Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-11-13

UOEVnsIuo- cmDdtthHSnC, al II HI ndQ
been q couple o. inches the other
way your head an' a squashed puff
BALD have passed for twins"
i-~How can you, Jack?" cried Miss
Merton, who, with her mother,
CHANGED to be in the room.
Whats the use O. gioomin' about
it? He'll be fit enough in the mornin'.
A trif1e sore in the upper story
/ meLbe, but that won't last long,
'You were just in time," said Ros-
| sitter, smiling. 81 was about done
for"
You put up a great fight, Sylvia
| says, and Merton allows you've got
| the darndest grit he ever saw. They'd
all skeedaddled by the time I got
down into the Dip, They must have
thought had an army behind me by
the way they lit out. Well, Dick
Whittlesey was close by, and he's
whole regiment in a scrap"
| Rossiter had brief nap late In the
| afternoon, and woke to find himself
alone and much refreshed. The rat
| Ting of dishes indicated the nearness
| of the supper-hour, and outside there
was a suggestion of approaching
| dusk. He rose to his feet without
| difficulty, and was walking towards
| the outer door, which opened upon
| the perch, with no definite intention,
when Miss Densmore appeared from
| the adjoining room bearing a daintily
arranged tray, upon which was
steaming cup of tea, some toast, and
few other tempting edibles.
| She exclaimed in protest on seeing
| Rossiter.
You're to sit down at once, sir!"
she said. Were not going to have
you running off in that fashion,
He succumbed very willingly, and
she hustled about making him COM
Portable.
miriam and my aunt are busy"
she exclaimed, $50 I said I'd look
after you''
"You needn't have been to all this
trouble he answered. 'I'm fully re-
| covered now" But he was glad to
eat with her sitting by chatting
cheerily to him.
| I'm afraid" he remarked present
| ly, chat you will find it difficult to
keep to yourself your promise of the
other night
what was that?''
Don't you recall? You were 60
ing to hold in recollection from your
hop-picking life only it's pleasant
| phases. Aren't the disagreeables, SO
to speak, likely far to outweigh the
happy experiences"
"Oh, noi'' she replied, with little
shake of her head. cts like play.
Unless the end is tragic, however
much the actors pass through, the
effect is not darksome, quite the con-
trary. The bright scenes stand out
and the gloomy ones recede."
'The end!" thought Rossiter. Yes,
the end of this small episode in life's
| drama was certainly near at hand.
1t was delicate ground these two
were treading- upon-the girl more
| and more conscious of something in
her heart which she would not adj
| NIT to herself was there, fearful of
all it might involve, her sensitive ma
ture shrinking from the speech of
| family, of friends, and of the world;
| the man now wholly mastered by the
love he had so sternly struggled
against, realizing it's apparent folly
and hopelessness, and yet grasping
at straws, and .buoyed up by the
Trailer fabric of dreams.
Though you would not let me try
to tell you. Mr.. Rossiter,'' Miss Dens-
more broke out suddenly, ''of my
gratitude to you for all you did for
me, must, 1 will speak of your no.
bleness, your generosity, your brav-
cry in coming to uncle's aid. Why, if
it hadn't been for you"
Her words were as spark to pow
der. All the pent-up emotion within
him rushed to his lips. She should
know, whatever might be the conse-
Quences, that it was her presence
with Mr.. Merton that had moved him
to strive so nightly, that there was
nothing he would not do, aye, to
rislSing life and limb a thousand
times to win her favor. Whatever
his past might have been, and she
should read the open page Of it with
out reserve, the future, and she
might put him to the proof, should
be like the life-moulding of another
man. if he might but wear her gage.
do you think, Miss Densmore," he
began, and there was that in
his voice and in his eyes that caused
her to turn away, edo you think /
would have gone so eagerly to your
uncle's aid"
His impassioned words were cut
short by Miss Merton's entrance.
''How cosey you are!" she cried,
seating herself. "And is the hero
quite recovered?"
Hes likely to faint dead away if
you apply that title to him again,
Miss Merton" Rossiter had wit
enough to answer.
What had he been about to say?
| Miss Densmore wondered. Inference
clearly pointed but in one direction,