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

There now, you're banging kat door
again, Miss Jenny; / declare to good
ness you children woul| worrit the
patience out of a saint."/
Oh, never mind, sally" said pant
ing, after race to get into the house
first-a race had won, for Lii and Cissy
were yards behind.
Never mind, indeedl" cried Sally,
g and there's your fine cousin coming
down to-day from London. / wonder
what she viii say when she sees YOU rae
ing about the meadow like so many
wild colts, and y1ur arms all brown and
scratched. and the hooks off your dress.
] 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
my bedside; and l know she did all
cooks work for six weeks as well as her
own, when poor cook had such a sad &C
cident and cut her hand.
We three-Lil, Cissy and had a
long discussion about cousin Kate and
little ragamuffins we should seem to her,
for Pm afraid we had been running
wild; though papa 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'll Learn lessons when it
rains"
I knew afterwards why this was
Papa had horrible nervous dread of
our growing up weak aud sickly, for his
was delicate family and | had heard
that our cousins We're often very Ill.
g can guess why cousin Kate's COM
ing to stay with Us" said Lii.
g kHolg why she's coming" l said.
It's because she's i'll" shouted Lii,
for fear | should show my knowledge
first.
Sally Will take her up new warm
milk and an egg in il before she gets out
of bed in the morning" said Cissy
solemnly; that VIII soon make her
we'll"
" 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-a tall, pale girl, with
sad, weary look in her face, asshe 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 a 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 a 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 a blighted flower, having been
crossed in a love affair with the house
keeper at a neighboring farm We girls
got to think of our cousins illness as a
kind of mystery connected in some way,
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 few words which | 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 TO the old garden
seat in the shade being as much now as
she could bear.
cousin Kate" l said, one day when
we were alone, Lii and Cissy having
rushs d off to get some flowers, I" 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 one-only onew and then as
if TO herself. in low whisper, she added,
and before he can come / shall be
dead-deadP'
She did not know I heard her last
words, and / sat chilled and frightened,
gazing at ner 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 threw myself on the grass at her
feet, so as to look up in her gentle face,
which had now become calm with its
weary look.
"Cousin Kate" said Lii, "tell us
another story"
g No, no,' 1 said, don't ask; she
isn't so well to-day"
:" Yes she said quietly, raising her
head and looking at me, " am better
to-day"
{" Tell us one. them" cried Cissy ca
gerly, lone you've never told us before"
There was silence for a few minutes.
andas | gszed up in Kate's 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 a time in the days of
long ago, when people were very, very
happy on this earth, there lived prince
who was young, and handsome, and
true. Nearly every one loved him, he
was so manly and yet so GENTLE"
And he loved beautiful princess"
put in Cissy.
| saw the spasm cross cousin Hates
face again, but it was calm directly
after, and she went on.
"No, DEAR" she said, she did not
love beautiful princess. but a poor