The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-03
The REvERY OF RuFus WILSON.

| lights made the park almost as light as
| day. However. the trees cast longer and
! heavier shadows ant their foliage seemed
| denser. On a bench. we'll hidden from the
passing throng. sat Rufus Wilson. he
vas a product Of the West who had come
| 10 the city TO make a fortune. with which
he intended 10 80 oack home and marry
| q girl that he knew.
As rule he was a jolly fellow who had
| happy faculty Of making the world
serve him instead Of his serving the world.
And TOO. the world seemed 70 ike the
| serving.
All through the week he worked hard.
but was cheerful. for ne realized that ne
I was making Roadway, but when Sunday
! rolled around he was left 10 his own de-
| vices as 10 killing time. and he found il
| a rather hard nut 10 crack he usually
went to church in the morning. not that
! he was Of religious turn OF mind, but
at home he had had me church going
/ habit instilled in him by what he knew
/ to be the best mother on earth Then.
! too he liked the music he heard
Dinner finished, he usually went to the
/ Office and spent most Of the afternoon
writing home He wrote TO his mother
| that he was well and happy, briefly tell
! ing anything of interest; he wrote TO mis-
/ old school chum who was Flooding along
/ iE his fathers store. and told him bits
/ OF news of the city. and then he wrote
/ TO her" This last task was the longest
/ one. 1t was by far the most pleasant
one, too. He told her all about how he
/ had spent his Sunday, what music he
/ had heard and generally inclosed copy
| Of the program of the services. He told
/ her many sweet nothings, too. and al
ways finished up his letter by telling her
/ that she did not write 10 him often
! enough. He knew. of course that her let
| tiers came every Tuesday morning. but he
! could have endured reading one of them
every hour of the twenty-four
On this particular Sunday he had gone
/ through the regular program. and. as the
| evening was an ideal one. went 10 one Of
| the parks to while away a few hours
| looking at the people.
| And Rufus was miserable. The sight
/ of countless lovers. strolling. some arm
| in arm, happy in each others company.
! whispering tales OF love to each other and
getting out of lie all the good there is in
4 it, did not alleviate his misery. 1t only
| served TO heighten the contrast between
! their unconcealed happiness and his own
! down-heartedness.
"Confound the city and city life NUT
| tered the youth. I wish 1 were home
| this minute
He sat staring ahead and smoking as
| though his life depended upon it. And as
the smoke wreathed around his head he
saw a dearly beloved face before him.
Gradually his mind wandered to the old
/ home. He thought he was there again.
4 II was Sunday evening. That morning he
| had gone to church with the deacon. They
had sat in the family pew and he had
lent his voice in praising the blessed Re
deemer. He had very-bad bass voice.
and as it rose heavenward in the Dox-
oicgy ii blended we'll with that OF his
| sisters and brother. Fred sang tenor in
very good tune, and his sister Nettie had
soprano voice. which was the pride OF
her brothers heart, while the other sister,
Lizzie, sang alto. il was an old saying
that the Wilson children could furnish
music for the church if everybody else
Quit
There had been the quiet, mastery ser
mon. nothing fowery about H. but good
sound doctrine. delivered by the minister
who had baptized Rufus long years be-
fore. The sermons at that church all told
the world. or that portion of it who went
there. that there was unbounded love and
forgiveness for the weary sinner. There
was very little said regarding the punish
ment for the wicked The whole doctrine
OF Christianity, according TO this good
mans views, was that il was so good
and comforting that. were it put before
the world in its proper light. all who
/ heard it would follow it. After church he
| had had dinner and during the after
neon had lain in the hammock under the
big maple tree ard had read himself TO
sleep. In the evening he had gone to take
| her to church. They had started early.
not because it was so far to the church.
but because they wanted plenty of time
to walk slow. They had attended the SER
vice, and after the benedictioa had been
pronounced, started home. The route they
| took lead between long row of tall ma
pie trees, and they had been in the
habit Of going even more slowly here
| than along places where the moon shed
its light Their conversat ton was confined
mostly to monosyllables. but it was in
tensely interesting.
When he had taken the lady in safety to
! her own doorstep they would get the
hammock and hang it on the porch. and
she would get n couple of large sofa pill
lows. which she would place in the ham
mock, and these two happy people would
sit there and talk until mother called her
TO come in. In his mind Rufus is there
now. He is endeavoring 70 get his arm
ito what he considers the proper posi-
ton. She, of course. is Offering the least
tit of resistance, not saying a word YOU
understand. but as his arm slips around
Ter waist she reaches for il. as If to stop
It. In doing so her hand comes in con-
tact with his and he grasps IL firmly II
wish it were mine he SAYS sOftly-so
softly that he hardly hears II himself
nut he hHoWS tnaL she nearS II and Is
glad. Finally he succeeds in placing his
arm around her and they are talking OF
the future.
I will 80 to the city and find a place in
the world You know that Mr.. PendIeton,
who travels for Sample and Wear. the
big wholesale dry goods house in Chicago.
told me that he would get me a place
when 1 was ready for it. I've wanted TO
60 for ever 50 long. but I've hated the
idea Of leaving you. But II you will tell
me that have something TO work for I
viii go.'
But there are so many temptations in
the big city. Rufe. You know that. and II
IS so hard 10 be good all the time when
YOU see so much Tfckedness around
YOU
Not so very hard when = fellow thinks
what the reward IS" And so they talk
They plan how they viii have a home
and how they viii have il built But Il
gets late. lie knows that he should be
going home now and 50 he begins TO say
good-by. For months and months he has
striven for q parting kiss. but she is such
2 stickler for prcprieties. Time and again
he has come within one OF winning onfv
TO lose. Tonight he viii win He will not
take no for All answer But he finds i
. hard battle. He rIesas. heEs ard
threatens u get mad. but al in vain Fl
I naily. as h Is on the point % retraati1E
she Yields But again are his hog~s - ne
dashed 10 the ground. Just 2 he Is about
70 press his lips 10 hers he Is roughly
shaken by the shoulder and hears a voice
say Say. Young feily. d ye tsta3 DIS Is a
lodgin' house, Dis here's A park an =
closes Up before breakfast Guess you'd