Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-12-18

mine, with a face like a flower, but |
poor as the traditional church mouse. |
Tom Grigsby, handsome and talented, |
but, alas, equally penniless, is another |
OF my fadS, and that he should have |
fallen in love with Maud seemed one Of |
those whimsical cruelties of fate for |
which life could offer no justification or |
excuse. Moreover l am a social social |
lSt, as one might say. l can never see /
2 rich eligible man or woman without |
desiring to marry them straight off to |
a beautiful poor, or a worthy, but i'm |
pecunious, young man, and thus equal
lie the distribution of wealth.
In this particular case had ar
ranged, in my mind, that Tom should
marry Betty Hawdon-old-pig-ir
Hawdon's only child, you know. Plain |
as kitchen door, but such a good girl, |
with pot of money. Maud's hand l
was resolved should be bestowed upon
Philip Leland, president of the Second
National bank, and the Merchants Ex-
change, and goodness knows what else.
OF course he was old enough to be her
father, but heavens, you can't have
everything in this world, and if there's
any lot in life with more charms to it
than that of being a beautiful rich
young widow, I'd just like to know
what 1t is. But here was Tom upset
ting all my plans-and ! had really laid
awake two nights settling his future
Tor h1m-by falling in love with Maud.
OF course knew she was far too senSi-
DIT girl to commit such a folly as
preferr1ng the wrong person, herself,
still woman always blames some
other woman for mans fault, and
felt she deserved scOlding.
You know you didn't intend to mar
ry him." l said, returning to my griev-
ance.
No" she admitted, 81 didn't
''Yet you led him on
Il wasn't rude to him, if you mean
, that"
Flirting" said self-righteously, sis
something never did in my life"
Poor DEAR" murmured Maud SYM
pathetically," what you have missed!"
He was as good as engaged to Bet
ty Hawdon before he met you,'' went
on, ignoring her reply
"Oh, not quite Maud objected" be-
sides, he says l am the only woman in
the world he ever could have really
loved
That's what men always say" re-
turned irritably.
True" she asse1ted, "I have been
told it by hundred different men my
self"
"She was the very wife for him." I
went on regretfully.
Think Of her nose," implored Maud.
She's such good girl continued,
reciting her virtues, "she never flirts''
/ ct Is easy to be good when you have
no temptation to be bad" remarked
Maui sententiously. Nov with me-
Yes?" l inquired.
Maud's eyes sparl1led. ITO have been
my first adorer would have been hap
piness, but to be my last, is a distinc-
ton"
thought would change the subject.
Her fortune is something enormous"
/ said
ct is disgusting" observed Maud
with feeling. How easy it is to fall in
love with the wrong person. It is like
buying shoes-you always want the
ones that are certain to hurt you.''
But l was not to be diverted from
my grievance. Hes always dangling
after you, said. cat the Thompson's
the other night you sat out half dozen
dances with him"
''He dances so abominably,' pleaded
Maud. Besides, he was telling me a
story about a girl he met last winter"
"Oh?" 1 inquired with interest.
ct seems" went on Maud, after her
face bent above the cream Jug that
this girl was a-a-a-sort of Franken-
stein. That is what a woman is who
has not heart, isn't she? She was pref
ty, you know, and all that, but just des-
perately poor, and she wanted fine
clothes, and jewels, and carriages, and
horses. and all the pomp that money
buys, and she'd made up her mind to
sell herself for them to the first man
who was rich enough to pay the price.
Only, Of course, she didn't put the thing
in that brutal way to herself She in
tended to make what we call brilliant
match, and the world smiled it's ap-
proval, and called her very clever.
Shed been awfully spoiled, first by
her own people, and then by others.
and she'd been taught to always take
the best of everything, and never to
think about anybody else Do you
know she was so selfish she'd never
even noticed how worn her poor old
mother looked, or how weary and care
burdened her old father seemed when
he came home from his hard DAVIS
work." and Maud caught her breath
with something like a sob. well
when she went into society, because her
face was fair, and she had a way of
pleasing people, many men loved her.
and she amused herself with them
lured them on with soft words that
meant nothing, and smiles that were
but an actresses trick, and then. when
she grew tired Of them, she threw them
aside with no more thought, or care.
that she did soiled glove They had
swel1ed her court, they had made her
a belle, and they had served their pur-
pose. She never even stopped to think
If she hurt an honest heart, or wrecked
a mans faith in all that was good and
true.
AT last there came a time when two
millionaires were suitors for the girls
hand, and while she hesitated between
them there came another man, hand
some as Grek god, but quitely utterly
and impossibly poor. He fell in love
with her, and she amused herself with
playing with him, too. He was a little
unsophisticated, you know, fresh from