Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-01-05
WhenAngeline
Came Home

Yes, we're awful glad to get back
to town." confided the twelveyear-old
sister Of the young woman whose spe-
cial young man was calling for the
first time since the family returned
from the lake.
Er-Miss Angeline-your sister-is
she glad. too?" inquired the young
man craftily.
MY goodness. yes!" said the small
girl in surprise. She's the gladdest
OF us all. Angeline didn't seem to
care for any Of the things that were
real fun like Ted and | did-she was
always afraid Of getting sunburned or
something. | don't think when you
grow up there is much left In life to
enjoy. All Angeline wanted to do was
to put on another dress and do up her
hair and moon around with the count"
The young man sat up straight. THE
countT he repeated inquiringly, with
hasty glance at the stairs. who
was he?"
Why, didn't you know there was a
real count at the lake?" asked the
small girl in surprise. Il should have
thought Angelina would have written
you about him, because that was all
she could talk or think about.
When she found his name on the
register. went on the small girl, Il
thought she'd have fit or something,
Tor she came rushing upstairs and
dragged out her best white embrOid.
cred linen suit.
Why, she said to mother, did
put on this horrid, cheap blue ging-
ham Tor breakfast this morning? DO
you suppose he was the one who sat
at the next table,?
Il was excited, too. but when |
asked her If he would walk on tight
rope, or something. she pushed me out
Of the room.
All the grown up women were Just
as excited as Angeline and rushed
around whispering together. Ted and
decided that he must have two heads,
or something. SO We started out to find
him. These was a strange man read
ing a magazine in the arbor and when
we walked in and asked. Are you a
COUNT he stared and then he laughed.
After that he said he wasn't, but he
be pleased to direct us to the end OF
the pier where We could pursue our
inquiries.
There was another strange man
there and didn't like him half so well
as the first one. He kept jumping
around and his eyes snapped and we
stared at him long time, till he al
most jumped at us. Then | asked
him, Are you count? And please
tell US what you COUNT
81 don't think he liked us, because
he threw up his hands and dashed
away.
He acted different with Angelina.
He was always leaning over her chair
and smiling and his voice sounded like
the inside Of marshmallows. There
wasn't any other girl there as pretty
as Angelina, so, Of course. she cut out
all the others"
She did. did she?" remarked the
young man in tense tones, with an
other glance at the stairs. Go on"
"0h, my, yes!" said the small girl.
She told mother she guessed II any
OF those washed out, uninteresting
girls there thought they we're going to
get ahead Of her they we're mistaken.
Mother got real patronizing to the
other women and was always talking
about estates and family trees and
how Angelina was such a sweet and
lovely and brilliant girl that she had
always known her fate would be differ
ent from the common run Of young
women. No honors,' she said once. no
honors ever heaped on Angeline's head
would ever make her forget to be nice
TO those beneath her.
THE other women just shifted and
left Angelina alone, put she had the
count, SO she didn't care. She used
to talk about II to mother and say
Won't the other girls back home be
simply crazy jealous when they hear
about II, thought? And mother would
say, If only father doesn't act up!
1T was real fun to see Angelina
sweep through the hotel lobby like a
queen and smile sweetly at the other
women and see how cross they'd look
and how they'd rock fast and talk aft
er she'd gone.
"0ne afternoon the count was going
to take Angeline riding and she came
downstairs all rugged out and ht
wasn't there. Finally she asked the
man hahind The doeL sIIou. 49,. -.