The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-08-28
eoPyRlaHT 1903 BY
" r. HEHR1T.

S0F1hlHl ly05 by
W.R MERIT &
Dick Erase. had always been8a great
trouble to- himself. He was SO uncom-
Sfortably liberal In his Views.
He possessed hesfatal gift OF being
able to both sides of q question with
equal clearness, and the consequence
gwas$that he never could make up his
llnindSaS toawhich was the right side.
Dicks political persuasions were
characterized by such breadth Of view
that neither he nor his friends had
ever been able to determine whether
even q lfberal-conseryative, and he
had been heard to express a
definite pro O. con in any discussion
concerning religion, sociology or any
iother problem of the day.
Dick himself was the first to admit
that 1t was irritating n uninterest-
ing to have no fervid convictions of
ANY kind, but he was too conscientious
TO save himself trouble-as men have
been known to do--by feigning opin-
ions he did not possess.
There's Sc much to be said on both
ssides,sahe would declare: uneasily, and
unfortunate thing with Dick this
ITO &IuGES pIltdSG VI lazy IlldIA wiz
has no wish to argue Dick, If called
upon to do so, could advance forcible
arguments in plenty to prove his con-
tention.
Then one day. Dick made the ac-
Sq~uaintance Of Nora Maclean. and soon
afterward he discovered,to his wv in-
tense establishment, that there was at
least one question to which he was
prepared to give a definite answer.
His attitude toward matrimony had
hitherto ben q consistent part of his
general non-comnittal policy.
Had he been called upon to make de-
liberate choice between aswife and sin
gle blessedness he would have been
placedSin no small dilemma, since he
agreed with his married friends that
there was much to be said in favor of
Ibachelorhood, but was equally ready to
admit the charms OF married life as
idescribed by the bachelors of his ac-
lQuaintance.
! 1t Is conceivable that, had he been
Required to plunge either into bache-
9lorhood or matrimony from some neu-4
.itireiy at a loss. The respective advan-
Itages and disadvantages Of either state
would have been sure to confront him
with equal force, n he would not
lhave known which to select.
The fact that he had been born q
Bachelor simplif1ed matters. It seemed
Ito lessen his responsibilities, as 1t were.
So long as he continued In his original
Estate. he could hardly be said to have
made any choice at. all.
And so 1t happened that Dick Fra
ser had attained h ripe age of TWEEN
ity-sexen without committing himself
Ito matrimony.
AS an eligible and good-looking
male, he had met several women who
hos triad faAvn1naS CO him tThoyrS 1,o1 Gor10.
iceeded up to a certain point, but not
one Of them had been able to alter his
outlook upon life.
That was before the advent Of Nora
Maclean, Of course.
Nora changed all that. She was a
charming girl, made to be loved, and
she captured Dicks heart without an
ieffort.
Before Dick had known Nora a week
he admitted joyfully 10 himself that he
was head over ears in love, and that
jmatrimony was h only desirable state
of man. ss84S
For the first time in his life Dick felt
no hesitation in expressing an opinion.
and he realized this fact with ome
thing very like triumph.
Undoubtedly Dick would have pros
posed to Nora. and probably he would
have been accepted, but for an .unfor-
Etunate accident.
The accident was the existence of
Nora's cousin Kate.
Exactly two weeks after he had first
met Nora.@Dick was introduced to
Kate. From that moment his doom
was sealed.
Kate was not half so pretty as her
cousin, yet Dick felt her fascination the
moment he set eyes uponfthe girl.
He thrilled at the touch OF her hand,
he listened, enthralled, to h sound of
her voice. Her dark. wistful eyes cast
q strange spell upon him.
This is the mi I love-" he told
himself rapturously, and for one brief
moment Nora's image faded from his
mind.
For. one brief moment, only. Then
Well-then Nora happened to enter the
ROOM and Dick became prey to sucn
a conflict of emotions as most men. 1t
Is to be hoped, are mercifully spared.
With sudden shock Dick realized
that, while adoring Kate. he had not
ceased to worship Nora.
Just as Kate's touch had thrilled him,
so Nora's thrilled.
Rates gentle, winsome face be-
witched him, SO did Nora's glowing
cheeks and dancing eyes.
Hates voice was low and tender.
Nora's as clear and silvery as a high
tnoed bell. The sound Of both was mu-
sic In Dicks ears.
Kate held him captive by her sweet
seriousness, Nora by her enchanting
gayety.
When Dick recovered from the first
shock of these novel sensations he told
himself confidently, and with a laugh
at his Low expense, that such an i'm
possible state Of affairs could not pos
sibly last. =
AT present, he argued, he probably
loved with q superficial passion en-
gendered by purely external charms. in
which case it was conceivable that two,
or even three, or any number of women
could inspire the same emotions.
AS yet, he told himself, he had not
studied the true inwardness Of Kate
and Nora. He was unacquainted with
their real selves. their characters, their
mental and moral attributes.
Time would reveal all these. and then
surely he would know whether to read
his fate in Hates soft brown eyes or
Nora's laughing blue ones.
But as time went on Dick only grew
more and more distracted in his mind,
for Kata q md Nora on cInSar5 aco,,air+-