The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-04-06
THE BACHELORS FAREWELL

| excessively handsome, the star OF
thousand Fashionable cotilIions the idol
of a dozen girls who had nothing better
! to bring him than fair faces and fairer
| names.
Beatrice Smoker. on the other hand.
was almost as homely as her name, but
her wealth. present and prospective, was
the envy and marvel of even The money
ed vSlgarians who emulated without riv-
aIing the prodigal hospitality of her
! fathers house. But Beatrice like most
homely women, was a most sensible
| tender-hearted, gentle little soul quite
superior TO her environments, ambitious
Tor the upper. solar walks OF real refine
ment. and. above all, deeply, almost re-
ligiously. in love with Hatfield
He had long ago successfully run the
gauntlet of those who would accuse
/ him of fortune hunting, for though he
was poor, he had avoided. nav evaded.
the Establishments of a half dozen heir
/ eSses prettier if not richer than Beatrice.
/ So that while Jealous young women of
/ her set were wondering what on earth
I De Lacy Hatfield could see in Beatrice
/ Smucker," the men of his clique, with
I their tongues IN their cheeks, were say
! ing: ''Old Smokers millions couldn't
/ fall into better hands. De Lacy won't do
/ a thing TO themi"
| So the handsome gaIant's credit went
up far above par when the engagement
was announced and he proceeded TO Tive
/ up to his assured position in society
and far beyond normal limitations. His
J popularity waxed with the men or his
set even as it waned with the girls who
/ knew that he was lost TO them forever.
! Beatrice set forth for Paris in March
and determined to bring back the finest
/ trousseau that money could buy and
about the same time De Lacy began
more or less continuous round of dissipa-
]
sort of memorial saturnalia of his fare
well 10 bachelorhood.
Beatrice was TO return in September.
fortnight before the wedding, and during
the months OF what she called her peni-
tential exile her betrothed and she ex-
changed letters almost daily. First from
Paris, then from Venice, then Berlin,
then Paris again, then from Rome, and
finally from Ostend came loving letters
from the devoted girl. But in the last
there was hint of a reproach. She
| begged him to behave more staidly. TO
remember the dignity Of the position
which they were both about to assume
before the world-in a word, to abandon
even such frivolities as had seemed quite
excusable in an unengaged bachelor. She
was going to London later, she said;
would spend a week or two there, and
could not reach New York before Sep
TENDER g.
"Humphg' reflected De Lacy. I'D bet
ter keep under cover. Papa Smucker must
be keeping cases on me-
So he withdrew suddenly from the
charybbis Of his wild habits and became
so stoicalIy proper that his friends chaf-
ed him about it. lie was in a fair way to
regain confidence even in his own sta
biIity of character when an extraordinary
temptation caused him TO fall from grace
in a manner quite foreign TO his habits.
He was coming downtown in the elevat-
ed when a strikingiy pretty woman glid-
ed into the car. She was petite, dark,
dressed in exquisite taste, young, chic,
piquante. De Lacy was just getting into
a wild spasm over the marvellous sparkle
of her black eyes when he suddenly real
lied that she intended to sit down be-
side him.
As the car was empty but for them
selves, the coxcomb took this for a direct
challenge, and had already drawn his
card, when his innate sense OF the prop
critics told him that the girls mere pres
ence beside him was no warrant for an
Introduction. So he fingered the bit of
pasteboard nervously, puzzling over the
problem which his beating heart made
momentous. Her pouting. red lips were
curled into A smile. Her big, liquid black
eyes We're fastened upon his card with a
glance like the half sacred, half fascinat-
ed look a quail might bestow upon some
strange insect. She felt his gaze. blushed
beautifully, squirmed a little. and with
the prettiest half gesture possible turn
ed to him and said:
'Ees eet Madeeson street, yet, Msieu2
Mop
NO, miss he was saying delightedly,
its six stops from here to Madison
street"
"Merci, M'sieu," she answered, demure-
". lowering her grand eyes. but seem
ing TO smile tantalizingly. He contrived
to get out a pencil and write on the
back of his card You are the most beau
tiful creature in the world but he had
not the courage to hand it to her till
the conductor cried Madison Then De
Lacy quickly dropped the card into her
lap. She picked it up, frowned as she
tried to read, and turning to him, muF-
INJURED sweetly: "Comprenez pas. M'sieu."
Then she was gone, smiling back over
her plump shoulder as she went.
Thanks to my nervei CALCULATED De
Lacy. half hesitatingly as to whether he
had better follow her. But he didn't. "She
has my card. and unless I'm deaf, sIn
hear from her all right.
And he lolled along the sunny side of
the street TO his club. where he ensconed
himself in the writing-room TO "'grind
out his daily protestations to the absent
Beatrice. He was just sealing his let
ter when the servant handed him a note.
He looked al the address, gasped, tore it
open and read:
I'm home. Come TO the library at
$. Don't ring. Beatrice"
'P. 5. Don't come before s. Beatrice"
BY jinsor' he said half aloud, that's
a frosty note" He read it again and
again, as If searching for some hidden
tone of endearment. some fash of the
old, sweet familiarity. There was none
CGgzfF no ho Hrqn ia
"Hels to pay somewhere" he gTowied
at last. as he got his hat and started 70
walk out the Lake Shore drive 10 Smuck-
er s. He was too early so he fidgeted |
about the sea Wall IN the dusk, smoking |
furiously and locking At his watch. He
could almost hear his knees knock to- |
gether as he steadied himself at the /
door, put his hand on the great knob i
and pushed himself into the unlighted |
reception hall. From the library door he /
could see a pale light falling across the /
hall lie went IN. Beatrice. greenly /
pallid by the halfIight, sat stifiy ia a /
high back chair. Her eyes were sickly I
red with weeping. Her snnbbv nose loGs-
I'd blue and snufied. Upon the heavy Ia i
bic lay little mountain OF Jewels. books. I
fans. gloves. and his heart sank as he i
recognized the presents.
BE seated"f she said.
"But for Gods sake, Beatrice
How dare YOU? Sit down She hand
Cd him a card and he mechanically read /
his name upon Il. We'll" hc said j
Turn il over she almost Missed He
did SO. aad the words danced before his
dizzy eyes as he read
you are the most beautiful woman en-
the world n his own scraEL he push
"a back the chair int3 which he had 4
fallen. II topped over and fell uith
crash against the bis 5srdiniere behind
g.
Fifne. MY French maid gave Il 70 (
me. Just because she krew your nzr,e.