Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-05
KITTY THRONES DUTY.


turned her sister.
'.But what alternative is open to us2
Shall we allow Tom to come to grief?"
s'Tom richly deserves all the grief that
will fall to his share, poor fellow! Such
a schemer! Expected to make fortune
for us all forsooth, that we might fiaunt
in our vclvcts, drive our span, and tare
sumptuousiy every day! One dollar for
us and two for himself, reckon. What
should such boy know about speculation!
It's the old story over and over. Specu-
Iating with other peoples money is lit
tie indiscreet, to say the least. should
have chosen sackcloth and ashes rather
than velvets won by such means"
ssCertainly But now that Tom is in
volved, nothing but money will extricate
him. There's my watch, the heirloom
from Grandma Pentecost; there are fifty
damon DIS bedded in the case. if there's
one
''Rose diamonds, every spark of them
s'Not to mention the pearls and en-
eralds
sDoubIets and split pearls, dare say
s'You are so discouraging, Liddy! We
must have the money. I don't suppose
that the watch would bring tenth of
the sum, but it would help. Dear! dear!
there's Hannah de Rothschild with two
millions of income, while you and /
cant raise five thousand dollars though
we should break our hearts-not even to
save an old and honorable name from
contempt, and foolish young fellow
from ruin. Alasi alas!''
''You know, Htty, 1t might have been
different" suggested Liddy, her eyes
wandering tcward the old fashioned square
mansion crowning the hill with in sight,
with its fringe Of elms and its spicy or
chards beyond, "You might have had
enough and to spare, Hitty- enough to
keep Tom out Of temptation"
"And it scas a temptation to poor Tom,
no doubt" returned llitty ignoring the
allusion, seeing SO much money lying
idle, and such chance for doubling it
over, as he fondly believed"
'Pshaw! a Thorne had no business to
be tempted. Was our grandfather tempt
ed at the time Of the embargo, when he
couid kave had false papers made out,
as everybody was doing: and saved his
fortune, and left US all independent? If
we mortgage The place, it won't bring five
thousand dollars; and who could we call
upon to take the mortgage, and what
should we do afterward-live in tent,
gypsy style? Oh, Kitty, if only you hadn't
been SO headstrong about Searle, all this
would have been spared us?"
''Don't speak Of it, Liddy; it hurts me
still. How could know what would be
bcst?" and Miss Hitty, pacing the long
room with head bent, paused at the case
mcnt, an ! saw the sunset reddening upon
Scarlc Hill, and touching the window
panes into jewelry. The twenty years Of
happiness which might have fallen to her
share up yondrr had proved twenty years
OF silent endurance merely. She had
watched the seasons as they passed over
the hill with an interest which she had
hoped would die, but which had only
strengthened with the years-the lovely
dallying Of the spring time, the summers
overflow of bloom, the splenGor that
autumn wears, the white magnificence
borrowed from winter.
If, twenty years ago, Hitty had loved
Arson Scarle well enough to die for him,
if need be, she had loved little Tom well
enough to renounce happiness and chill
dren and love for his sake, and to live on
throug the barren, hopeless days witho,
murmer. Tom had come to her arms
torlorn and helpless two-year-oid ba-
by, without father or mother, when
Kitty was eighteen, and her love had
grown with her growth and strengthened
with her strength. Toms mother had
eloped with her music-master, and had
broken her fathers heart; and when the
old gentleman died, he had left a re-
spectacle fortune, the interest for the
benefit Of his two living daughters, the
principal falling to their children; and
only in case Liddy and Hitty died with
ont leaving direct heirs could anything
more than the mcrest tritle revert to
poor little Tom. Hitty had been engaged
to Arson Searle year when old Mr..
Thorn shuflled off the mortal coil and
this unjust will came to light, and Searle
himself was at that time only young
lawyer wrestling with circumstances.
with no great amount of funds at his
command
Sand nothing for little Tom but this
paltry hundred dollars!" groaned Hitty,
when the will had been read and the
estate administered.
'Of course shall never marry, said
Liddy, who was plain and cld-looking for
her years, and whose love had Tilted her
years ago, when the bloom Of youth, at
least, had been hers. There wasn't the
smallest danger that Liddy would threat
en- Toms interests by marrying.
No, you may never marry, Liddy,"
sighed her sister; but IL love Arson,
and OH love little Tom too-ny little
motherless Tom! l cannot rob him of
his patrimony, and I cannot live without
Arson. How can wrong Tom to pleas
ure myself? What will he have to 90
out into this hard world with, if If y
Hush, you silly girl; lie will have his
head and hands, like other men; and
then--you may never have any children
to stand in his way"
But how unhappy it would make me
to see them enriched at his expense; to
see him earning his bread by the sweat
OF MS brow, while they faired like the
lilies of the field; to have Tom envy and
perhaps hate them, and feel bitter that lie
had been rendered so much easier for
them by lnjustice!'
"Perhaps they would share with Tom. !"