The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-07-12


with veneration, gazing in her soft,
sweet face and wistful eyes, wondering
why she was SO i'll, and what was the
great sorrow that had come upon her
like blight upon one of the roses
round our porch. A ID
Cousin Kate came to us in the spring, |
and the months flew. by till it was the
height of summer and many and many
a night had I turned my race to the wall,
so that Lii should not know, and cried
silently till my pillow was wet. For I
knew so we'll that Kate was weaker,
much weaker than when she came a
walk across the lawn to the old garden
seat in the shade being as much now as
she could bear. F3Ig h i
"Cousin Kate" I said, one day when
we were alone, Lii and Cissy having
rushed off to getsom flowers. Couldn't
any doctor make you well
She looked at me with wild, strange
gaze which almost startled me before she
replied, and then in a way that made my
heart beat she sobbed out:
"Only ne-only one p and then, as
if to herself, in low whisper, she added,
and before he can come I shall be dead
dead p
She did not know I heard her last
words, and I 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 Kate's hands, which hung list
lessly from the corner where she leaned,
and T threw myself on the grass at her
feet, SO as to look up in her gentle face,
which had now become calm with it's old,
weary look.
"Gousin Kate, " said lii, "tell US an
other story"
ono, no, Isaid, ''don't ask; she isn't
so well to-day" tr M 8
eyes, she said, quietly, raising her
head and looking at me, " I am better
to-day"
"Tell us one, then" cried Cissy,
eagerly, ''one you've never told lis be-
fore"
There was silence then for few min
utes, and as [ gazed up in Hates face !
saw her eyes close and 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 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 a beautiful princess, )"
pint in Cissy.
saw the spasm cross Cousin Hates
face again, but it was calm directly after,
and she went on. a NtGH
"No, DEAR" she said, she did not
love beautiful princess, but. poor,
simple girl who loved him, too, with all
her heart, and they were SO, so happy.
When the flowers blossomed they seemed
to blossom only for them, and the birds
sang their sweetest songs for them in the
sunshine
eyes, and they were married and
lived happy ever AFTER" cried Gssy.
There was once more that piteous look
upon Cousin Kates face, seen only by
me; but it passed off, and she went on.
Ono, Cissy, they were not. for the
poor, handsome young prince had enc
mies-cruel, bitter enemies-who slen-
dered him and said that he had made
false keys, and opened the treasure-chest
of great man, and stolen away his gold
and precious stones.''
"Oh!" whispered Cissy, now deeply
interested.
"And," continued Kate, 'they took
the poor prince, and there was a great
trial, and, though he declared he was in
nocent, the wicked people VINO slandered
him and bore false witness against him
prevailed; and the great Judge said he
was to be cast into prison, and wear heavy
chains, and be kept there for twenty one
long years.
"Oh!" cried lii. .-
eyes," said Cissy, ct know, and then
the simple young girl, who loved him,
went and unlocked the prison gates. and
struck off his chains and set Linn free. D
Mono, cried Cousin Kate, and her
voice altered terribly, so that I was
alarmed, though 1 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
beat-beat- beat, in it's own prison, wear
ing itself out till-till she died, and
Oh, Frank! Frank what have we done
that we should suffer this?'
[ leaped up to throw my arms round
her, while my sisters shrank away
alarmed; for cousin Kate turned from us
with a bitter vail, buried her face in her
hands, and threw herself half over the
arm Of the old garden seat, sobbing
in wild, hysterical wall, such as had
never seen. "Kate, dear Cousin Kate, ;"
| sobbed; but even as I spoke there was
a hasty step on the gravel, the bushes
were dashed aside, and the shadow of
tall man was cast over us.
Kate-darllng!" he cried, catching
her in his arms, as I was thrust r17delv