Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-07-17

successful also. I thought that they
must all have died. Father had told
me that he had taken all that be-
1onged to him, and I felt that I had
no rights, that perhaps they did not
want me, would not welcome me-
''Why did you change your name?'
cried-"oh, why?''
ttOh, to Dacres? If you had known
my father
You forget, my dear, I did know
your father
every well, then, you know how he
hated the idea of one of his family
working for a living. He had very
grand ideas, had daddy. He said of
ten and often that no one of the
Darlington family should disgrace his
name or him by working for a liv
ing"
eyes," said I, 'tthose were exactly
Eugene Darlington's ideas. I have
heard him express himself in that
way fifty times or more"
"But what was I to do? I had no
friends-no one to take care of me.
I went first to England with an Eng
lish family as nursery gOverness.
When left them I went into an Eng
lish hospital. I learned to be a
trained nurse. I took the name of
Dacres. It came into my head, I
don't know how. Father had been
persistent about the honor of his
name, and here I am. as Josephine
Dacres, at your service"
Josephine Amaranthe Dacres," I
corrected her.
eyes, Josephine Amaranthe, but not
Dacres-Darlington at last, thank
Godi"
AS I lay thinking of it all, after I
was in bed, remembered that had
not asked her how she came to have
a brother. I had never heard of any
son having been born to Eugene Oar
lington. I must ask her about it in
the morning.
And now it seemed to me that the
time had come when I should take the
ladies into my confidence. I began a
series of visits to them.
Each time that I went to the Hall
took with me copy of letter,
the words traced in the hand of Miss
Elizabeth, Miss Evelyn, or their dead
brother David. How Miss Elizabeth
wept over them, and how sweet Miss
Evelyn sobbed over them, until the
ink in which I had copied them was
faded and blurred with their remin-
iscent tears.
And now the summer flowers were
bursting into bloom. The country
was, I thought, at it's best. Every
thing gave promise of a delightful
season. It was the latter part of
June, about a week, perhaps, after
my interview with Miss Dacres, that
there came a sudden change from
warm to hot weather. My room was
not under the attic, which acted as
an air chamber, and it became SO
heated that one would have thought
it was midsummer.
On the hottest night of all, lay on
my bed tanning myself and trying to
fall into doze. 1t was useless, and
remembering the cool horsehair of
our old sofa in the parlor, got up,
opened my door very gently, SO as not
to disturb Aunt Jane Mary, and went
down the stairs. The parlor door
was open, and I slipped into the
room. There was enough of glimmer
from the moon to show me my way.
I CROPPED past the table to the sofa.
All, how invitingly cool it was! I
lay down under the window tanning
| myself for a half hour or SO, and
finally awoke to the fact that was
not growing cool but chilly. I was
just about to get up and take shawl
from the hall hat-rack when I heard
| a step upon the piazza. Now, the
| window was open, and I felt sure
that in another moment some mid
night marauder would be crawling