The Lake County star., 1877-06-14


as II to hersslf In a low whisper, sh,
added, land before he can come L shal
be dead-dead Y" sN'4 ..fiVt ~
She did not know heard her las
words, and j sat chilled and frlghten
ed, gazing at her Till my sisters came
back. when, as we frequently did, WI
sat down about her; LII got upon th'
seat, Cissy sat on the grass with he
head against one OF Kates hands
which hung listlessly from the corne
where she leaned, and threw mysel
on the grass ut her feet, SO as to lOoh
up In her gentle face. which had now
becOme calm, with Its old weary look
"Cousin Kate" said LII, "teli us an
other story"
"No, No." I said. "don't ask she
isn't 30 well to-day" ss - ~
"Yes,"e she said quietly, raising hel
head and looking at me, II am better
@Teil us one, then" cried Cissy
eagerly, lone you've never told US be
| fore." eifs 1Vft
There was silence then for few
minutes, and as gaxed up into Kate's
face I 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 around us,
and the twittering ofthe birds coming
now and again from the distance, she
said In a low, sweet, musical voice
"Once upon q time In the days of
long ago. when people were very, very
happy on this earth, there lived q
prince who was young and handsome,
and true. Nearly every one loved him,
he was 80 manly, and yet so gentle" !"
And he loved abeautiful princess,
put In Cissy. eH
1 saw the spasm cross Cousin Kate's
face again, but IL was calm directly
after, and she went on.
No dear" she said, she did not
love beautiful princess, but q poor,
simple girl, who loved him, too, with
all her heart, and they were $3.50
happy. When the flowers bl0ssOmed,
they seemed to blossom only for them,
and the birds sang their sweetest songs
for them In the sunshine"
p "Yee, and they were married, and
LIVED live happy ever AFTER" cried Cissy.
There was once more that piteous
look upon Cousin Kate's face, seen
only by me; but 1t passed off, and she
went on.
"No, Cissy. they were not; for the
poor, handsome young prince had
enemiss-cruel, bitter enemies--whO
slandered him, and said that he made
false keys, and opened the treasury
chests Of great man, and stole away
his gold and precious stones"
"Oh {" whispered Cissy. now deeply
interested.
"And." continued Kate, "they took
the poor prince, and there was great
trial, and though he declared he was
innocent, the wicked people who SLAM
dered him and bore false witness
against him, prevailed and the great
Judge said that he was to be cast into
prison, and wear heavy chains, and be
kept there for twenty-one long years.
"Ohj" cried Lii. 49,. ~ II
"Yes," said Cissy, II know" and
then the simple young girl who loved
him, went and unlocked the prison
gates, and struck off his chains and
set him free" y
Z .'No-no," cried Cousin Kate, and
her voice altered terribly, SO that was
alarmed, though i could do nothing
but gaze up In the wild face before me,
for now q change came over it. mo-"
she cried, "the poor girl could do
nothing but sit and weep, and feel her
broken heart beat-beat-beat, in its
own prison, wearing itself out till-till
she died, and-O Frank Frank! what
have we done that we should suffer
this ?' H
leaped up to throw my arms around
her, while my sisters shrank away
alarmed for cousin Kate turned from
us with bitter wall, buried her face
In her hands, and threw herself half
over the arm of the old garden-seat,
in q wild, hysterical way, such
as / had never seen. kate, dear
cousin Kate" sobbed; but even as /
spoke there was q hasty step on the
gravel, the bushes were dashed aside,
and the shadow Of a tall man was cast
over US. A
"Kate-darling!" I" he cried, catching
her In his arms, as / was thrust rudely
aside, am innocent ana Free"
She did not hear him, for she gave q
faint gasp and sank back insensible.
We three girls were almost stunned;
but we saw the tall. thin, paie-iooking
stranger hastily lift poor Kate from
the seat, and literally run with her
to the house, while we followed more
slowly. ~. GE
AS we reached the porch It was to
meet papa running out, and In q short
time he returned with the doctor. But
this doctor was the wrong one the
right one had come to US at the garden
seat, and it was his words that brought
dear cousin Kate back to life, and in
the course of q few months to health.
For Frank Roberts was reinstated in
the government offices from which he
fell-in higher post, one which gave
him the confidence of the higher off,
cials while the man through whose
treachery poor Frank had suffered
year and q half before died confessing
that he had been the guilty party
alone. i.ir
Oh! those happy days when the
roses were coming back day by day
into cousin Kate's cheek, and when
Frank, who was down at the old place
every Saturday to stay till Sunday,
used to be sent to rOmp and play with
us girls. can hardly believe that
thirty years have glided by since then,
but SO It Is; and to this day we call
dear old grey whiskered Frank
''Kate's Prince.n
In most places "a stones throw"
q five minutes walk, etc., are used for
for short distances In Du-
,uque, however, they speak Of place
ls being "within the bawl of mule"