The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-27
ON The LAST OWL CAP.

!
> given Up the notion Of matrimony wher
hc met Miss TayIOr-Cla5re Taylor-anc
tEen-he changed his mind She was born
il the isle Of Wight and had the blonde
! florid beauty OF the British type. But
, then she had been educated IL a French
convent, had been Drowned b. the CARS
sCD, and mad made her enCrse at Paris
where she quickly succeeded In toning
down the languorous. If ingenious. char
acteristics Of the typical English girl
America is q famous composite Of an
these experiences OF Mss Claire ICY
Tor
She had had her season OF. conquest in
New York, Washington. Atlantic City
and Newport. and so many offers Of mar
rage that she had quit scoring them.
She was rarely sensible-so Dexter HOBART
1Ecught-and when she smiled upon him,
! coaxed him TO talk preferred his society
and let him in on the scope, catholcity
and hberality views, 10 say nothing Of
her experiences. he avOwed 10 himself
that he believed he had at last found a
wCman-a good. beautiful and Young wo-
man-whO understood him When q wo-
man is good. elever-Of course she is
clever If she understands ycu-and beau
tiful. then. # you have the means. you
are apt TO fall in love: sure enough love.
with maTimony in prospect and bother
! tie expense.
That's what happened when Hobart-or
that's what was happening when the
/ EXleys opened the season with that re-
csption for Miss Taylor Dexter had met
| Ter before, Of course. He had been down
10 Newport and had seen the first week s
! COings in Gotham And 50 he felt enti-
{ ted TO the first glOries OF his conde-
/ tension Condescension? Yes. that
( semed good word for the radiance Of
! his greetings For Hobart wasn't quite
/ are Of himself. He was aware Of the
gravity of some of his shortcomings. To
J b's sure. he was well read which in mis-
J cssse meant that he knew modern French
! literature, was versed in historical and
dramatic lore, was regarded as a con-
ncdsseur by artists who had pictures 10
Sc :, and had the gift OF eloquence. IN
all of these polite qualifications Claire ex-
ce1ed him. He didn't know and didn't
Gaze ANYTHING about her financial pros
pects. He knew that Major Taylor had
been at Omdurman with Kitchener and
thaL the family was old. patrician. proud
But what he didn't know was the depth
and intensity of Claires moral philos-
OF by. That's what he called it-"moral
philosophy. As for himself. he was
what he was pleased TO describe as ''pret-
y oroad-minded," as regards men.
That night at Pixleys he came very
neai; committing himself, and being. as I
hav intimated, a cautious man OF
'po Sc, he wasn't quite sure whether he
was glad or sorry when the time came
for him to go and ne had said nothing
serious
Il Il say goodnight. Miss Claire" he
was saying as he held her hand and
look ed over the cluster Of palms where
her next partner was waiting He bent
his laead above her large white hand ard
held it to his lips for a second. Il must
GO"
"Hbme?' she drawled. letting her arm
fan Csejectedly beside her. Home, Dex-
teri
Y es. Right home. Claire. I'm man
OF Business. YOU know. and I can't make
ever-F evening lie this.
THEN au revoir," she smiled, picking lp
her skirts, I'm going. too. after this
waltz I'm so tired. I'll go right of as
soon as Mr. Floyd viii let me-good night |
we can sit up later tomorrow night !
have things-oh, sa many-to say TO you
l. keepy now, see2"
But she smiled fondly over her fan as
Dexter led her to her waiting cavalier, |
and 50 they parted.
If he hadn't been excited Mr. Hobar. /
would have gone home then. oBut ne !
didn't' He got into his carriage and went |
downtown.
There are clubs downtown and other |
PAGES not all of which close at mid
night. Dexter Hobart dismissed his car /
rage art the door Of one of his clubs.
That may be taken as an indication Of
his ainiable consideration for others |
Also it may mean that he knew what |
he was about and that he meant 10
make night Of it, I don't know what
he did or what ne did not do that night |
hut when he was waiting for the last owl
~ the gray light OF a damp and chilly
dawn his. hair hurt him His eyes itched
he thoueat his clothes fit him badly. the
wind DieW so that he was obliged 10 hold
his hat And so. eager only for the
calm. unt@uous. sleep-comPelling bed that |
waited feT him at home, he got into the
car NJ IL st and went to sleen
Somewl tere far along the line the sun
woke him. He started stifly and remem-
hered tina he was in the elevated in the
last owl rar. Then he realized that his
hair was turned the wrong way and that
he needed a shave. Then he looked fur-
lively around and saw-a woman.
she was seated directly across the aisle
and was looking out OF the window. About
her was I be shapeless drapery Of a long
cloak. The hat was tip-tilted forward
The hands, large and white lay folded
BE her krees- The tiny shoes. dainty.
high-heelel. bucklcd-hc had seen them
before. sac did not look at him. but
stared out at the window. He did not
want her 10 see him, but he would have
-fven much TO have caught q glimpse OF
yet? The sour-it was past now. The
7ixley psrty must have disbanded hours
lgo- She nonsense, she had said how
lied she V IS Anyway she wouldn't De |
going home in a street car at such sn
lour. She ept out a Clay avenue without /
Uruing her sh1pely head-and left him /
'uzzled. woI Tied. ashamed. OF what2 he
ldnt know. lie was man.
He called FOR her that night and thcv Z
vent 20 the thcater together. lie was ,
unusually 6dst-ait. Silent stupid she {
alked more than ever. more brilliantly. |
mere con6de otialiy. more frankly 2
Bot after The play while they were
Vaiting for ne serving of little lunch G
on she turted suddenly upon him ard ?
aid.
What ais vou- Dexter? Are Won ne !
'ou haven't spoken ten words ali even q
NJ"
and being a. very frank and simple
eerted fellow n answered. :
I've been Worried about this morning .
Cu saw me II the Ger didn-t vau7- i
carr What caro- she asked ulth vivid r.
stonishnent lnf utter ineenuousnes- :
"Waznt thft ven IN the last owl this
aornine2 DieE'f yen get ofT ~ clay ave T
ne, ti7irey he asked. looking solemn +.
M 5einE re r for confs-si-7. q
Is WHY. what or e3rth-I r. - ov-l (.
arr pexter' what can you b think
Rit ~ oouln orsv saw wsat-v- -, !
oked ike you- Pardon me. Mss Tsvfor q
And then thes conversation lapses 49,
7meh7T rs f-earss ~ rrat-irr'r- var. 2
hei i1 Tie c00fict ~ his cruhtr John /.
{. Rsftery-