Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-30

mamma saying that she did not think
poor Kate would ever grow strong again,
but slowly wither away. [ gave great
gulp as | heard those words, and then
burst out sobbing violently.
"You here, jenny" said mamma.
"Well, my dear, as you have heard
what we said, it must be your secret too.
Never let your poor cousin know what
we think, and never behave to her as if
you thought she could not recover"
| promised readily, and at fourteen
the possession of that secret seemed to
make me feel more wOmanly than my
sisters, as [ redoubled my tenderness to
the suffering girl.
The invalid was nineteen-a great age
in our estimatiOn-and [ used to look
up to her with veneration, gazing at her
soft, sweet face and wistful eyes, wonder
ing why she was so i'll, and what was the
great sorrow that had come upon her like
a blight upon one of the roses round her
porch.
Cousin Kate came to us in the spring,
and the months flew by till it was the
height of summer; and many night had
[ turned my face to the wall, so that Lii
should not know, and cried silently till
my pillow was wet. For [ knew 50 well
that Kate was weaker so much weaker
than when she came, walk across the
lawn to the garden seat in the shade be-
ing as mush now as she could bear.
Cousin Kate [ said one day when
we were alone, Lii and Csssy having
rushed off to get some flowers, " couldn't
any doctor make you well?"
She looked at me with a wild strange
gaze which almost startled me, before she
replied, and then III way that made my
heart beat she sobbed out:
"Only one-only oner and then, as if
to herself, in a low whisper, she added,
"and before he can come [ shall be dead
-deadw
She did not know [ heard her last
words, and [ sat chilled and frightened,
gazing at her till my sisters came back,
when as we frequently did, we sat down
about her; Lii got upon the seat, Cissy
sat on the grass with her head against one
of Hates hands, which hung listlessly
from the corner where she leaned, and |
threw myself on the grass at her feet, so
as to look up in her gentle face, which
had now become calm, with its old weary
look.
"Cousin, Kate" said Lii, tell us
another story
"No, no." I said, "don't ask, she isn't
SO well to-day"
yes" she said quietly, raising her
head and looking at me, @ [ am better
to-day"
"Tell us one, them" cried Cissy
eagerly, zone you've never told Us be-
fore"
There was silence then for few min
utes, and as | gazed up into Hates face
[ saw her eyes close and a 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
"Once upon a time in the days of long
ago, when people were very, very happy
on this earth, there lived a prince who
was young and handsome 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 Hates
face again but it was calm directly after,
and she went on.
mo DEAR" she said, che did not love
the beautiful princess, but poor, simple
girl, who loved MIN, too, with all her
heart, and they wereso, so happy. When
the flowers blossomed they seemed to
blossom only for them, and the birds sang
their sweetest songs for them in the sun
shine"
Yes and they were married, and
lived happy ever after" cried Cissy.
GO on"
There was once more that piteous look
upon Cousin Rates face, seen only by
me; but it passed off, and she went on
"No, Cissy, they are not; for the
poor, handsome young prince had enc
mics cruel, bitter enemies-who SLAM
dered him and said that he had made
false keys, and opened the treasure
chests Of a great man, and stolen away
his gold
"Oh?" whispered Cissy, now deeply
interested.
and" continued Kate, ''they took
the poor prince, and there was great
man, and though he declared he was in
nocent the wicked people who slandered
him and bare false witness against him
prevailed; and the great judge said that
he was to be cast into prison, and wear
heavy chains, and be kept there for
twenty-one years"
"OhW cried Lii.
Yes" said Cissy, II knew; and then
the simple young girl, who loved him,
went and unlocked the prison gates, and
struck off his chains and set him free"
No-no," cried Cousin Kate, and
her voice altered terribly, so that I was
alarmed, though l could do nothing but
gaze up in the wild face before me, for
now a change came over it. NO." she
cried, "the poor girl could do nothing
but sit and weep, and feel her broken
heart eat-beat-beat, in it's own
prison, wearing itself out till-till she
died, and-O, Frank! what have we
done that we should suffer this?'
[ leaped up to throw my arms round
her, while my sisters shrank away alarm
ed; for cousin Kate turned from us with
a bitter wall, buried her face in her
hands, and threw herself half over the
arm of the old garden seat, sobbing in a
wild hysterical way, such as / had never