Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-18

he has shown such contemptuous coward
ice and malignity as this; and shall [
doom myself to perpetual misery because
of some fancied hold he has on you, some
debt or other trivial matter, which of
course you magnify? | tell you, father,
/ would rather starve than marry Colonel
Darcy
But, my daughter, it is not debt; it is
not magnifed. God knows that it is
only too real, and it deeply concerns our
honor-yours as well as mine"
"My honor!" said Kate, haughtily.
Eyes, yours! Oh, that it should ever
come to this-to have to confess that the
dishonor is thousand times worse than
you in your innocence can conceive of !!
The fact is, Kate, | dare not tell you;
you would spurn your father; but it
means dishonor to you, and perpetual
infamy to me, if exposed, and you have
it la your power to avert it. Let me only
say that [ have sinned unconsciously, but
that the disgrace is no less sure on that
account"
To say that Kate was astonished at
this confession would be but a weak
word; she was dumbfounded; but be-
ing naturally very self-possessed she soon
regained her original calmness.
"Well," answered the daughter, after
a pause, a brilliant thought seeming to
strike her, 81 shall consent to marry
Colonel Darcy, as you wish, and shall
only stipulate to wait my own time for
the ceremony. You may now tell your
gallant friend, if you desire, that | con-
slider myself engaged to him."
My daughter, my own Kate, you have
saved mer' cried Mr.. Warren, clasping
her joyously to his breast, which caress,
however, she seemed to receive with
amazing GOODNESS.
In very short time, news of the en-
gagement got to the ears of the country
people, and thence to those of Frank
Seyton He could not be convinced of
Hates pertidy for some time, and attrib-
uted the rumor to that misunderstanding
old virago, Mother Grundy;;" but when
the proofs were SO positive that he must
perforce credit it, he was almost wild
with rage and indignation, and, in the
heat of the moment [ am afraid called
his late betrothal some rather hard
names.
Perfidious, like all her SEX" he said
fiercelv. and from that time disdained to
appear in public, and fully earned the
title of cynic bestowed upon him by his
friends.
Meanwhile, Kate only treated the col
onel, much to his chagrin, with silent
contempt, showing it In her every ges-
ture, and still promising to marry him,
and he, daring beau as he usually was,
could not break through her reserve
He knew perfectly well that this mar
riage was bitter dose for her to swallow
being informed of the interview by her
father-and yet he derived infinite salts
faction from the thought of gaining this
proud dame, and eventually tanning
her." as he said Once he ventured to
kiss her hand, but she Indignantly drew
it away, pulled off the glove his lips had
touched, tore it to pieces before his eyes
and saying, in hard, cutting tone
"Time enough for that when you have
the right" strobe from the room like al
empress.
1.-The deuce! whata proud little vixenr
muttered the colonel, following her close
! ly with his eyes.
However, at last she seemed to become
: more docile, and, as her father persist
emily begged her to oblige the colonel by
hand, one day, and leading him to the
library, where her betrothed sat reading
listlessly, said,-
Colonel, | shall be ready to marry
you a week from to-day, if you are will
ing" while she looked as if telling the
simplest piece Of news.
But if she were unconcerned, the col
onel was astounded.
"What?" he Numbered
Kate repeated the words
Ny darling!' shouted the colonel
And this time, despite her late repulse
caught her to his bosom, and i'm printed
kiss fairly on her lips
, Kate took this just as coolly and I'm
concernedly as she gave her consent to
the marriage, never fiinching, yet never
encouraging. The next day, however
she astonished the colonel more thar
ever, calling him Gerald, and chatterins
to him all day about their wedding, hel
rousseau, their tour, and everything else
/, imaginable connected with their pros
4 pective happiness, until her father began
to think her loathing of the colonel had
: duCCUCo 1ICI JAIN, N11C1CtlO U1iC COlOIlC
imagined all her previous GOODNESS te
have been pretence- she loved him
always, and that now her marriage was
SO near she desired to draw out all his
passion for her; and with that exulta
ton SO characteristic of our depraved
E animal nature, he resolved after mar
rage to take her role, and act coolly and
knowingly to her until he had tanned
, her.
They now seemed perfectly at ease
, with each other, and beguiled the time
, with that delightful small-talk seemingly
| SO universal and precious among Low.
ers. In fact, Kate grew audacious IL
her loving ways, and capped the climax
r when she went up to Darcy, and, kiss
ing him on the forehead, said,-
: go, Gerald dear, we ought to have
something romantic! do SO love 70
nance! You don't know what dear
one [ have woven out of our courtship
First pictured you stern knight who
, had taken me, a fair damsel, captive