The Washington times., 1905-07-30

Wnp was sitting Dy the IRE was AftluF
Farnham. He was the owner and sole
occupant of the large stone house-a
widower of some years standing, al
though he was yet young. His parents
had died in his childhood. He had been
an officer in the army. had served sew
eral years upon the frontier, had suffer
ed great privations, had married a wife
much older than himself, had seen her
die on the Plains from sheer want,
though he had more money than he
could get transportation for; and finally,
on the death of his grandfather he had
resigned. with reluctance, a commission
which had brought him nothing but suf-
fering and toll. and had returned to
Buff1and, where he was born, to take
charge of the great estate OF which ne
was the only heir. And even yet, In the
midst of a luxury and a comfort which
anticipated every want and gratified
every taste. he often looked 1ongingly
back upon the life he had left, until his
nose inhaled again the scent of the
sage-bush and his eyes sTnarted with
a1kalt dust. He regretted the desolate
prairies, the wide reaches of barrenness
accursed of the Creator. the wild chaos
Of the mountain canons, tho horror Of
the Bad Lands, the tingling cold of win
ter IN the Black Hills. But the repub-
lie holds so high the privilege of serving
her that. for the officer who once re-
signs-with a good eharacter-there is no
return forever, though he seek 1t with
half the lobby at his heels. So Captain
Farnam sat, this fine May morning
reading q newspaper which gave the
stations of his friends in the Tenth"
with something of the feeling which as
sails the exile when he cons the court
journal where his name shall appear no
more.
But while he is looking at the clock a
servant enters.
THAT same young person is here
again"
What young person?"
There was a slight flavor OF. reproach
IN the tone Of the grave Englishman as
he answered;
II told you last night. sir. she have
been here three times already; she
doesn't give me her name nor yet her
business; she is settin in the drawin
room. and says she will wait till you
are quite at leisure I was about to tell
her. he added, with still deeper solemn.
ity, that you were hout, sir, but she
Uninterrupted of me and said. He isn't
gone, there's his at, which I told her
you 'ad several ats. and would she
wait in the drawin' room and I'd see"
Captain Farnham smiled.
VERY well. Budsey. you've done your
best-and perhaps she won't eat me af-
ter all. Is there fire in the drawing
roon?''
mo, SIR"
LET her come in here then"
y y
4 moment afterward the rustic of a
feminine step made Farnham raise his
head suddenly from his paper. 1t was
quick. elastic step, accompanied by that
crisp rattle of drapery which the close
Clfnging garments of ladies produced az
that season. The door opened, and as
the visitor entered Farnham rose in sur
prise. He had expected to see the usual
semi-mendicant. with sad-colored raj
ment and doIeful whine. calling for a
subscription for new Centennial His
tory" OF the confessed genteel beggar
whose rent would be due tomorrow. But
there was nothing in any way usual in
the young person who stood before him
She was q tall and robust girl of
eighteen or nineteen, of singularly
fresh and vigorous beauty. The artists
forbid us to look for physical perfection
in real people. but it would have been
hard for the coolest-headed studio-rat to
md any fault IN the slender but power
full form of this young woman. Her color
was deficient IN delicacy, and her dark
hair was too luxuriant to be amenable
10 the imperfect discipline to which it
had been accustomed; but the eye ef
Andrea. sharpened by criticising
Raphael, could hardly have found a line
TO alter in her The dress of that year
was scarcely more reticent IN It's reveia-
tions than the first wet cloth with which
a sculptor swathes his kneaded clay:
and pretty women walked in IL with al
most the same calm consciousness Of
power which Phryne displayed before
her judges. The girl who now entered
Farnham's library had thrown her shawl
over one arm, because the shawl was
neither especially ornamental nor new.
ard she could not afford 10 let II conceal
her dress of which she was innocently
proud; for It represented not only her
beautiful figure with few reserves, but
also her skill and taste and labor She
had cut the pattern out of an illustrated
newspaper. had fashioned and sewed It
with her own hands: she knew that IL
fitted her almost as we'll as her own
skin; and although the material was
cheap and rather fimsy. the style was
very nearly the same as that worn the
aaTne day on the Boulevard of the Ital-
ians Her costume was completed by a