Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-04-20

! cause am tired of life. My heart is bro
ken, aud can see no relief except in death
Forgive me for what | am about to do
and l Shall pray God to forgive me also
[ do not want to i've and suffer as have
! suffered 4E
Here the words 'since Jack' were
scratched out, aud in their stead was
written, during the past" Ia blank tt
be filled i'll when the ice should thaw).
forgive everybody. hope you will not
mourn for me, nor remember my melan-
choly end, because I do not deserve it.
With love to you and to dear Aunt Martha
and Aunt Charity and Tom. | remain,
Your heart-broken, KATE.
How many times Jack read and re-read
| this singular document will never be
known. but when Kitty entered the loom,
a quarter OF an ilouT later. he was still sit
ting with the dictionary upon his knees
and the paper in his hand. ,...
8 / thought Uncle Randolph was here, .
said Kitty, hesitating whether to remain OF
not, and failing to observe what it was that
I so absorbed jack S attention. He turned
with a start, as though first conscious OF
her presence. and thrust the sheet of pa
per back into the volume. Then he said,
very gravely:
Your uncle is not here, Kitty. Won't
you be seated? [ want to talk with YOU
Kitty sat down On the high backed sNa,
and fell to studying the figures in the car
! pet. Jack went over and took seat by
her side. She did not notice that he held
the dictionary under his right arm.
''Kitty,'' said Jack, with becoming So
lemnity, Il do not believe that you haye
been very happy during the past month,
have you?'
Kitty's lip began to tremble, but she an
swered desperately: "Why should 1 not
have been happy2''.
Because" replied the candid Jack,
! ''you have not had me to torment you"
'You mean to say that cannot be hap
Ply without you, Mr.. Burreughs?" Kitty
/ was still gazing intently at the carpet, so
that she did not see the smile that played
Eyes, have reason to believe that with
out me you would be very miserable
Indeed - exclaimed Kitty. Il should
like to know what right you have to be-
lleve that?'' ea
"Well, Kitty. 1 judge you by myself. I
have been wretched ever since the night
of that unfortunate party. made up my
mind yesterday to swallow my pride and
come here and ask you to forget and for
give. We were both to blame, although
| the fault, no doubt, was mine to begin
WITH
eff you have been wretched, as you say, -
rejoined Kitty, her eyes still fixed on the
floor. ''why didn't you go to Helen Clapp?
You would surely have found comfort
| there.''
Nonsense, Kitty! 1 care nothing for
| Helen Clapp-no more than you do for Cy-
rus Phelps. haven't seen her, nor have
| wanted to see her, since the night of the
| party = --sssesa' 1 e-7ss..s
''You take it for granted, presume,
that will overlook all that has happened
without word
| 81 did not take it for granted, Kitty,
until
"Until what?" Here the young lady
turned her eyes suddenly upon Jack, and
discovered for the first time the volume
under his arm. "Whatis that book?'' she
demanded, blushing scarlet. e
THAT" returned Jack, with tantalizing
composure-''that is Webster's Diction-
airy. While you were engaged in washing
the dishes 1 was improving the time by a
Study
''Give it to me this Instant" demand
cd Kitty, springing to her feet.
Jack handed her the volume without
word. She snatched it impetuously and
turned over the leaves until she came to
the letter. t|
"You have read itp' she exclaimed,
crumpling the sheet Of paper in her hand.
''It you mean your farewell epistle," re-
joined Jack, gravely. II have.''
"Why. Jack! ~ And thereupon Kitty
threw herself upon the sofa and, with her
face bnrled in the cushion, began to sob
convulsively.
And what did Jack do? Perhaps he
drew her to his side and told her what
very, very wicked girl she was to think of
drowning her pretty self. Perhaps he re-
peated to her, for the thousandth time at
least, the story of his love, which had
grown and deepened during month of
self torture, and which was dearer to him
than all else in life-dearer than fame or
fortune, or even the Phi Beta Kappa KEY
which he had won at Yale. Perhaps he
soothed her with soft words, and rested
her head upon his breast, and convinced
| her that, after all, she had much to live for
in this world, and that her heart was not
so seriously shattered as she fancied. Per-
haps, even he kissed her; but that is no
affair Of ours.
Whatever Jack may have done, this
much 1 know to be fact: when the ice in
the river thawed, Kitty did not throw her
self into the waters Of the Connecticut.
And when the blossomy May came round,
she blushed prettily because people called
her MRS. Burrough. "-Harper's Bazaar.
The Season Of the SOirea