Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-08-28
HOV | NET AMY.
BY VIRGINIA NILES LEEDS.


THE train had stopped at Kansas
/ City for breakfast, and my
hitherto uneventful and tiresome
journey was cheered by the sight OF
a pretty face.
{. There had been many faces on the
way, and they had belonged to the
fair sex, but they were not fair. One
had belonged to great grenadier of
q female, in a sort of woman's bust
ness suit, who had bullied her hus-
band, puny, would-that-I-weredea
little man, all the way from ST. Louis;
and another was a middle-aged spin
ster whose features possessed an I'M
usual amount of acidity. They had
been more of a damper than an in
spiration on the journey, and the
sigh of relief that I heaved as they
ereached their respective destinations
was chorused by my fellow-travelers.
Therefore it can be imagined what
feelings came over me, when return
ing from my railroad-station break
fast and settling myself once more in
my inen-draped revolving chair, saw
come aboard a slender figure in black
cloth and fur, with great childlike
blue eyes and an abundance of fluffy
golden hair. I am susceptible man
at all times, but if there is one thing
in the female line that makes my
heart 60 faster. it is the combination
of baby-blue eyes, fluffy hair, and
fur.
She came aboard just as I returned,
and about three minutes before the
train was to start. It may seem
strange that my susceptible heart set
cup such a beating when the fact is
made known that my golden haired
beauty was not alone. Her companion,
a creature of the opposite sex, was
not a person whose looks I fancied.
His moustache was too blonde and
too sweeping, his hat too glossy, and
his scarfpin too dazzling. Altogether
there was look about him as of
man whose worldly goods did not
come to him through weary toll and
plodding, but through more vagrant
and less laborious methods.
1 found myself devoutly hoping he
was not her husband, for the innocent
face and perfect apparel of the little
blonde showed all refinement. She
was. just the kind of a trusting, I'M
suspecting little woman to be taken
Oy- a QCCclNSI anu IndUc 10 DSICNc
that his money and his jewels came
from legitimate sources.
He settled her comfortably in her
chair, which, as rare luck would have
it, was next to mine, and was about
to remove his lustrous hat and make
himself at home, when he started up
suddenly and asked: did you get
your trunk checked?''
s'Why, no." answered the pretty
little blonde, turning upon him a
startled, childlike face, 81 didn't,
Charlie!"
'What! And almost time to start!
Here, give me your ticket, quick, and
I'll see to it at once!"
She began fumbling in the little
steel bag she wore at her side with
excited, trembling fingers, while I
chafed at the delay. Presently she
found the ticket and handed it to
him.
Don't be long, Charlie!" she called
plaintively, as he rushed off with the
ticket, ''for you know how dreadfully
timid 1 ami
Poor little thingi She touched my
heart with her little chirping voice
and would willingly have taken
Charles place.
She leaned forward in her chair
and began peering out of the window.
As the passengers returned one by
one from their morning repast, she
: turned quickly, half rising each time.
hoping that each was Charlie
But he did not come; and each sec
ond, 1 knew, seemed an hour. Then
dreadful thing happened. The con-
ductor shouted "All aboardi" and his
words were followed by the prelimi-
nary jerking of the cars. Another
second and we were gliding over the
rails! I glanced at the poor little
blonde. A terrified expression was on
her lovely face, then putting her head
back upon the chair, she pressed her
handkerchief to her eyes and begar
to cry.
Such pity rose up in my heart as
had never felt before in my life. This
poor child, SO pretty, SO timid, alone
and helpless at the very outset of hel
journey! It WIS really awful, and
was for a1ering her my services al
once. Gut, mol that would never do
About .he best thing man can dc