Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1903-01-31


"To Marry You Is Out of the Cues
tion."
in the back, near-legged before and a
head-stall of sleeps leather, one girth
six times patched with a woman's
crupper of velour containing my mi
tials and crest, why, I'd bet seven dol
lars that she would run to the gate
to meet me. It's this blamed, silly.
stiff-necked family pride that holds
her in restraint. That might be all
right for Virginia or Brandon, Miss,
but these characteristics have no
place in Ohio, the state, sir, that has
given to the country its noblest men,
it's bravest soldiers, its four presi-
dents and it's
"Oh, cut that out" replied Bailey,
hastily. and go to bed, or take a
drink, or shoot craps or kick the cat,
or do something. You talk like a
glass of water. If you keep on with
your rawlings I'll be constrained to
send for the doctor"
Two hours later Herndon was in
bed But he did not sleep. At
o'clock he was up; at 7 his trunks
were packed; at II he took a train
for New York and sailed for London.
On the decks at night he paced to and
fro muttering to himself: Anywhere,
anywhere, to get out OF her sight
Once in England, he plunged in all
sorts of gaiety; he went to Nice and
lost more money than his father had
made the year previous; at Paris he
spent the nights in high revelry; in
Madrid he went to bullf1ghts and in
fri Il Snf~ h.
mines. Nothing satisfied him and
again he went travelling. Two years
later, when he was satisfied in his
mind that Miss Grace Mckee of
Bladon Springs, Ohio, might marry a
SiOwash Indian for all he cared, he
took a steamer and sailed for home
When he met his father it did not
| take that gentleman fifteen minutes
t. tell him that he was bankrupt and
| that he was liable to go to the wall
any moment He had invested his all
in copper stock only to see the market
slide down hill with swiftness so cruel
and so strong that all of his money
had been used in margins, hoping for
a brighter day Instead of getting
| better, the market had gone wild and
he was at the end of his resources.
| Inc young udH Welt OuI OIL his
fathers Office greatly sorrOwed. True,
he did not have a thing, possessed
| not a single professional accomplish
ment that was convertible into cash.
But he was strong, he said to him
self; he could do something; his
| father should not want in his old age
| if he could prevent it. So thinking,
| he went to one of the most prominent
law firms in the city and offered his
! services as a clerk. A clerk? No
one knew of the elder Herndon's
financial straits except his creditors
in New York. Why, they would be
glad to take the young man in as a
partner And so, the following morn
| ing another name was added to the
influential firm of Caruthers & Lee,
attorneys at law.
A month elapsed after his return be-
| fore young Herndon saw Miss Mckee
| Sne was at the residence of Mr. Ca
ruthers, the occasion being the debut
of Miss Caruthers.
81 am delighted to see you home
| again" she said, with cordial frank
| ness. Really l have missed you. We
have discussed you quite often, and /
| have never forgotten your excellent
voice"
Her smile the cordial grasp of her
| hand, the honest look of her clear
eyes, went through him like volt of
electricity In twenty minutes he
was as deeply enmeshed as he was
the night he left for Europe two Eears
before. That night, while tossing be-
tween the sheets, he cursed himself
until ne was black in the face; he
should have remained in Africa; if
not that he should have married
married if he had to take even
Sioux squaw. Then he would have
peen at Ieas. free from Misp Mckee.
Now the disease was on him again
with full force, and he could not
leave again, run away from her as
he had done before. for the crash in
his fathers affairs was expected at
any minute But before the morning
he had made resolutions; he would
steel himself against her; he would
avoid her: he would learn to hate
her. Ali of which resolves were
broken within fourteen hours. for at 8
o'clock that evening he was violently
ringing the bell at her fathers door.
He proceeded with his case as If he
were lawyer at the bar. He told her