Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1878-02-02


walked lnto The kitchen, while behind
hin, seit-couGdrnt and smiling. walked
.jr. lack Burroughs. Trembling all
I.ef. nifty rose up from her seat and
thanked the twilight which hid her
f.e.
Where's your Aunt Mar;a?" in
,1ired Uncle RsnGo'pb Jack has
come over &c eat srnper with US.
Why don't voa livbt up!'
Here's n'at.' ~ Jack, and
re held Oh: bis hap'
"AInt unrI: Is stairs" answered
Kitty, adjr,s.;ag i."Srlf to her Tn
lie, AMI p.y.nc ~ uert 10 Mr. Bur-
;oagbs' rro6ered ma'cu. EN- 60 and
Gail her," And Wilt this the young
lady beat p TASTY retreat.
''Thu, Joseph Marshall IS n scoun-
drsl uno o mel" resumed Uncle Ran
doph, as he took DOVE 'ha Kerosene
Ianp fom the maa,Ie.n'ece. I'D
like TO kIcA him and 'be whole tribe of
Marshalls pnonp with Inn !"
It's pretty numerous tribe" Oh
served Jock, good hnmorediy. Let
me nelp you put on that chimney"
While Jack adjusted the lamp. Miss
Martha. who never found lime to
dress up. as she expressed it. until late
in tie afternoon, entered The room.
Miss Martha was a capital housekeep-
ar. Moreover, she was What the
New Englander calls smart" and
the EDglisbman CLEVER" And she
was what the world, in diverse
tongues and dialects, calls eccentric"
Perhaps one Of her NEST noticeable
eccenlricities was that of mixing the
names Of the members Of her own
household. Tom Turner was called
Randolph" quite as often as he was
"Tom," and Kitty answered promptly
when addressed a. Nancy" albeit the
old Nancy in the family had married
a dozen years before, and was now
living in Oregon. Jack Burroughs
had long before grown familiar with
this peculiari Y. 30 that when Miss
Martha entered the kitchen. and said,
lis that you, William 2" Jack respou-
ded cbeerily, ut is"
well, rm proper glad to see YOU"
exclaimed Miss Martha. at seems
an age since you've been INSIDE tie
house. Take off your great coat and
come into the sitling-rrOm and get
warm. HOw's Lydia and the folks p
Jack gave a satisfactory account of
the health of the Burroughs family,
and Miss Martha then withdrew to
look after the supper
Meanwhile Kitty. who bad rushed
to her own room, with fuce flushed.
hands trembling. and osom bcaving,
had donned her best alpaca aud com-
bed out The snarls in her nut brown
hair. which was hers by growth aud
not by purchase. Not that she did il
10 honor of Jack Burroughs. BY DO
means. She would have done it for
any body-anybody who was going to
stay 10 supper. She tried to convince
teIself that it was not because Of
Jack that her face flushed and her
hands trembled. What was Jack to
her now? lad be not sent back her
letters and picture. and kept away
from Ger a whole month? And was
she no, heart-broken maiden, resol-
we'd to die as soon as the ice in the
Connecticut river melted !? These
{ oughts whirled through her brain aud
she fastened bit Of white lace a, her
tbroat-lace which Aunt Charity had
once worn, when knitting was not her
sole aiin 10 life-and took u final peep
ut her pretty self in the double Sec
TONED mirror. That peep must have
been eminently satisfactory. At oil
events it made her conscious Of her
beauty. and caused her to forget the
terrible letter lyiug between The pages
Of the dictionary down stairs.
Wien Kitty went into the sitting.
room to announce that Supper was
ready" she saluied jack with a chill
ling poliieness. and addressed him as
"Mr. Burroughs" That ought to
have stabbed the young man to the
heart. But it didn't. He looked
very grave. TO be sure, and called her
miss Gibsor." but there was the old
roguish twinkle in his grey eyes. and
Kitty detected u once that. under his
assumed gayety. there was q desire.
restrained only by continual rxer,ion.
to burst out laughing Naturally this
vexed tho young lady to q degree
where tears would have been a relief
lfwas not enough. then. tina, the
wicked, deceitful, cruel Jack should
mako play,hirg of her heart, but be
must exult over bis airOcious conduct,
Kitty could have cried with relish,
hut she remembers her letter and her
resolution to die. and so. in lieu Of
tears, she drew solace from that grim
thought.
At the supper table Jack was un-
usually talkaiive. He cOmplimen'ed
Miss Martha upon the excellence of
4 a 4 a L. ed 10