Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-11-03

I'm from Blairtown, Montana,
where she came from"
so she told me, sir"
He laid the picture back on the
table, and Higgins understood that he
wanted Miss Lane to give 1t to him
herself. She led him affably to the
door and affably smiled upon him.
She had a frill in her hand, Thin
BILE on her finger, and lot Of needles
In her bodice. She looked motherly
and useful. Blair liked to think Of
her with Lefty Lane. He put his hand
in his pocket, but she saw his gesture
and reproved him quietly: mo, no,
sir, please, l never do. l am Just as
much obliged" and her face remained
30 affable that Blair was not en-
barrassed by her refusal. His parting
words were:
Now, you make her take care Of
herself"
And to please him, as she opened
the door, she pleasantly assured him
that she would do her very best.
Dan went out Of the Savoy feeling
that he had left something Of himself
behind him in the motley room of an
actress with its perfumed atmosphere
of roses and violets. The photograph
which he had laid down on the table
seemed to look out at him again, and
he repeated delightedly, THAT one
was for me, all right! I'm the boy
from her town and no mistake" And
he thought Of her as she had lain,
lifelessly and pale on the dressing
room sofa, under the touch of hired
hands, and how, no doubt, she had
been lying in her room when he called
today, with shades drawn, resting be-
fore the long hard evening, when Lon
don would be amused by her, delight
ed by her, charmed by her voice, by
her body and her grace. He had
wandered up as far as Piccadilly,
went into florists and stood before
the flowers. Her sitting-room had been
full Of roses, but Dan chose some
thing else that had caught his eye
from the window-a huge country bas-
ket of primroses, smelling Of the earth
and the spring. He sent them with
his card and wrote omit; ITO the GiYi
from Ny Town." and sent the. gift
with a pleasure as young and as fresh
as was his own heart.
He got no note Of acknowledgment
from his flowers. Miss Lane was evi.
IDENTIFY better and played every night;
no mention was made of her indispo-
sition In the papers. But Dan couldn't
go to the Gaiety or bear to see her
make the effort which he knew must
tire her beyond words to conceive.
After a few days he called at the
Savoy to get news of her. He got as
far as the lift when going up in 1t he
saw Prince Poniotowsky. The sight
affected Miss Lanes townsman so for
chilly that instead Of going up to the
dancers apartment Dan took himself
of, and anger, displeasure and some
thing like disgust were the only SEN
timents he carried away from the Sa-
voy. He sent her no flowers, and gave
himself up unreservedly to Joshua
Ruggles and to a couple Of men who
came In to see him by appointment.
And when toward four o'clock he found
himself alone with Ruggles, Dan
threw himself down in big chair d
looked intensely bored.
We'll, l guess We don't need to see
any more Of these fellows for a week,
DAN" Ruggles yawned with relief.
I'm blamed If it isn't as hard to take
care Of money as to get II. l was a
poor man once, and so was your IA
Their. Those were the days we had
fun"
Ruggles took out big cigar, struck
match sharply, and when he had lit
his Henry Clay he fixed his gaze on
the flying London fog, whose black
curtain drew itself across their win.
dow.
There's a lot of excitement" Rug
giles said, sin not knowing what you're
going to get; may turn out to be any.
thing when you're young and on the
trail. That's the way your father and
me felt. And when we started out on
the spot that's Blairtown on the map
today, your father had forty dollars
a week to engineer busted mine and
to pull the company into shape"
Dan knew the story of his fathers
rise by heart, but he listened.
HE took on with the mine a lot OF
disconnected half-hearted rapscallions
"a whole bunch who mad failed all