come galloping in from
Pace, and was taking delight in
watching the paraoes and reviews on
the Bagumbayan. and listening to the
evening music of the band, Stuyve
SdnC ndQ ceased TO call.
Had Maidie noticed it? Mrs. Brent
wondered,s as. coming in from her
conference with the house of com
mons, she stood a. moment at The
doorway gazing at the girl, whose
book hade fallen to the floor and
whose dark eyes, under their yelling
lids, were looking far out across the
field to the walls and church towers,
of Old Manila.
1t was almost sunset. There was
the usual throng of carriages along
the . Luneta and a. great regiment of
volunteers, formed in line of platoon
columns, was drawn up on the
"Campo" directly in front of the
house. Sandy had spent his allotted
halfshour by his sisters side, and, re-
mountings. had cantered out to see
the parade. Miss Perkins had de-
clared on the occasion of her. third
fruitlesso call that not until Miss Ray
sent for her would she again submit
herself to be snubbed. So there
seemed no immediate danger of her
temperance, and yet Mrs. Brent
had given Ignacio orders to open only
the panel door when the gate bell
changed, and to- refuse admission,
even to the driveway, to a certain
importunate caller besides Miss Per-
fins.
Three days previous there had pre-
sented himself young man in the
white dress Of the tropics and a hat
of fine Manila straw, a young man
who would not send up his card, but
in very Mexican Spanish asked for
Miss Ray. Ignacio sent a boy for Mrs.
Brent. who came down to recon-
hotter, and the youth reiterated his
request.
'sAn old friend" was all he would
say in response to her demand for
his name and purpose. She put him
off, saying Miss Ray was still too far
from well to see anybody, babe. him
call next day when DR.. Frank and her
husband, she knew, would probably
be there, duly notified them, and
Frank met and received the caller
when he came and sent him away in
short order. @
sThe man is a crank said he, ''and
Isshall have him watched"
The colonel asked that one or two
of the soldier police guard should
be sent to the house to look after the
stranger A corporal came from the
company barfack around on the
Gale Real, and it was after nightfau
when next the sold friend" rang the
bell and was pei mitted by Ignacio to
enter.
) But. the instant the corporal start
ed forward to look at him the caller
bounded back into outer darkness.
He was tall, sinewr, speedy and had
20-yard start before the little
guardsman, stout End burly, could
squeeze into the street. Then the
latter's shouts up the San Luis only
served to startle the sentries, to spur
the runner, and to excite. and agitate
Maidie.
+ DIR. Frank was disgusted when he
tried her pulse and temperature half
an hour later and said things to the
corporal not strictly authorized by
the regulations. The episode was
unfortunate,o yet might soon have
been forgotten but for one hapless
circumstances. Despite her announce
ment, something had overcome Miss
Perkins sense of Injury. for she had
stepped from carriage directly in
| front 0of the house at the moment of
| the occurrence, was a witness to all
that took place, and the first oae to
extract from the corporal his version
of the. affair and his theory as to
what lay behind it. In another mo-
ment she was driving away towards
! the Noza1eda, the direction taken by
the fugitive, fast as her coachman
could whip his ponies, the original
purpose of her call abandoned.
/ -. no
and Dr. Frank hac told Sandy of this
odd affair. Mrs. Brent described the
J stranger as tall, slender, sallow, with
big cavernous dark eyes that had a
wild look to them, and a scragg1y,
|