Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-09-08

to look after me- Fine
FG 2 chaperon you make, Miss
lSSS Monahan! Why, didn't | tell
you the very day we took
this fiat what a chaperon was, and
that you'd have to be mine? Imagine
Nancy 0lden without "a chaperon-
Shocking! -.
No, 'tisnt late. Sit down, Maggie,
there, and let me get the stool and
talk to you. Think Of us two-Cruelty
girls, both OF us-two NANCY kittens
deserted by the old cats in a city's
alleys, and left 'mewing with cold and
hunger and dirt, out in the wet-think
Of US two in our own fiat, Mag!
| say, it makes me proud of us!
There are times when look at every
stick of furniture we own, and I9try
u pretend to it all that I'm used to
q decent roof over my head, and a
dining-room, kitchen, parlor, bedroom
and bath. Oh, and forgot the tele-
phone the other tenant left here till
It's lease is up. But at other times
stand here in the middle of it and cry
oout to it, in my heart:
Look at me, Nancy Olden, a house.
holder, rent payer, the head of the
family, even if it's only family of
two, and the other one Mag! Look at
me, with my name in the directory,
s-paying milk bills. and meat bills and
bread billsl Look at me with place
of my own, where nobody's rights
greater than my own; where no one
has right but me and Mag; a place
where-where there's nothing to hide
from the police"
=, There's the rub Mag, as Hamlet
:says-Q went to see it the other night,
80 that ] could, take off the Ophelia--
she used to be a good mimic herself,
before she tried to be leading lady.)
1t ,spOils you, this sense of safeneSs
that goes with the honesty graft You
lose the Quickness of the hunter and
the nerve OF the hunted. AAd-worse
You lose your taste for the old. risky
life. You grow proud and fat, and you
love every stick in the dear, quiet
little place that's your home-your
, own home. You love it so that YOU
be ashamed to sneak round where it
could see you-you who'd always
walked upright before it with the step
Of the mistress; with nothing in the
world to be ashamed Of; nothing to
aprevent your staring each honest dish
pan in the face.
And, Mag, you try-if you're me
to. fit Tom Dorgan in here-TOm Cor
gan in stripes and savage Sulks stu
all these mOnths-kept AVA RON
the world, even the werld behind bars!
Maggie, don't you wish ToI was a
NCnllllOlolOl vi du dIlOBdl VI
but this isn't what | had to tell you.
Do you know what a society enter.
tainer is, Miss MOuahan? No? Well
look at me. Yes, I'm one. Miss Nance
0lden, whose services are worth $50
a nlght-at least, they were one night
Ginger brought me the note that
made me society entertainer. 1t was
from a Mrs. Paul B. Gates, who had
been charmed by your clever imper
sonations, Miss Olden, and write tC
know if you have the leisure to enter.
tain some friends at my house OF
Thursday of this week"
Had | the leisure-well. rather
showed the note to Gray, Just to make
her jealous t0h, yes, she goes on al
right in the act with Lord Harold
every night Catch her letting me veal
those things of hers twice!) Well, she
>. Just turned up her nose.
OF course, you won't accept?" SHE
said. sps
"Of course, j will"
"0hi only thought you'd feel as
should about appearing. before a 10
of snobs, who'll treat you like a serv
ant and"
Who'll do nothing of the sort, ant
who'll pay you well for it" put il
,Obermuller. He had come up and wa.
reading the note had handed to him
You just say yes, Nance" he wen
on after Gray had bounced of to he
dressing room. ut isn't such a bal
graft and-and this is Just between u!
two, mind-that little beggar, Tausig
has begun his tricks since you turned
his offer down. They can make thing
hot for me, and If they do, it won
be SO bad'for you to go in for this sor
of thing unless you go over to tn
Trust"
/ shook my head.
well, this thing will be an ad. TO
you, besides-if the papers can be go
to notice it. They're coy with thei
notices, confound them, since Tausil
let them know that big Trust ads. dom
appear in the same papers that boon