Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-05-23

.wide-eyed girl never quite forgot the
beautiful, manly boy, although she
had never seen him since, as their
schools and travels had cbntrived to
keep them apart. But she remem-
bered very well that when she was
a sweet girl graduate she was con-
fding in maiden shyness to her dear
est friend her ideal husband, when
that friend laughed gayly and cried:
"Why, how funny! You've been
describing young Capt. Doane, who
was here visiting his sister, Mrs. Will
marth, only last week"
Poor Hetty blushed as red as
though she had been really guilty.
and now that the famous, dignifed
Maj. Doane had actually come to see
her, tiny Miss Hetty grew pink to the
tips of her little ears, until Mrs. Will
marth found herself wondering if it
could be possible that Miss Hopkins
were really pretty after all. While
the clear-eyed matron watched the
delighted hostess and her big, hand
some brother, and they quite forgot
her over their tea cups and the ia
nous pictures, sudden new light
came into her eyes, and the match
making spirit inherent in every hap
PLY married woman quietly began its
deXterous work.
Things went on famous1y. It was
the major who advised that the col
lection of paintings be kept for a
time and exhibited one day in the
week for the benefit of the orphans.
When Miss Hetty shrinlkingly de-
INJURED he pointed out that the chill
dren would be the gamers in the end,
SO she relented. That winter found
the whole neighborhood in the throes
of an eXtravagant social whirl, for
there was an unusual number of pink
and<white debutantes, with the still
more unusual accompaniment of
handsome, eligible men. Before she
knew it Miss Hopkins found herself
in the very midst of the mad jollity,
even laying aside all-black gowns for
those with hints of violet about the
throat and wrists. No tea was quite
perfect without the dear little
artists presence; no girl felt quite
satisfied if she had not had a chat
with Miss Hopkins between the
dances, and even the broad-shoul-
dered, fresh-voiced boys like to
creep into the softly-shaded little
studio to accompany it's owner home
at dusk. Her Monday afternoons grew
famous, and the orphans on the cor
ner had enough new shoes and quilts
and real buildings for Sunday to
make them everlastingly grateful to
the happy hearts in the tiny brown
house on the next street.
Miss Hopkins always had the pref
test girls in town to pour in on these
occasions, and generally some one
with a really good voice or an I'M
usually skillful touch on the violin
could be found to make music. Then,
too, the pictures themselves could
bear repeated visits, for the poor,
sweet old man grew very dear to
them all now that he was not there
in flesh to trouble them. Further
more, it was almost as good as go
ing to confession to creep up Silly
and gently before the last of them
all, where Miss Hopkins always kept
bunch of fresh violets standing
beneath the sweet little canvas with
it's live morning glories and its sleep
ing man.
And the best thing of it all to little
Miss Hetty was the Major, a tall,
courtly major, who was so attentive
to her and seemed to enjoy being
with her more than any man in all
her life had done. When a woman
waits until she is thitry-six before
she loves, the result is going to be
terrible in it's intensity. Mrs. Will
marth saw it and trembled, except
ing for the fact that her brother
seemed to see no one else but Miss
Hetty, except, of course, the girls
all that seasons buds, who f1ocked
about the Major because he was SO
Hetty knew it and held her breath
The boys and girls saw it and smiled
gleefully. In fact, everybody seemed
to recognize it except the man him
self, who went bEndly on, heaping
poor, futtering Miss Hetty with com
pliments, and making open love to
all the young girls who gave him
tea and sat in open-eyed admiration
as he related his thrilling stories of
| army life on the western plains.
But at last even the Major knew
it, and his great, manly heart fell like
lead. 1t was one clustering evening
late in the winter, and that mighty
military man was tramping valiantly
along the street on his way to Mrs
Wilmarth's. But as he passed the
little brown cottage he noticed the
light within, and turning up the un-
| even board walk, he rang the old
fashioned bell bravely, for the puz-
zled Major had all at once made a
mighty resolve, and when he once
| decided to do a thing he never re.
| treated, whether it was TO take an
enemy's camp or to brave woman.