The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-09-13
OUR STORY TELLER.
KATE'S PRINCE.

There now, you're banging that door
again, Miss Jenny; l declare to good
ness YOU children would worrit the (
patience out of a saint"
:" Oh, never mind, Sally" | said pant
ing, after race to get into the house
first-a race l had won, for Lii and Cissy
were yards behind.
Never mind. indeedp' cried Sally,
g and there's your fine cousin coming
down to-day from London. l wonder
what she viii say when she sees you rae
ing about the meadow ike so many
wild colts, and ur arms all brown and
scratched. and the hooks off your dress.
7 never see such children, never"
Sally was our housemaid, parlor-maid,
and nurse-maid all in one; and it used
TO seem to me that she spent all her leis-
ure time in quarreling with the cook
and snubbing us but or all that, one of
my principal recOllections, during the
fever / had so long, was waking at all
times to see Sally's red face watching by
nv bedside and | know she did all
cooks work for six weeks as well as her
own, when poor cook had such a sad ac-
eident and cut her hand.
We three-Ln, Cissy and had n
long discussion about cousin Kate and
her visit; and we all felt what dreadful
little ragamuffins we should seem to her,
for I'm afraid we had been running
wild; though p pa only used TO laugh
about IT, and would come into the school
room when mamma was busy with Us
over our lessons, whenever it was fine
morning, and cry, Now then, girls,
the sun shines and the birds are calling.
Out with you! Learn lessons when it
rains"
I knew afterwards why this was.
Papa had horrible nervous dread of
our growing up weak and 'sickly, for his
was delicate family; and | had heard
that our cousins were often very i'll.
g / can guess why cousin Hates com
ing TO stay with us, said Lii.
Z" kn0lo why she's coming" l said.
" It's because she's i'll" shouted Lii
for fear l should show my knowledge
first.
"Sally will take her up new warm
bed IN tie m6rhYS fSF @ ss get ee. ,1t
soIemnly; that will soon make her
well"
{" She shall have all the eggs Speckle
lays" said Lii, and Jenny will take
her every morning to the old garden-seat
under the trees. She's sure to get well
there"
And so we did, for cousin Kate came
that afternoon tall, pale girl, with
sad, weary look in her face, as she gazed
wistfully from one to the other.
We three girls stood back, quite in
awe of the well-dressed, fashionable
looking body, who was so different from
what We had expected, while mamma
went up to welcome her, and took her in
her arms in tender affectionate way.
saying: -" My dear child, we are so glad
to see you"
Cousin Kate threw her arms round
mammals neck and burst into fit of
sobbing, hiding her face from our sight.
We did not see any more of her that
day but our young interest was deeply
excited, and somehow, perhaps, fostered
by dark hints dropped by Sally, who
was blighted flower, having been
crossed in love affair with the house
keeper at a neighboring farml We girls
got TO think of our Cousins illness as
kind of mystery connected in some wav.
how we did not know, with the heart.
Our awe of the sweet gentle cousin fell
off the very next day, when we took pos
session Of her, and led her round our
dear old country home, with its wilder
ness of an orchard, great garden shrub
berries and pleasant meadow.
This desire to show her attention came
natural to US; but on my part it was in
creased by a few words which I heard
pass between papa and mamma. mamma
saying that she did not think poor
Kate would ever grow strong again. but
slowly wither away.
She had come to US in the spring, and
the months flew by till it was the height
of summer; and many and many night
had | turned my face to the wall, and
cried silently till my pillow was wet
For knew SO well that Kate was weaker,
much weaker than when she came. a
walk across the lawn 20 the old garden
seat IN the shade being as much now as
she could bear
Cousin Kate" / said, one day when
we were alone, Lii and Cissy having
rushed off to get some flowers, couldn't
any doctor make you wei? %
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 one-only onei' and then as
II TO herself. in low whisper, she added
. snd before he can come I shall he
dead-deadp'
she did not know l heard her last /
words, and l sat chilled and frightened /
gazing at her till my sisters came hack I
when, as-we frequently did, we sat down
ABOUT her; Lii got upon the seat. Cissv 1
sat on tlle grass With her HEAD against
enc OF Hates hands, which hung list.
lessiy from the corner where she leaned
ana thfew myself on the grass iat her
ieet. SO as to look up in her gentle face,
winch bad now become calm with its
weary look. 10
Cousin Kate" said Lii, "telI us
another story"
isn't SO well today sue
-, IS, she said quietly, raising her
to-day" oa.l "e''er
!. :. Tell us one, then" cried Cissv 90
serly, Zone you've never told us before ;, .
There was silence for few minntes
midas | gazed up in Kate's face I saw
Ter eyes close, and sort of spasm twitcb
Ter lips; but the next minute she was f
Iulte calm, and then with the leaves d
round us, and the twitterino b
I the birds coming now and again from t
he distance, she said in a low. sweet Q
nusical voice: 2
: Once upon a time in the days of Il
1ng ago, when people were very. very b
Apply ON this earth, there lived a prince t.
no was young, and handsome. and Ii
'ue. Nearly every one loved him. he t,
rs so manly and yet so GENTLE 81
" And he loved a beautiful princess %
1t in Cissy. 3
saw the spasm cross cousin Kate's
ce again, but it was calm directly
Ter, and she went on. f.
No, DEAR she said, she did not "
We a beautiful princess, but poor 50