Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-25
NO. 1914.
Calls and Skftehss.
BOTH HER BOYS.
A STORY.
[Cont.nued from yesterday.l

her humor
You shall write and tell Archie of our
| engagement to-day, If you will" he said.
"But we're not engaged. I'm balanc-
ing the fors and againsts still. like you
| and love you, and like and love Archie,
too; he's just as dear to me as you are
We had better not be engaged; we'd
much better not think of marriage, Ru-
peit; let us go on as we were before, and
don't introduce complications"
81 can't go on as l did before; you've
grown too dear to me for that" the young
man said, earnestly. 1T must be one
thing or the other now, Kathleen; must
either 60 away and not see you again, or
you must promise to be my wife,"
You shall not 60 away, and won't
| quite give you the promise; yet / may,
| by-and-by, when I've thought about it
little more and got used to it,"
Don't trihe with me, don't lead me on
for nothing" he pleaded.
"Don't be dictatorial." she laughed;
"if am worth having, I'm worth waiting
| for" Then she changed her manner
abruptly, and said pleadiugly. "supposing
| say that it shall be as you wish in good
| time. will you do me little favor in re-
turnf"
My darling ask me anything, any
thing"
Its only little thing that l ask. Ru-
pert. Don't say anything about it to
mamma or any one yet; let it be our own
little secret; will you. dearp'
She held her rosy mouth toward him,
and was SO irresislibly coaxing that, as he
kissed and clasped her to him. he grant.
ed the little favor she prayed for, though
it was solely against the grain that he did
| it.
Everything must be as you like. my
| own Kathleen; but | don't like anything
underhand, | abhor secrecy, and to OBJ
serve it toward the dear mother, too !
We've always told her everything, you
know; don't let us begin deceving her
now. 1t will make her so happy to hear
it; let me tell the mother P"
| But Kathleen was resOlute. 1t must be
kept secret for time, for as long as she
liked. or she would have nothing to say
, to him And as he loved her so, he gave
in to her whim, though his judgment was
opposed to what he believed to be ''mo-
tiveless deception" And affairs were in
| the unsatisfactory state when Archie came
from the camp at the Currgh, on six weeks
| leave.
The maintenance of the secret involved
a great deal more restraint and circum-
spection than Rupert had contemplated,
when unadvisedly giving in to Kalhleen's
caprice. The fraternal relation had
ceased to exist; and on pain of her dis
pleasure, he dared not betray that other
ami more tender ones had been instituted.
Accordingly, certain reserve and stiff
ness characterized Rupert's bearing
toward his promised wife in public, and
the girl seemed to take a delight In teas
ing him, by being frigid toward him. and
almost demonstratively affectiOnate toward
Archie. ut was pretty little game"
she said; "quite as amusing as chess"
She would insist upon his praising her
acting powers; and TO please her-he was
slavishy in love-he would sometimes
profess to be entertained by the semi-sen-
limental Irritation which she carried on
openly with Archie.
But it's playing with fire, Kathleen"
he said to her, warningly, once or twice.
"Archie's susceptible fellow, and as he
is unconscious OF treachery toward me,
he may lose his head and place you in
dilemma by proposing to you; then it
must come out, and how could we face
him after selling him soP''
The cir, crimsoned as she listened to
her lover; but whether her emotion was
caused by anger or contrition he could
not divine.
81 will take that Archie doesn't make a
mistake, or lose either his head or his
heart to me. You have no confidence in
me, Rupert, no love for me, or you would
not hurt my feelings by hazarding such .
proposition"
Il more than love you." he answered
warmly; "but | love my brother too"
Then cease to wrong me by being
idly jealous of him." she said, coldly /;
and, for the first time since the existence
of their under standing, she left him an.
grily, and would not even give him the
parting kiss of peace he craved for.
1t added to his uneasiness this day, when
his mother always on the alert when her
boys were concerned-spoke to him about
his brother. HAS it struck you that Ar
chic is getting fond of Kathleen p she
began, and his whole frame trembled uu-
der the first shock of definite, realized
Jealousy, as he answered:
Il hope not fonder of her than he has
been all his lite, with all my heart and
SOUL
"But my dear boy, why so vehemently
opposed to the idea ? Even your father,
|
wears ago, long before troubled myself
with the though of love or marriage in
connection with either of you-even your
father seems well pleased enough now"
"Well pleased with what poor Rupert
asked in agony. Has it come to this, that
voh We talked about it-that there is any
thing to talk abuut-while l have been
kept in the daI ?"
IL can't help seeing that they are very
much attached TO each other; have not
spoken 10 either of them yet, but We ali
see how very much attached they are"
his mother replied.
Then Heaven help me-" Rupert said
in a tone of bitter misery. throwing him.
self down on the sofa beside his mother.
"Molher. you may as well know now
There's deception all around; she has
promised to marry me, pretended that
She loves me Good heavens! how can
such an arch-traitress have grown up in
your pure. truthful atmosphereP"
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