Show fE r j ta 1 K v fr 1 t j. t. t s f t 1 i BE BESSIE S Sill I TS T'S only Dess' Dess Raven Raven Ra Ra- ven said Mrs Mra Liddington Liddington Lid- Lid to her e niece Mrs EDfield a a. blooming city matron who had brought her two boys boya to the country for the summer I Ieti Ij wouldn't let Hal Hal Haland j eti and Felix FeUx associate with her on any account ac ac- count If I were you Theres There's no good goodIn t In any of those Ravens Ravens Ravens-a a vile vUe low set set Mrs Enfield looked pityingly at the faced brown-faced legged bare-legged little gypsy 5 y w who ho hoa had bad slunk around the back door 5 a basket of late luscious blackberries S on her arm and the deep flush that betokened betokened betokened be be- how plainly she had overheard over over- r heard Mrs careless words r still dyeing her cheeks I Only Bessie Dessie Rave H How w often s she e had heard that phrase 1 How f bitter bit bit- 4 r S ter a meaning did It c convey t to her herg 11 g f ears It a ii 1 S There are no trout there ther 1 v Tw t Y l might throw a bait and wait a year t a n and d l you wouldn't get a bite a. a t It was a deep solitary ravine where In attitudes of Intense eagerness Hal Enfield and his brother Felix were holding their fishing rods awaiting the expected bite while Bessie Dessle Ravens Raven's brown face and big black eyes looked I. out at them from a natural oval frame of bushes and vines as she held a I f t. t basket In one hand and her tattered 0 sun sun Bun bonnet ln n the other Hal Enfield a sufficient self-sufficient little t.- t. aristocrat by nature as well as by byG G education drew himself haughtily upI upI up J y I dont don't know that we asked any t Information from you said he I haughtily ll 4 Have ave the g goodness ness to be beabout tax about your business i I wont won't retorted Bessie Dessie Raven with an ominous ominous' s z flash In her dark to Ya i t eyes Its a afree freel country aint It And Ive I've as mu much h right here as you j 0 have haver Hal rising and Very well said together his tackle IK gathering then Come Felix go f brother had had ad But Felix the younger t if no Idea of ot leaving his cool shady nook h r for tor a whim of ot Hals Hal's Hal stalked away In high dudgeon Felix remained behind to cultivate t th the l. acquaintance of Bessie Raven S f d If If there are no trout here said he composedly eyeing g the bro brown gypsy face among the leaves where do they d rii hide Ill show you said Bessie Bessle with Alacrity Just a piece further on li It K f V- V 7 5 I fy y f f f 2 7 M i r YOU LITTLE THIEF ti Theres There's lots of em only em only everybody dy J s f dont don't know it Come on fl And the two children spent a long ti Yra t. t summers summer's morning together under the ther r green trees I Until Just as Felix FeUx Enfield was turnIng turning turn turn- t ing to go home half apprehensive that he had missed the house farm-house dinner f fA A. A he did not perceive that the little HUle gold f cross he wore attached to his watch- watch cA chain was gone Oh cried h he where is my t r He stopped abruptly For Jn inthe the very W- W moment In which he spoke he peri perceived per- per i calved hidden half in the folds of the bosom of Bessie's Dessie's tattered dress dreas the ther r vt glean glea of ot some golden ornament Ins InvoluntarIly Involuntarily In- In s voluntarily he caught at at It It it-It It wat wa hl his r own t h You little mUe thief theft cried he y you u t must have hate len tt-len it IU Bessie stood sullen and silent her hery y eyes cast down her bare feet 4 V t patting the velvety grass bet be- be t tj low She could not deny It she It-she she scorned scorned scorn- scorn f tt ed any attempt to Justify herself herselt Bessie Dessle said the boy slowly what made you do it Dont Don't you know that i 1 it is wrong to steal i r- r Wrong cried out Bessie Dessie passion passion- t Why Is It wrong wrong wrong- You are rich richand and Im I'm poor Youve You've got everything 44 and Ive I've got nothing Why shouldn't when Ive I've ther the ff I help mys myself got get r chance g. g f Felix Enfield looked at her Verily there was more in hi her creed than he I had realized Y i- i iiI t Ill tell I you why Bessie Dessle said sald heAt he At least least- Ill I'll tell tel you wh what t I think i y h 55 about It it 3 M fY J So In his boyish way way he unfolded r the philosophy of and i J Bessie Dessle Ra Raven v n li listened In surprise reasoned with be- be She had never been Y x fore No one had bad ever taken the tree troa- trout t ble to explain matters and things in S t general to her 1 f J Oh Felix FeUx ehe she cried out with a great sob sob In her throat I see It all now But Dut no one ever told me before And father was lost At sea and mother had us little ones to take care of ot and somehow everyone's hand was against us and we had to fight our way along eo w O I got somehow not to cart caru about ahou aJ ou anything Dont cry Bessie soothed the lad Dont fret that's a good girl Here take take the gold cross and keep it It I dont don't care much for it ILSo It IL So they parted At home Felix found that his father had come to take them up into the mountains for a a. few weeks before they returned to their city home home and and so he never got the chance to tell Bessie Dessle Raven good Ten years afterward Three and twenty Is a dangerous age for flirtations flirtations flirtations flirta flirta- but Felix Enfield had never been bee seriously smitten u until liU th that tUm time when he crossed the Atlantic In the steamer Will o o the Wisp and fell In love with the captains captain's Sp Spanish eyed daughters daughter aug terl l f YOU IJ dont don't marry me said sald Felix with comical earnestness earnestness Ill throw myself Into the sea Theres not ouch much danger of that Pid said Miss I s Richfield t But I r am in earnest protested Felix FeUx So 50 am I I II said the damsel with th the blue-black blue eyes Dont you love me pleaded Felix I dont don't dislike you demurely answered answered answered an an- Miss 1 Richfield Then I shall hope Felix Hope Is rs a commodity that Is free freeto freeto freeto to all said the young lady But at the voyages voyage's end Mr Enfield was deeper In love than ever Look here Miss 1 Richfield said he if you dont don't say you'll have me I wont won't leave the steamers steamer's deck Ill I'll go back and forth perpetually between New York and Southampton I dont don't think papa would care for forso forso so permanent a p passenger ss ng r said Miss Richfield with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes B But But r really py 1 i Do tA your you know knotty kno Miss Richfield l engaged already alV al al- I V re ready dy I 1 I r She colored a little i she asked Ali Ah you think I have no eyes Y You u think I haven't perceived that you always wear a black velvet ribbon around you n neck neck ck a. a black velvet ve vet rl ribbon rib rib- ribbon bon from which is suspended some trinket of gold hidden In the lace frills of your collar IS Is Hta it a gauge i Yes Miss Richfield calmly answered answered answered an an- It it is isa a gauge of true true love Iti It If ItI I ever ever am m married married married- na It If f falm almost scornfully scornfully ejaculated ejaculated lover Well when I am married Miss Richfield corrected herself It t will wUl only be to the gentleman who gave me this this' Then I may consider myself rejected reject reject- ed slowly spoke Felix with a face of the bitterest chagrin Not quite said the eyed dark-eyed damsel damsel damsel dam dam- sel as she drew the golden talisman from her throat and held It toward him Dont you remember who gave me this He uttered an an ii exclamation of It is the golden cross I gave years ago to Bessie Raven cried heYes heYes heYes he I Yes she said quietly and I am I Bessie Raven t. t j You Yes My mother died shortly after you gave me this My IY uncle who had Just returned from the West adopted us usall all Two of my sisters are in board board- ing school l My brother is being educated educated educated edu edu- In a German university And I Iam Iam Iam am my uncles uncle's adopted daughter known only by his name But Bessie Dessle you said you would marry the one who gave you that cried out l So SoI J I will m confessed BJ Bessie laugh Bessie laughIng laugh laugh- Ing and add blushing If he he is Is Is' still In In Infatuated enough to persist in wanting me They were married within a month montha a a regular true love trUe match natch an chand and old Mrs Liddington finds finds' herself grand- grand law aunt to only Bessie Dessle Raven And really says she complacently complacent complacent- ly I dont don't think Felix could have made a better match match New York Daily Dally News Courtesy Courtesy of of th S OI Old 1 School From the tho San Francisco News sews Letter Letter Letter Let Let- ter Everybody knows Col Caldwell The colonel is a Virginian of ot the old school The colonels colonel's piety has condensed con con- condensed into one creed courtesy to women He never leaves a room with witha a lady in It U without backing through the door Miss N N- who k is very practical practical practical rem remarked the other evening evening- CoL Caldwell have you eyes yes on n the he back of your head bead I would have havo them madam were you behind me mc me meAn An acquaintance the other day asked Colonel do you always back away awny from the ladles ladies I do de suh sub but I dont don't back down from the men sub suh uh A lady much given to Browning asked asked asked ask ask- ed the following question receiving the f following answer Col Caldwell is falling failing in love an evidence of reason rea rea- son son 1 My d dear ar madam replied the colonel in Jove we desert the calm of logic and surrender ourselves to the tinted rose-tinted delirium of Instinct X iII r s |