Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-06-26
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A TREASURY ROMANCE.
BY EBEN T.. REXFORD.

Miss Kittie Rayne sat on the veranda
and sang within a nile of Edinboro'
Town" while John Fenwick sat in the par
lor and scowled fiercely at the portrait of
that young lady, hanging over the mantel,
as bright and piquant and saucy in its ex-
preston as the young lady herself But
scowling didn't seem to have much effect
on the portrait, and his anger had seemed
to have about as much on its original The
truth of the matter was, there had been a
lovers quarrel.
John Fenwick and Kite Rayne had been
engaged for six months. 1t was a real
love-match, people said. They were ex-
actly suited for each other, and seemed to
think that no one in the world was quite
so happy as themselves. believe that
lovers are apt to cherish rose-colored opin-
ions of each other, as well as of life 1t
was somewhat so with John and Kitte at
first. But of late-within the past two
weeks-a "change had come o'er the spirit
o. their dream" Kittie was-or rather
had been, considerable of fiirt. She was
never SO happy as when she was making
some young man believe that he was the
especial object of her regard. Her mother
lectured her on the awful wickedness of
flirting, and warned her of the consequences
which might result from it, but, like most
PARENTAL lectures, they failed to make the
impression they were intended to make,
and kittie went on flirting with this one
and that one, until John Fenwick came
Then she gave it up, and devoted herself
wholly to John; and this time she was in
earnest. She couldn't have hirted with
John if she had tried, because she respected
him too much, and then-he was so good,
so handsome, SO mice in every way" she
told her mother, that she didn't want to.
She was sure from the first, that he intend
cd to marry her, provided, OF course, that
she was willing and Kittie was willing,
and therefore decided to be sensible and in
earnest in this new phase of courtship.
Six months was q long time for Kittie to
keep her flirting propensities in check.
But she had done it, and congratulated
herself on the victory she had gained. Why
is it that, just rs soon rs we think we have
ourselves under our own control, some
thing comes along to tempt us, and in
good many eases we find that we are not
so much masters of ourselves, after all. as
we had congratulated ourselves on being,
| don't know why ii is, am sure. Kittie
didn't either. But just about the time that
she began to plume herself over her self
conquest, Carl Davenport came along she
WAS introduced to him, and straightway
up popped the old penchant for flirting from
the grave into which she had thrust it and
it seemed to her rs if she couldn't help
flirting with Davenport. He was hand
some and jolly, and there was Il something
about him which seemed to dare her. And
size had been so demure, SO sober and good
and played propriety for such long time,
that the prospects of little fun made her
wickedly happy. She knew that John
would not like it. That people would talk.
That her mother would deliver daily lee
lures to her-5ut for al that, she struck up
Irritation with Davenport in a reckless,
needless way, and never stopped to think
what the consequence might be. People
began to talk before John mentioned the
subject to her. And she knew that they
had occasion to talk, too, but she kept on,
and tried to make herself believe that she
had never been quite so happy in all her
life before. That she did enjoy herself in
a certain way, have no doubt, because
she was fond of mischief-Of doing things
to shock people-of being different from
other people, and above all of having her
own way. AS the betrOthed wife Of an
other, she had no right to receive Dayen-
ports attentions. She was not only
wronging herself, but John also. Johns
such a goodnatured fellow that he won't
care,' she said. IF he does / can make up
with him when want TO. He knows l
don't care a straw for Davenport
But John did care, and by-and-by he
! spoke to her about it,