The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-08
A MAN WHO KNEW WOMEN

Captain Dexter Hartford, like most men
| OF easy morals had an exalted and al
| most fanaticai respect for all good wo-
| r.en- OF course he knew the difference
/ between women, because he was q bach
elor ana had devooed good part OF his
lie 10 regarding them. Married men.
naturally, cannot be supposed TO know as
nuch about the world OF women as thr
bachelor Of experience. though in most
cases, let US hope, the happy benedict
nay know al there is to know OF the
10 oyrinthine peculiarities of at least one
o her sex, enough 10 keep one man
busy, surely, and sometimes even beyond
me best efforts of the male dullard.
captain HEREFORD was 10, and looked 30
y Soldier Of distinction, a man of means,
a comely giant, wit, a bon-vivant. a
pest of lurid variegation behind the frank
, righteousness Of boy, ii might be ex-
| pected that he was popular with women.
ana ne was. Having an infinite respect
Ior the proprieties. his habits never be-
came an embarrassment nor a. menace 10
Ms friends. He liveo at his club and went
! eN erywhere that people of wealth and re-
fmement went. II he frequented aristo-
cratic or more sinful scenes, nobody could
tell about it. Discretion was one Of his
! strong points He was necessary TO the
success OF dozen kinds OF polite enter
talnment- He vas the umpire in many
nice questions of social precedent ana
practice. f1ich dowa gers knew that they
could al depend upon him. They trusted
MIN with their manageable daughters
because they knew that he was an in
corrigfble bachelor, who had yet the most
| perfect discernment as between questions
O. mere galianJry ana real ceurtship.
Debutantes might smile upon him. and
usually did, without jeOpardizing their
matrimonial prospects. Chivalrouss. ex-
rerienced, sure of himself. very winsOme
on his own account, he contrived 10 deity
steer his stately course without danger
and with vast dign-,y season after sea-
son without being so much as 'gTazeo"
BY the innumerable and beautiful craft
| about him. Every debutante for the past
nve years had experienced the inevitable
| temptation to fai- in love win him. Some
OF them had carried the case pretty far,
too, but he never failed TO elude him
fair pursuers, and with inimitabIe ad-
dress and the most adroit gentleness he
managed to slip away heart-free and
without yielding an .ota of his weil-earned
| right to be called friend" Gossip had
quit predicting that some day he would
meet his fate" and he was yet the
beau par excellence of his set when the
Earnetts came down from Denver with
tier beautiful daughter Kate She was
demure, whimsical, self-willed girl. and
she hadn't been in the captains company
more than an hour when she went wild
about him.
1t seems that he must have been pretty
hard hit himself. for he no sooner saw
the drift Of affairs IAN he began 10 avoid
her. The knowing ones winked behind
their fans, pitied Kate and said: Shell
get over it. But s--e didn't and in a few
weeks the Barnett-IIertford affair was
the prime morsel - the gossip mongers.
she never transgressed the unalterable
code of womanly modesty, but she did
ccntrive 10 let HIM know her secret. and
by all the little I-cAs and subterfuges
O. fond and virtuous heart made known
and kept constantly before his observ-
ent eyes and quich ears the secret that
was no longer hers. In vain he Stunned
her unspOken invitations; in vain he tried
hurt her vanity Dy well-acted inatten-
tcns, neglect stupidity He could not
shake her devotion or evade the truth
that expressed Itself in a THOUSAND in
decsribably sweet and yet unweLcome at
tentions
1t was at this time that Miriam Desloge,
the French beauty, came from Paris to
scandalize New York and keep the NAM
mas of wayward sons awake o nights.
She must have been very beautiful and
very clever, but it was certain that she
had style" The women, the good wo-
AiACAAs tic AubSl tNCltSlFt NOIDtHr
that-and it must have been so. The men
talked about her physical loveliness. her
Wit, her incompara BILE SalOns-among
themselves. 1t would have been rank and
bTazen depravity TO discuss the Desloge
woman before ladies. The very notoriety
achieved so suddenly by this bold for
e-gner made her name odious to every
good woman. None but the callow. the
reckless or the would-be wicked men OF
society would have dared to be seen with
her in public places in the daytime At
night, in the hurly-burly of crowded the
aters and cafes. at the horse show or in
the promenade at The opera. one might
take a chance and exchange a word and
a smile with this evil beauty, but that
was all.
The Desloge four-in-hand made a SEN
sation along the boulevards and in the
grand stand on Derby day. for the SPLEEN
did creature who fooled the prjze-winnfng
sorrels was Miriam herself. and the dandy
on the box beside her was
Captain Dexter Hertfordl
Nobody viii ever know what a spasm OF
Indignant fury seized his friends at this
shameless parade. The Barnetts were
him. She as flushed and livid for A mo-
ment. but she bore herself right gamely
then.
What the devil do you mean by 1t. Dex-
ter?' growled the captains best friend.
who had dragged him of into Il corner
o the clubhouse.
Cant you guess? This is my secret.
nc whispered into the anxious ear.
But you can't afford to faunt this
woman before your friends" came the
answer. Besides. it may not cure heri
Surely you don't care anything for this
Deslodge creature? You're too old and
wise a bird, captain, to be caught in that
srare."
Yes. oh yesi ] think this business to-
day will settle II. I'll drop her. I couldn't
bear TO think Of that angel M there really
caring for a man Ike mel l Just wanted
Il show her that I'm no good
But a month later when the Desloge
house was closed and tho captain disap-
peared. his friend got q letter in which
was the line: "Good-by. I Imeant Il as
! told you. but-the old bird was caught
II his o7vn lure"
And yet. I am told. Miss Barnett re-
rains true to this fallen eidol0n.-John II.
Paftery,
The Latest News.
CFroE1 the Philadelphia Press.)
Your wife, began the reporter. ard
the man whit whom she afeue5 have