The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-08-18
KATHLEEN'S RUSE.
BY RETT wINwoOD.

HERBERT VANCE and Kathleen
| Gray had been married one whole year,
and had hardly set foot out of Paris
since they first sought that place from
an American city happy groom and
blushing bride. A year in the
French capital is time enough to work
a great many changes even in the most
fondly attached couples, and the one
of which we write had not come off
scathless after twelve months So
journ in the great maelstrom of fash
ion, vice and folly.
To speak more plainly, Herbert
Vance, who was n gay, handsome
young fellow with plenty of wild eats
to sow, seemed to be doing his best to
scatter them broadcast during the last
ten weeks or more of their stay in Par
is. He was too mercurial in tempera-
ment to fully escape the contagious
example of ''fast young bloods" about
him, and now that the delight of WOO
ing and winning Kathleen was well
over, and the honeymoon ended, pos
session began to clog, and naturally
enough, perhaps, he soon found him.
self looking around for fresh novelties.
In city like Paris, one need look
for nothing III vain, Herbert's first
flame was one of the demi-monde,
dashing blonde of whom he tired in
the short space of two weeks and he
felt heartily obliged to the fellow who
took the Irritation off his hands.
To the blonde succeeded a pretty,
piquante, capricious fairy, Pauline
Bertel by name, favorite danseuse
at one of the leading theatres. She
was really very winsome creature,
and Herbert thought himself actually
in love with her. He spent his mon
ey freely and was quite attentive, so
much so that poor patient Kathleen,
the bride of year, found herself neg
lected and cast in the shade.
Of course she demonstrated but
she might as well have talked to the
wind. Herbert would laughingly de-
clare that his little wife was worth all
the women in the world. He gener-
ally ended by promising to keep away
from the theatre where Pauline danced,
and to see her no more. He bore the
promise in mind for the space of twen-
ty-four hours thereafter, perhaps, and
then matters would be worse than ever.
Kathleen endured the conduct with
exemplary patience, seldom complain
ing so long as there was any probabil-
ity of reform. But even her forbear-
ance had its limits, especially when
she learned that the ''golden silence"
of which the poet sings was no more
al 81, hoI
Consequently one evening when she
saw Herbert again going out alone, a
slight frown wrinkled her pretty brow.
II hope you are not thinking of leav
ing me tonight, again?' she said much
more sharply than she was wont to
speak. ''The evenings are dreadfully
dull with you away!
"I shall only be gone an hour or
two, DEAR" he answered, STOPPING to
kiss her. s'Y ou will not mind being
left alone for that length of time.
Kathleen was not so certain. She
had learned from sad experience what
her husbands ''hour or two" usually
meant. ? ''. .'.'..
''Dear me-" she murmured, '1 wish
we had never come here. hate Par
is. Let us take the next steamer for
New York. o, if you only would,
Herbert" lifting her eyes pleadingly.
"You silly puss." He patted her
cheek tenderly, and then turned to
leave the room. "Don't fret, dear.
We will return to America in a few
months. Goodnight"
She ran forward, catching him by
the arm.
"Answer me this, HerbertI You
are not going to see that-that-erea-
ture again? 1 s1M know"
He seemed confused, and tried to
avoid meeting her questioning gaze.
+1 have a business engagement
that is ALL" he said uneasily II will
hurry back, and you shall read me
that new poem of Browning's. How
will that do?
Kathleen thought it would do" very
well. Herbert made his peace with
another kiss and then left the house.
He was scarcely gone when the
young wife discovered that he had
dropped one of his gloves near the
door. She picked it up, and was
about to lay it on the table when she
detected suspicious rustling within,
caused by the pressure of her fingers
upon it. Inserting her hand, she
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