Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1915-04-16
THAT TALL, DARK MAN
ny OLIVE ROBERTS BARTON.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Sypdicate)

(COpyrlSnt, ISlo, by the MCSIuTS INeWspa-
per Syndicate.)
Don met them at the train - Lor-
raine, her mother and father. 1t
seemed centuries since he had seen
her, Lorraine, OF course, although it
had been but two weeks since she had
gone away.
The parting had been full of fore
boding for Don. Such a trip was sure
to be prolific in young men. To make
things more ominous, Lorraine had
intimated before leaving that Signo-
rina Lolita had foretold tantalizingly
vague things of a tall young man with
brown eyes and dark hair. h was
thorns and nettles to Don, whose eyes
were gray and hair a decided auburn.
He now searched her face anxious
ly. Had the dark young man mate
rallied In the fortnight's vacation?
There was nothing there to tell. Lor-
raine was as sweet and smiling-and
bafiing-as ever He sighed.
He was asked to stay to dinner and
accepted gratefully. He had a logged
determination not to leave until he
had verified, Or d%issipated, his fears.
Two things favored him-the moon
and the arrival Of the preacher. h
back yard swing soon had two occu-
pants.
Lorraine suddenly became laxative.
1.-THE whole thing was heavenly, Don.
From the minute we left until just
now"
Thanks"
You're welcome, grouchy! I'd
IL Z .x>.tl H.. -Iol k~ n rrn hnoI
Instead you've been siootning aroun
like a funeral. Well, I'm going to tell
you all about 1t anyway. I've just
got to tell someone. Do you remem-
Der about Signorina Lotta-aH she
said about a dark man and every
thing?"
mol" killing a mosquito. What
did she say? Surely you don't be-
lieve the rot a fortune teller gets
off?"
ooh, but I do. It all came true;
| almost every word Of it. You see, it
was this way" gazing rapturously at
the moon. when we got to Balti-
more the city was all decorated for
the big centennial. After we had seen
the decorations and all that dad want
ed to go on a battleship."
"Well. where Ices the fellow come
fn?"
Ssh! I'm coming to that! We
went across the bay to a great whop-
ping man-of-war that made you feel
all glorious and patriotic"
But when"
BE quiet! I'm coming to him
soon. They let us OF that one. We
went up a funny little pair of stairs
they lowered over the side of the
boat"
"But what has your brown-eyed
friend to do with
For goodness sake, be quiet, Don.
You're. worse than Prince barking
for a bone. Well, mother and I were
hooking all around everywhere. Dad
had wandered of by himself, and in a
few minutes he came back with the
~tallest, handsomest, d%arlingest, brown
eyed"
Don coughed painfully behind his
hand.
Poor boy! What a cold! Well.
as I was saying, dad came back with
the ~tallest, hand"
i HcdEU you LuC HISL lllAlc. .-
ooh, did you? Well, he was. And
he treated us just lovely. He took
us lots Of places other people weren't
allowed to go, for he was an officer.
His uniform was gr-r-a-a-nd."
Silence.
"And thea that night We went by
boat to Old Point Comfort and Nor.
folk. We were at luncheon in the
hotel when who should walk In but
Lieutenant Erickson. He took us
through the fort and everywhere
Eyes, 1 know. I've been there!
Then / suppose he went back to An.
napolis where he belonged"
"Who? Oh, indeed he didn't! Dad
and mother and l got on the boat
that night and went to Boston"
"Well-that's all, I suppose"
No, indeed! The best"-very In
nocently-'is yet t o come"
Heavens! / suppose he suddenly
developed a pair Of wings and"
why, Don, you act SO funny!
don't understand you at all"
.Humph!! Well. go On about your
brown-eyed god Of Olympus. What
next?"
why. that very day We were com
Ing out Of q shop IN fremont street
in Boston, when whom should we run
into but
"Ldeut. Jupiter Won Erickson. I sup
pose!"
~ + es, wonieFinsiy How did you
guess? And his wife!"
His wife! His wife, did you say?"
e'M-hsn! And she was as heantt
ful as he was handsome! Her hall
was a beautiful light
But what her hair was like Don
never heard. you little tease!" he
cried, holding her tight to his breast.
'eTeM me what color OF eyes YOU Nke
best, before / let you go"
GRAY" confessed Lorraine softly.
aNa