Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-28
-. The Daily News Short Story =.

with swift touches of her deft fingers,
now pulling up tiny marauding weeds
from the thrifty flower BEDS And, as
always, her talk. beginning where II
might, ended with the perpetually fas-
cinating topic Of the city. Again and
again he was forced to describe it for
her, while Esmeralda listened with un-
tagging attention, but when, to amuse
her, he talked lightly and cleverly Of
the summer colony at Berkeley she
paid little heed till he mentioned the
flower cotillon, and then she was Hike
child in her eagerness.
would, you like to gos" asked Fan
shaw without waiting to consider the
WISDOM of the impulse.
Lsmeralda was radiant, though Mrs.
Farley was dubious concerning clothes.
morning it appeared that the question
had been joyfully settled, and Esmer-
aida called to him from the upstairs
window that If he would only wait she
and Mrs. Farley would be down. Aft
er short pause they came, Mrs. Far
ley first in a brown silk dress whose
sleeves and panniers had graced fash
ions that held. sway some ten years
ago, while Esmeralda's pale blue CASH
mere belonged to an even earlier
period.
They We're so innocently pleased with
what Mrs. Farley termed their fix
lngs" that HOLSTER Fanshaw had not
the heart to protest. He tactfully sug-
gested that the road to the hotel was
long and dusty and would work havoc
with such finery and that the simple
sprigged muslins that Esmeralda wore
every day would do equally well,
whereat Mrs. Farley merely smiled
and produced two long black bomba-
zine cloaks antedating even the brown
silk and blue cashmere. These, she
said, would cover them from head to
foot so closely that not a speck of dust
could penetrate.
For q moment Fanshaw weakened.
He had a fleeting vision of these two
absurdly old fashioned figures among
Then his eyes met Esmeralda's, so
a-sparkle with anticipation, and he In
wardly called himself coward and
snob. Whatever the outward symbol
of dress might be, there was not girl
at Hillbrook who could compare with
this princess of curds and cream.
The night Of the dance was clear
and cool. A breeze swept across up
land and meadow. Even the loqua-
cious Mrs. Farley seemed to feel the
summer silence and on the way from
the farm to Hillbrook spoke hardly
word. Esmeralda, too, was quiet.
From the folds of her all enshrouding
black bombazine cloak her neck rose
white and slender. Her cheeks were
family flushed, her eyes like stars.
Never, thought Fanshaw, had she look
ed more beautiful.
Some people on the broad hotel
veranda paused curiously to watch the
arrival of HOLSTER Eanshaw and his
guests.
The moment that passed while Mrs.
Farley and Esmeralda removed their
wraps was a miserable one for him
The world was full of snobs. Suppose
his dairy divinity should be sighted,
patronized.
"Jove," cried a man at ,Fanshaw's ell
bow, II thought that Miss Van Rem
syn was at Newportv'
Fanshaw stared. There, coming to-
ward him, was a princess of curds and
cream-the cream of white, glistening
satin, the curds of billowing lace.
"Oh," he groaned beneath his breath,
"what an unmitigated fool I've been
more stupid than the dullest dullardw
YES" said Miss Van Remsyn, nod
ding, dull enough to prefer the socie-
ty of a poor little country girl-dull
enough to be chivalrous, to ignore her
inexperience, her ridiculous attempts
at dress!"
Dull enough to be madly in love
with herp' cried Fanshaw In half saw
age hopelessness.
Il shouldn't call that dull" murmur-
ed Miss Van Remsyn, with humor-
GUS upward glance.
do you mean that thefe'd be a
ghost of chance for mel" stammered
Fanshaw, suddenly joyful.
l"Oh, HOLSTER are you quite, quite
Hind sold Ecx,o~c1I.