Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-03-30
TOMS
Ey Lewis X. Fulton

Copyright, 1904. by w. r.. Hca:st.}
'And SO you positively refuse TO give
up his intimacy?"
Really, o ask too much. .Aunty.
Wha else can 1 do in this stupid place?
l am devoted to yachting. you Know.
II besides Mr.. Trevor is the only man
here who has Il motor car
- But. my child, you arc engaged to
be married.! What would Tom say if
he should hear of it? And what would
you do If he followed your eXample?"
"Oh. l wish he would! His devotion
Wearies me sometimes. He used TO be
quite Il tease, but since our engagement
he seems to have forsworn everything
exciting.
Flossie tossed her pretty head until
her blonde curls fell over her eyes from
which cleaned a spirit of mischief.
The first speaker was Miss Treadway,
the girls aunt, and a wealthy woman
OF forty years. who had adopted her af-
ter the death of her parents. Flossie's
fiance. a young doctor of good family
N some means, was completing a
medical course in Germany and they
were to be married as soon as he re-
ceived his foreign diploma.
The girl loved him, but she was very
young-only nineteen and she was a
wilful maid. having always had her own
way. Her besetting sin was love of
admiration and she deemed it essential
to her happiness to I'VE a man in her
tolls. So, being for the first time be-
reft of her lover, she had drifted into a
serious Irritation with a rich bachelor
who lived near the seaside resort where
they We're staying.
MI. reVor summer home, a fine
stone mansion, overlooking the mar
Dor. was the scene of many festivities.
He had already given two dinners in
flossie's honor at which functions Miss
I'Isal n wa, bod wv a, .o ,,~,.;i1:.,
chaperon. for she had realized that the
brilliant company invited to meet them
regarded her niece as the future Mrs.
Trevor. Now we find her r%eproving her
young relative with Indifferent success.
"Flossie.'' said Miss Treadway. II
vors feelings. 1t is not fair to him.: he
Adoes not know about Tom. Perhaps
you had better tell him.
And spoil all my fun? Why, aunty,
what d fuss you are making about a
trif1e. l cannot NOPE oun without
mems society. Tom is in Germany, the
sea divides us. and he is welcome to en-
joy himself in like manner However,,
there is no prospect of doing anything
so sensible. Why, l verify believe he
spends all his leisure time writing to
me. get so many letters l don't read
half of them. And that reminds me,
one came yesterday when l was getting
ready to go out in the yacht. l haven't
read 1t yet; really. l had forgotten it,
'floss1e, you are incorrigible!" ex-
laimed Miss Treadway with as much
severity of tone as she was capable of.
Il give you up, wash my hands of the
whole affair. But If you lose Tom do
not blame anyone but yourself. 1 will
cave you to your own thoughts as l
am due at a meeting at the rectory this
afternoon
When h was alone Flossie curled
her dainty self in a large easy chair
n laughed softly to herself as she
recalled her aunt's words.
Lose Ton," h repeated. mo dam
ger of that-couldn't get rid of him
even If l wanted to-" Then she fell
to musing, and a tender look came into
her deep blue eyes. Dear Tom,' she
murmured, Il do ove him. l wouldn't
give hin up for twenty Mr.. Trevors!"
She went to her desk. found the letter,
and, having a fine sense of personal
comfort, sank back into the soft depths
of the chair, and with a box of choca-
lates In one hand. the letter in the
other. began to MUNICH sweets and read.
At first her expression was slightly
81 bored, then astonished, and finally she
||threw down the sweets and the letter
SOn h floor, flung herself down on a
couch and commenced weeping. The
portion of Toms letter which had pro-
duced such dire results ran as follows:
Il had such u strange and exciting
adventure that I feel it my duty to tell
you all about 1T. You know that my
hotel is in one of the best streets here,
and that from my windows l can see
much of the beauty and fashion of Ber-
lin. However, / never dreamed of such
a vision of loneliness as the piece of
femininty whose acquaintance 1 made
yesterday"
At this Flossie's blue eyes opened
wide, she sat up, loosened her hold on
the chocolates, and read n
The object of my admiration sat in
her carriage alone and unattended just
below my window. Suddenly I heard
the rush of a runaway horse from the
opposite direction, and seeing her
alarm, l FASTENED down the steps and
assisted her to the pavement. She
smiled sweetly and was about to speak
when her attendant returned and she
re-entered the carriage and was rapidly
driven away: not forgetting to throw
me a kiss just as she was lost to
view"
THE world seemed a blank without
her" there Flossie's expression became
indignant: II found on inquiry that
h was staying at my hotel, and SO
a grounds for hope of a speedy meet
Ing. That night for the first time in
my dreams were not of you alone.
the beautiful blonde appeared to me
more than once, always with that
charming smile!"
Fancy" exclaimed Flossie.
To-day the plot has thickened. and
however painful it may be for you to
hear 1t, I feel it only honorable that
you should know all particulars. and
W