Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-08-08

marked the young man, when they had
ridden a mile without speaking. =
"And no doubt-you would be ery
much happier if Helen Clapp was Sit
ting at your side,' rejoined Kitty.
"G'lang :" said Jack, touching the
TANKS ofhis horse with the whip.
That was the first instance on record
where Jack Burroughs had sought to
get over ground rapidly with Kitty Glib
son in the cutter at his side, and the
stars twinkling overhead.
When the sleigh drew up IN front OF
Uncle Randolph's gate, Jack, holding
the reins in one hand, helped Kitty to
alight. His face was very stern and
grave.
Goodnight" said he. And with
that, for the first time since their en-
gagement, Jack drove off without kiss
ing the red lips which he had right to
kiss.
If the red lips pouted, or possibly
quivered, there was no one present to
see. And if the owner of those red
lips, so cruelty neglected cried herself
to sleep that night, Jack Burroughs was
profoundly ignorant ofthe fact.
This, then, was the little seed which
had grown into a tree of misery, mus
tard-ike in proportion.
On the very next day Kitty had writ
ten a note to Jack, beginning s'Mr.
Burroughs, F" requesting the immediate
return of her letters and picture, and
signed; Respectfully yours, Kate Glib
son." When lovers fall into such
strait-laced formalities of expression as
these, what is to be expected? Jack
sent back the letters and picture and
from the moment of their receipt Kitty
began to mediate upon the simplest
and most agreeable methods Of suicide.
Her cogitations eliminated, as we have
seen. in a final resolve to throw herself
into the Connecticut river-iust as soon
as the ice melted.
Had Uncle Randolph been man
quick to detect the exterior evidences
Of broken heart. or even Of a broken
engagement, he must surely have seen
that something was wrong with Kitty.
As it was. however, Uncle Randolph
was not quick to detect anything, eX-
cept, perhaps, opinions differing from
his own. A man of political, religious,
social. or moral beliefs antagonistic in
any way to Uncle Randolph was held
by the latter to be a rascal. Uncle
Randolph held it to be a truth as self
evident as any of those set forth in the
Declaration Independence that man
who supported Thlsism and not Thatism
was knave. And yet Uncle Randolph
was very good man at heart, as was
abundantly shown by his acts. He
talked like blgot, yet he did all things
in spirit Of broad catholicity. He had
denounced the unfortunate father Of
Kitty Gibson as worthless scamp
Chiefly because he was Thisest), and
yet, when this worthless scamp came
to die, he took Kitty to his own home,
and cared for her as tenderly as though
she had been his child. Besides him.
self and his pretty niece, Uncle Ran
dolph's house hold included his maiden
sister Martha. his aunt, whose memory
stretched back through the mlsts Of
eighty years, and Tom Turner, dis
tant twig Of the family trunk, who
never troubled himself to find out why
it was that he came to be numbered
among the family. Uncle Randolph
devoted himself chiefly to protracted and
heated discussion in Hiram Griswold's
store old Aunt Charity spent all her
time in knitting; Miss Martha kept her
mind fixed upon the household duties !;
while Tom Turner's mind, such as it
was, drew nourishment principally from
the fiction-writers. Thus severaily oc-
cupied, none of the members of the
family had found time to discover that
Kitty's heart was broken. 1t was
known, in a vague sort Of way, that the
young lady had quarrelled with her low
er, and that Jack Burroughs had not
visited the house for month; but then
young ladies were always quarreling
with their lovers, and no doubt Jack
would turn up again in good time. TAX
ing this sensible view of the matter,
Uncle Randolph continued his discus
sions, Miss Martha her scrubblng, Aunt
Charity her knitting and Tom Turner
his regular doses of peppery literature.
And it is to be added that even Kitty
herself, Influenced, no doubt, by the
course OF those about her, followed very
closely in the accustomed grooves of
life, and ate her three meals day with
tolerable relish. Yet she had fully
made up her mind to die.
Like all well-conducted heroines who
drown themselves, Kitty determined to
leave behind her touching little let
ter, wherein forgiveness should be ex-
tended to all her enemies, and an ap-
peal made to her friends not to mourn
her loss.
II will write that letter now,"
thought she to herself, pouring the wa
ter into the tea-kettle.
And thereupon, as proper prelimin-
airy to all epistolary effort, Kitty brought
out the dictionary, sheet Of paper and
a lead pencil, and sat down to bid the
world final farewell. The date was
left blank, to be inserted when the sun
should thaw the ice on the river. The
early winter twilight was deepening in
to darkness, and the kettle was singing
on the stove, when Kitty finished her
a.. -, 4xro oc4Lo haul r,o,,lo -,