Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-12-30
rrontinued from frs, pa.e.l

to Kitty? If anything has happened to vex
him, there is no occasion 10 trouble her in
the matter
But. before had time 10 remark that
Doctor Fleming had not the air of a man
had been vexed, Priscilla entered the room
and. to my great surprise, saw she had
been crying.
Now, Priscilla was not woman given
to tears, eithert or herself or for others
over her own sorrow she never shed them |
and as regarded the sorrows of other peo-
pie, che was more ready to try to help
them in their than to unite with them in |
bewailing them. So Mercy and myself, |
utterly unable to keep our curiosity with
IN bounds, exclaimed:
what is it, Priscilla"
To which Priscilla replied. with kind
OF quiet humor not uncommon to her:
wv ho is IL you mean You can see for
yourselves"
Surely, sister Priscilla, you do not
mean that Doctor Fleming wants our Kit
typ
Priscilla laughed little soft laugh,
which somehow seemed to have tears in
it, before she laughed
That is Just what Doctor Fleming does
want; but, in justice to him. may say
he took longer to express the fact than
you have done, Mercy"
"And KittyY'
''Has not been formally consult
ed in the matter, though, from what the
doctor said, very much doubt whether
his request would surprise her as it has
surprised me-"
And what dill you say ?"
Don't ask me, Mercy" replied Priscil-
Ia reddening, as she always does to the
present day, at the bare mention of that
eventful interview, when | shrewdly sus-
pect that my eldest sisters wonted self
possession entirely folsook her. what
could l say =! | was so entirely taken by
surprise that | almost lost the power of
speech; but. although | am very sorry
that anything of the kind has occurred
whilst Kitty is with us-for of course |, in
measure, feel responsibe-stillI cannot
help confessing that Doctor Fleming has
acted in the incest manner possible"
"lie is old enough to be her father.'
objected with great injustice. The fact
was had bulta castle IN the air, in which
Kitty was to live and be married to an inn
possible hero, who would have been utter
ly unable 10 breathe the atmosphere of
our common world; and now to find that
Inc hero OF ktty's romance wonId be
Doctor tlemng-ior in some way we none
oil us doubted what the girls answer to
him would be--was disappointing, to say
the least of it,"
Doctor Fleming is thirty-soyen, and
ktty nlneteen-no such great dspirity
when we think of what she is--a child in
her purity and ight-heartedness, but a
woman in wisdom and usefulness, besides
being one who will need to reverence her
q q M &c y.l fr,l
think she will find an easy task with DR..
Fleming. For you know as well as Mercy
and myself knows, how much he is liked
and respected in Leigh, and that during
the ten years he has been here we have
heard nothing of him but good. Looked
at even from worldly point of view, the
match is good one, for Doctor Fleming
said quite sufficient to prove me that he is
comparatively rich man; and | know
enough OF cousin Margaret to feel sure
she will be able to give Hetty no dowry
Thus, very quietly and sensbly, Prs
ella reproved my petulencc. Sill | could
not give up my dream about Kitty; and
! may as well confess i'll too had nv
suspicious about the Doctors liking for
Mercy. They had many ideas in com
mon, and she would have made him such
wife ! Not that | had any right to sus-
peel him, though, OF feeling anything be
yond friendship Tor her.
Perhaps the wish, as is often the case,
was parent to the thought, and had such
limited knowledge of love and love-
making that did not, as | might now,
think DIR. Flcmings avoidance OF Kitty al
all suspicious; though how she could ever
have learnt to love him, when he scarcely
ever addressed word to her, is puzzle
to me to the present day. Still ii was
great comfort to me TO know that Priscilla
had been equally short-sighted, and |
could mot resist the temptation TO eXult
over her a little; so | asked her gravelv
how Doctor Fleming had explained his
present OF the hyacinths, at which Priscil-
la only laughed and said that now was
getting better she must begin to keep me
in order again.
AT that moment the door opened slow
~, and the three women saw Kitty stand !
ing on the threshold, her big brown eyes
wandering from one to the other oil Us
with comical expression of dismay, and |
her sweet face rosy with bushes at the |
sight of which all my ll-iemper vanished. |
What were my preams and my fancies in
comparison with her happiness.
Forgetting entirely that Priscilla was
the head of the family, and had the right |
TO deliver her sentence first, | just held |
out my arms and Kitty sprang iuto them
with sob; and then, instead of turning |
the opportunity to account 10y delivering |
series of small moral lectures over the |
happy young culprit. we all kissed her,
and congratulated her, and finally cried |
over her in the most ridiculous fashion. |
Though, as | could not help telling her, | !
thought she scarcely deservedit, for when
had her all to myself that afternoon, and |
asked her if she was not surprised at the |
Doctors proposal, she actually had the
audacity to reply, meekly, Not much.
Aunt Hetty.n The idea of a chit of nine
teen taking anything so cooly that had
almost startled US three women out of our
senses!
Well, all can say is that, if her answer
was true-and | tor one believe 1.-THE
young ones of the present generation
must be greatly in advance oil their elders.
Althoug we had none of us any doubt
NO IN x.,hat ,ousin Morrarntia onSwor |