The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-06-14
KATE'S PRINCE.

We thrce-I.il. Cls,v and had $ long dis
cuSs.ou about Cousin Kate, who was coming or
visit o rs from the city and Nc all fvlt what
dreadful lJ;lc raEuu-tins we should seem to
her. Tor I'm afraid We had lyen running wl.d (:
thou.h papa only used 70 laugh about Il. and
would come into the school room when mamma
was busy with Us over our lessons, whenever Il
was tine morning, and cry; Now, then.
girls. the sun shines and the birds are calling.
U-t with yuu Learn lessons when u rains.
knew zfierSari why this wSs. Papa had
horrible nervous dread q our growing up weak
AID slc6ly. tor his was 3 delicate family and
bad heard that ogr cousins were often very IN.
Il can gues, why Cousin hate Is coming TO
STAY with as said lll.
4 know why she's coming, I said
ITS because she's ID, shouted LII, FOR fear
! should Show my knowledge first.
sally viii take h,r up new warm milk and
an egg IN It before she gets out II bed IL the
moral.E said Cissy, so.emEiy that viii soon
make her well
.She shan have ali the e-gs Speckie lays. ="
said Lii. and Jenny viii taAe her every morn
ing 10 the oil garden seat under the trees
She's sure 10 ect well there.
And 10 ne ali iar Cousin Ea:o came that
afternoon "a taI. pale girl, with s sal. weary
look in her fee. IS sle g4zed vls,iuly from
one % the other.
We three youug girls stood back. quite in
awe % the well dressed. fashionable looking
body. who was so different from what We had
expected while mamma went mp 10 welcome
her. and took her in her arms in tender A.
feci.oHate way. saving Ny Gear child We
are : ad 10 veicome Won
Cousin Kate tAre 8 her arms around mamma :
neca and burst into a IL q 80 <, hiding her
fac. ont Of rl.Et. We did Lot s1c any more Of
Cousin Kate THAT day but or Young interest
was deenly excited, aud somehow, perhaps
f0s tered ly d4rk hints dropped by Sallv who
III fs.a~ q
In a love affair with the horsekeeper =. q
neight0ring farm. we girls got % think Of our
cousins illness a. 4 ElId Of mystery connected
in some way. how we did not know, with the
heart.
Our awe Of the sweet gentle cousin fell OF
the very next d-y. hen We took possession 81
her and led her around oHr dear old country
home. with it, wilderness Of an orchard. great
garden shrub5erles. and pleasant meadow.
Her coming seemed 20 mark an epoch In or
young lives, for. seeing how weak and delicate
she was, We used 10 We one with the other in
being quiet and gentle. waited upon her IN the
most unnecessary way. like slaves. and always
ready 10 rush OIL most willing messengers 20
forestal anv LITTLE w-nt she expressed
This came natural 70 rs but on nv part Il
Was increased by few words which / heard
pass between papa and mamma, mamma say
ing that she did not think poor Kate would
ever grow strong again. but slowly wither away.
gave q great EIll a. Le1r1 tNuse @JTQE. anu
then burst out s0bbing violently.
''You here. Jenny p, said mamma. - Well.
my dear. as you have heard what we said, Il
must be your secret too. Never Jet your poor
cousin know what we think, and never behave
10 her as il vou thought she could not recover
promised readily, and at fourteen the pos
session Of that secret seemed 70 make me more
womanly than my sisters, - | redOubled my
tenderness 10 the suffering girl.
The invalid was nineteen--a great age in
our estimation-and used 20 look up 20 her
with veneration, gazing at her soft sweet face
and wistful eyes wondering why she was SO III,
and what was the great sOrroE that had come
upon her ike blight upon G Of the roses
round our porch.
Cousin Kate came to rs in the spring and
the months flew by till it was the height Of
summer : and many and many night bad /
turned my face TO the all so that Lii should
not know. and cried sil Itiy till nv pillow IVES
wet. For ] knew 30 weI that Kate a. eaker
much weaker than VIII she came. walk
across the lawn to the ol garden seat in the
shade being a. much now "a she could bear.
"Cousin Kate. / said, one day when ~ were
alone. lii and Cissy having rushed OF to get
some flowers, couldn't any doctor make you
Eell?"
She looked at me with n wild strange gaze
which almost startled me, before she replied,
and then in q way that made my heart beat she
sobbed out
"OnIv one-Onlv one :" and then as If to her
self. in low whisper she added and before
he can come shall be dead-dead!'
She did not know heard her last words and
/ sat chilled and frightened, gazing at her till
nv sisters came back. when, rs we frequently
did. we sat down about her Lii got upon the
seat. Cissy sat on he grass with her head
against one Of Kate's hands. which hung list
lessly from the corner where she leaned. and /
threw myself on the grass at her feet, 80
as to look up in her gentle face, which had now
become calm. with its old cary look.
"Cousin Kate, said Lii. tell US another
story"
'No, no, said don't ask she isn't 50
well to-day"
"Yes," she said quietly raising her head
and lool AIg at me- " | am better to-day"
"Ten rs one, then" cried Cissy, eagerly,
"one yO We never told us before"
There as silence then for a few minutes.
and as gazed up into kate's face / saw her
eyes close and sort Of spasm twitch her lips
but the next minute she was quite calm, and
then with the leaves whispering round us, and
the twittering of the birds coming now and
again from the distance, she said in a low,
sweet, musical voice
a. Once upon a time in the days OF long ago,
when people were very. very happy on this earth,
there lived prince who was young and hand
some and true Nearly every one loved him,
he was so manly, and yet so gentle"
''And he loved beautiful princess, put in
Cissy.
/ saw the spasm cross Cousin Kates face
again but it was calm directly after, and she
vent on.
"No. dear" she said. ''he did not love a