Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-07-18


don't persuade YOU to marry him. Oh,
my daughter, my Kate" cried the father,
tearfully, " everything that is dlsgraceful
he has IN his power to bring upon me.
viii you not avert it? Will YOU see your
wretched fathers gray hair 90 down
dishonored to the grave? VIII you not
marry him.
Certainly not, said Kate, decisively,
unless | know why should. ! hate
this dashing colonel, and more so since
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
/ D'Arcyln
But, my daughter, it Is not debt; ii is
not magniiied. God knows that it is
only too real, and it deeply concerns our
honor-yours as well rs mine
My honor.' said Kate, haughtily
Eyes, yours. Oh, that it should ever
come to this--to have to confess that the
dishonor is II thousand times worse than
you III 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
| 1t III 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 weak
word; she was dumbfounded; but be-
ing naturally very selfpossessed She soon
regained her original calmness.
WELL answered the daughter, after
a pause, a brilliant thought seeming to
strike her, g shall consent to marry
Colonel Darcy, as you wish, and shall
only stipulatc 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 mev cried Mr.. Warren, clasping
her joyously to his breast, which cares,
| however, she seemed to receive with
amazing GOODNESS.
In a very short time, news of the en-
gagement got to the ears of the country
Seyton. He could not be convinced of
Rates 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
Perhdious, ike all her SEN" he said,
tiercely. and from that time disoained 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-
turc, and still promising to marry him,
and he, daring beau rs he usually was,
could not break through her reserve
He knew perfectly well that this mar
riagc 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 "taming
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, i'll Il hard. cutting tone,
Time enough for that when YOU have
the right strobe from the room like an
empress.
"The deuce! what a proud little vixen"
muttered the colonel, following her close
" with his eyes
However, at last She seemed to become
more docile and, rs her father persist
emily begged her to oblige the colonel by
naming the day, she took him by the
hand, one day, and leading him to the
library, where her bctrothed sat reading
listlessly, said,-
Colonel, shall be ready to marry
YOU week from to-day if you are will
ing" while She looked as if telling the
simplest piece of news.
But if she were mcOnccncd, the col
onel was astounded.
"What?' he Numbered
Kate repeated the words
My darling" shouted the colonel
And this time, despite her late repulse,
caught her to his bosom, and imprinted
a kiss fairly on her lips.
Kate took this just as cooly and I'M
concernedly rs she gave her consent to
the marriage, never flinching, yet never
encouraging. The next day, however,
she astonished the colonel more than
over, calling him Gerald, and chattering
to him all day about their wedding, her
rousseau, their tour, and everything else
imaginable connected with their pros
pectivc happiness until her father began