Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1905-02-03
WITLESS
WILES
By Martha necuIIoeh Williams
coDydgll 1904. " M.ah. MeouEah-wl.nl

was n cOineuys |pOtcnJulys n NtaSeuy.
After loftily ignoring each other for
thirty years. the rival houses were at
last forced TO take intimate c%ognizahee
one Of each other.
It came about naturally enough. John
Carr and Luke Phillips, the present
heads Of the families. had been I'm col
lege days the chosen friends Of Billy
Bluff. who now, as the famous sena-
tor Bluff, was In narrowly on purpose
to visit them. A great card vas the
senator. Neither OF the enemies could
AFFORD TO give him up wholly TO the
other. AS he knew nothing Of the I'M
friendliness, they did not choose to en-
tighten him. Contrariwise, they made
tncit aud temporary truce, srSaking
clvilly to each other In his presence
and ever sitting at each others boards
to do him cordial honor.
This was less awkward than It might
have been. since there had never beer
n violent brench-only a drawing away
and looking to the other side of the
street or over heads In casual en-
counters.
The quarrel was over the choice Of a
minister, and, of course, all the bitter
err for that. The Cars had been worst
ed, and, though they still came to st.
Bfichael's and duly supported ali It's
good works. they took no part in any
thing else. Therefore everybody felt
that their grudge was the greatest.
Luke Phillips pretty well ran the min
listers and quite ran the church.
A masterful man. with a daughter Of
his own stripe, he could not very well
help It. Oriana, the daughter. was In
deed so much a chip of the old block
her fine name made part Of the comedy.
She was twenty-five. tall and stout,
with dark eyes and a fine carriage, to
say nothing of the way she wore her
clothes. Almost every Sunday her
fingers fairly itched to get hold of
Louise Cars ribbons.
Louise was the younger by Eve years,
sweet faced and sunny tempered, but
woerGlly careless as to how she looked.
So she had clean clothes and whole 1t
never bothered her IN the least what
else they were or were not. She GER
tninly did look odd In plain coat sleeves
when every other woman in church
had dangling. baggy puns and frills
ali over her arms.
Perhaps IL he had not seen her first
in a party frock with no sleeves to
speak OF Senator Bluff might not have
given her a second thought. He wns O
bachelor and as rich as he was distin'
guished. Gossip limited, too, that he
-r.r NA1lrNn2 Naw a xufFa naaafn col
nlso in a way not to be gainsaid he
would look a long time before finding
anybody better suited to the position
than Oriana.
Orlana herself was quite Of that
opinion, although of course she kept II
u~nspoken. Senator Blur was certainly
impressed at their first meeting. He
insisted upon putting mp at the hotel
although dining or breakfasting every
day with his old college chums. Louis'
was away at her grandmother's wher
he came. Thus for a whole week ORR
ana had a clear field.
Then the GrGys gave a party, ant
Louise danced at it, a slim white
wrath moving ON winged feet, will
yellow hair tumbling all about hel
rosy face and every fiber vibrant will
10y in the music and the rhythmic mo
ton.
Until he saw her Senator Bluff haC
said staidly that his dancing days werI
over. At fifty one might well leay'
such things to the new generation
Judge hen Oriana's wrath when sh
saw him wnltzing with Louise ant
waltzing extremely well. looking full
in his partners face the while an,
smiling as he had not smiled since h
came to narrowly.
Next day 1t was even worse. TIL
senator breakfasted at the Cars an
Immediately afterward took Louise an.
her mother for a long vagrant driv
about the country. Gaping the climax
he brought them along with him I
dine az the Phillips house, saying airil
10 Orlana, who WAS mistress Of II
"You see, I take your father at hi
word. He said the house was min
while / stayed"
"You did quite right" Oriana sal
sweetly, treasured by a glance at Lol
Use. The girl had on n faded blue ginl
ham two years out OF date, and he
hair was positively strlngy. No doul
the senator thought OF her as only
little girl IN the awkward age, hence !
need OF special consideration. No ma
In his senses would look at her In con
parison with Orlana, a stately visio
in canary yellow gauze, with dark re
roses nOdding against her bare breal
aud nestled amid the darkness Of h'
hair.
Louise gazed at her Joyously. "Yo
are always splendid, Miss Ana. T.
night you are n queen" she said, the
went 10 dinner, quite unconscious {
her own rumpled appearance.
She had smOothed her hair a bit an
stuck a spray OF sweet peas In the To-
coll so the flowers dropped against h'
soft, white neck. Young Luke Phi
Hips, who took her out. looked at h'
and patronizingly decided that size Wa
a dowdy. Before dinner ended l
changed his mind. Senator Bluff ma
aged somehow to set Louise tclllr
stories aud acting them. She had Il
rare and heavenly gift Of losing he
self entirely IA whatever she did. s
utterly neglecting her plate, she vi