Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-01-27

=
she said, "and You must take the
head of the table. Miss Meredith
will sit at your right, and Mr.. Ham
mond will take his place next to her.
[ am not going to permit you and
Mr.. Hammond to monopolize each
others conversation. can trust you
Miss Meredith, to keep Sidney and
Walter from entering into any dis
cussion of their dreary schemes for
reconstructing the universe"
The dinner went on merriiy amid
a general conversation in which
limitless number of topics were in
troduced, discussed, and dismissed.
Terrapin followed bouillon, and cam
vas back ducks were served with some
rare old Burgundy. The spacious
dining halls had in the meantime be-
come crowded. and the orchestra en-
countered noisy rival in the laugh
ter and conversation which mingled
in harmonious blend from hun
dreds of tables. Dainty preparations
of shell fish gave place to salad,
followed by a glace, which Miss LIE
| Roy pronounced ga dream in old
bonbons, the gentlemen lit cigars or
cigarettes, and wooed the god of Mic
otine with all the ardor which fol-
| lows the enjoyment of so sumptuous
repast.
While Miss LIE Roy was energeti.
cally defending her favorite French
| author from an attack unwittingly
| made by Mr.. Blake. her plans so care
| fully arranged at the opening of the
dinner were disrupted by Sidney
Hammond, who readily persuaded
Miss Meredith to change places with
| him. Miss LIE Roy smiled her scorn
when she discovered this duplicity
and PROMPTLY announced a social
boycott against the ungallant Hestor
and Hammond, who already were alb
sorbed in a quiet conversation on q
| topic which seemed of special inter
| est to them.
Sidney Hammond was a college
mate of Walter Hestor. He was the
stroke oar in the famous crew which
humbled the pride of the rival uni
versity. Unlike many of the athletic
heroes of the institutions of learn
ing, Hammond combined the frame of
a muscular Apollo with the brain of
the scholar. He was even more hero
with the professors than on the cam.
pus. The text and reference books
prescribed in the curriculum served
bnt to stimulate his thirst for re-
search. Though abundantly able,
through the generosity of his father,
to enter into all of the pleasures of
the gilded class, he performed the
rare feat of remaining a studious re-
cluse and retaining his popularity.
he was an intellectual and physical
machine, seemingly incapable of men
tai or bodily fatigue. The few
friends who enjoyed the privilege of
his apartments found him the best
of hosts, with well-appointed side
board and the choicest of cigars. Ex-
cept on rare occasions Hammond did
not permit these social relaxatons to
intrude on his time, and his friends
grew to know just how long Sidney
would tolerate their company in
| preference to his books.
Hestor slipped a glass of wine;
knocked the ashes from his cigar,
and extended an enameled cigar case
to Hammond.
'How long does our famous cor
respondent intend to remain in New
York;" asked Sidney Hammond. ct
must seem dull here after what you
have been through
"It seems good to be here replied
| 70 ~
around and stay in this country for
awhile. I believe there is more big
news on the tapis here than anywhere
in the world. believe there is some
sensational news about the trusts if
it could be obtained and properly
handled"
They are getting big enough and
bold enough to attract attention. ~
said Hammond. There will be plen-
ty of news about them some day"
''How do you like the Records
leading editorial to-day?" he asked.
''The one about the big steel com
bine, do you mean?"
Eyes"
"Candidly, cannot say 1 liked It,
said Hammond, after a moments
pause, 81 suppose Williams wrote it
. 1t sounded like his stuff. Williams is
good writer, and there is no better
man on local issues, but I am afraid
the trust problem is beyond his
depth. He denounces trusts. He
might as well denounce the Galveston
disaster. He has treated The Record
! readers to an entertaining but not
novel bit of trust invective. / pre-
, sumo it is what they want, but what
/