Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1902-09-04
The Saving of DoIIie.
BY HOWARD DEv1NE.

| Copyright, 1902. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
"Dollie," cried Madam, sharply.
did you hear? Miss Hayes is wait
ing to have her wedding dress fitted.
Didn't tell you to watch for her and
attend to it. Are you asleep?"
Yes, mam-no, nam; l mean. l
will attend to it. IL did not hear,
Madam, II beg pardon" and the girl
sprang to her feet, flushed and trem-
bling, gathered into her arms the
priceless gown of the heiress and
vanished through the door leading
! into the dressing rooms.
There was a smoker from the other
| girls and an angry snort from Madam.
81 don't know what's coming over
| Miss Culver" she exclaimed. "She
seems to be in trance"
In the meantime the pretty blue
| eyed girl with the pink cheeks that
were the envy of all the great dress
making shop of Madam Gervais, had
disappeared through the door of the
work-room and emerged into dainty
dressing-room, where awaited a
naughty damsel with flashing orbs of
the deepest brown and the regal figure
of born queen. This was Florence
Hayes, easily the belle of all the city
and the greatest heiress as well-a
superb young woman, with all the hau-
| teur of the born aristocrat added to
features and form and carriage of
| beauty of nature. She had reigned
long and with high hand, but at
| lQ0f had cI1pnnr1hnd fn ardont
| court of Howard Dunton and the we'd
ding day had been set and prepare
tons were in progress for the cere-
mony which was to be by far the
most pretentious affair the town had
ever seen.
Dunton was young, ardent, and of
acknowledged ability, already a power
at the bar and in politics; not of
known family nor fortune but dis
tinctly one of the coming men of the
place and recognized as one of the
most desirable catches. 1t was, in
sooth, a model match, and society
reveled in it.
The work of fitting the wedding
garment was soon in full operation.
There was all the pulling and haul
| ing, ripping and pinning and smooth
ing and tCcking SO necessary to
successful gown and finally all was
as it should be and the two women
the heiress with her cold and CLASH
cal face traced with lines of pride
and hauteur, and the round-faced little
dressmaker with her voluptuous fig
ure and her simple, trusting counte-
nance-faced each other, the task fin
| ished.
And then a strange thing occurred.
Without the sign of warning the
little dressmaker stepped forward, the
lost color blazing in her cheek and
grasping both hands in the filmy laces
in the front of the priceless gown tore
out two great hands full.
"Your wedding gown" she screamed
Historically. "Your wedding gown.
You shall not wear it. Do you hear,
| you shall not wear it. You have no
right-in the sight of God, you have
no right. The law and the priest may
give you the legal right, but in the
sight of God he belongs to me and
1 to him. Of course he cannot marry
mel am not of his world-all I can
do is to love him and be loved-some
doll born with a gold spoon in her
mouth must bear his name" and then
the girl laughed a long and CHASTITY
laugh. Then clenching her hands:
Yes, you can bear his name, but
you can never have his heart and al
ways you must know that you are
second-that 1 was first-yes, and am
first now and will be. He is mine
and l am his. All you can do is to
ride in his carriages and live in his
house and bear his name. Much joy