Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-03-01
Obviously, Kitty and Jack had quar-

fully intended to play life's game, ant
make all the points desirable. That, a
least, had been her intention a montl
before. But now-now, alas she haC
turned him down. The mustard SEED
from which had sprung this many
branched tree of misery had taken root
at Helen Clapp's party. Indeed,
Helen herself might be termed the seed.
With Helen Jack had danced. the open
ing reel, which everybody knew was q
shocking breach of etiquette. He ought
to have danced it with Kitty, with his
affianced bride. Like the spirited young
woman she was, Kitty Gibson punished
her lover by accepting an invitation to
supper from Cyrus Phelps. Jack was
dumfounded at this behavior, while
Kitty enjoyed her triumph, and ate her
ice-cream demurely. 1t is to be con-
fessed that Cyrus Phelps was not the
most agreeable of companions; that his
range of conversation was limited to the
weather and to the condition of the
roads and that, whenever he attempted
to strike out into broader fields, he lost
himself completely in the marshes of
grammar and the pitfalls of language.
Kitty did not care for this, however.
She was Watching ont of the corners of
her bright eyes, and, with a CLEAN of
wicked satisfaction, the forlorn face of
Jack Burroughs and she accepted
Cyrus, with his plural subjects and
singular verbs, as a necessary adjunct to
the infiiction of her righteous punish
ment. When the hour for going home
arrived, Kitty, bundled in shawls and
frrro {<s<,t hor 1sx-v va.E'e ell 10 ba
cutter, but said never a word.
Perhaps you would have preferred
Cyrus Phelps company to mine, re-
marked the young man, when they had
ridden a mile without speaking.
"And no doubt you would be very
much happier if Helen Clapp was sitting
at your side, rejoined Kitty.
"G'lang - said Jack, touching the
fanks of his horse with the whip.
This was the first instance ON record
where Jack Burroughs had sought to get
over ground rapidly with Kitty Gibson
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 her.
self to sleep that night, Jack Bur
roughs was profoundly ignorant of the
fact
This, then, was the little seed which
bad grown into tree of misery mustard
like in proportions.
On the very next day Kitty had writ
ten a note to Jack, beginning "Mr
Burroughs" 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 method of suicide. Her
cogitation eliminated, as we have seen,
in final resolve to throw herself into the
Connecticut river-just 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 engage
ment, he must surely have seen that
something was wrong with Kitty. As it
was, however, Uncle Randolph was not
qnick to detect anything, except, per-
haps, opinions differing from his own.
A man of political, religious, social, or
moral beliefs antagonistic in any way to
the political, religious, social, or moral
beliefs of Uncle Randolph was held by
the latter 10 be rascal. Nor would the
minor virtues of honesty, integrity, and
industry IN any manner mitigate the ulti-
mate conclusion, or compensate for the
fatal differences. Uncle Randolph held
it to be truth as self-evident as any of
those set forth in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence that man who supported
Thisism end not Thatism was a knave.
And yet Uncle Randolph was a very good
man at heart, as was abundantly shown
by his acts. He talked like terrible
bigot, yet he did all things III spirit of
broad catholicity. He had denounced the
unfortunate father of Kitty Gibson as a
worthless scamp Chiefly because he was
a Thisist), 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. Be
sides himself and his pretty niece, Uncle
Randolph's household included his
l.
memory stretched back through the mists
of eighty years, and Tom Turner, a 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 him.
self chiefly to protracted and heated dis
cussions in Hiram Griswold's store ; old
Aunt Charity spent all her time in knit
ting; Miss Martha kept her mind fixed
upon the household duties; while Tom
Turner'S mind, such as it was, drew nour-
ishment principally from the writings of
Sylvanus Cobb, Jun. Thus severally
occupied, 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 quarreled with her lover, 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. Taking this sensible view
of the matter, Uncle Randolph continued
his discussions, Miss Martha her scrub
bing, 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, fol-
lowed very closely in the accustomed
grooves of life, and ate her three meals a
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 letter,
wherein forgiveness should be extended
to all her enemies, and an appeal made
10 her friends not to mourn her loss.
- will write that letter now" thought
she To herself, pouring the water into the
tea-kettle.
Anu thereupon, as a proper prelimi-
nary tn Ill epistolorv effort Z,ttv t.~..<-lA A