The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-02-15

sary OF an event in her life which she wanted
to forg>t This day, four year. ago she had
refused to become the wife of one whom she
had loved from her childhood. Loving him
~ she did she had strength to refuse him, m
less he should try to live one year AS became q
man to shun the dissoiu,c companions who
had well nigh proved his ruin already, 10 Al
stain rom all ntoxicants, &c.
Guy Deering was a-tounded! Was this the
gentle girl who had always been so dear to
him. Did she really mean tY One look con.
WINGED him that she was in earnest and in q
moment pride and anger filled his breast
We'll, Miss Kate, you have chosen. When
| marry, want u r0n,dR not u saint, such MS
| see you are trying to be. You are on pre-
baton in the church. but III not be in your
books in that character, and without word
more he was gone
Did Kate NOPE and pine or take brain few
er? No, indeed She was a sensible girl OF
eighteen, and knew that though her heart
nigh, ache, there was plenty Of work for herto
do, and in work forgetfulness, to agreat extent,
Being an orphan, and living in the family OF
an elder sister, she had hailed with delight the
advent of the little Charlie, and ut once became
the mos, devoted Of aunts. But after her trou
BILE with Guy, her devotion to the tiny nephew
seemed to increase, il such thing were posi-.
bic
Time sped on, and rarely did Kate allow
herself to think Of what might have been"
Upon the first Valentine day after the crisis
~ she termed it to herself, she was in deep
distress. Baby Charlie was i'll, and in her anx
iety for him, the day passed UNDECIDED.
Another wear, and the announcement Of Guy
behring's marriage met her eye. She knew
the bride-knew her to be q frivolous little
beautv and if she had ever cherished slight
hope of Guys reform and return TO her it died
out on that day
1t was very hard to meet the inquiring
chances directed toward her by many Of her
friends, when speaking ofthe brilliant match
Guy had made. In spite OF his wild ways, he
was a general tavorite. His sudden departure
from Brookston two years before had caused
much surprise. 1t vas enough to keep the
gossips supplied with the delicate work of
finding OUT for long time, and Kate was
interviewed" in a roundabout way, invited to
cuttings, tea-partles &c, but they failed to
learn any thing from her.
Down from EikerTon came Guy, with his
pretty bride, to spend few days IN the home
of his boyhood They attended worship in the
old church where Guy had been chrlstened, and
from which both his parents haG been carried
to their last resting places.
From her seat in the choir, Kate could plain
w see them and she tried to be excused from
singing. Her clear soprano could net be dis
pensed with, however, and 1t was just the least
bit trcmulous at first, but she gained a victory
over her voice and herself that day. AT the
close of service, she extended her hand TO the
young couple with congratulations, in man
ner that seemed to say she had forgotten. Guy
telt hurt. Wda.Iike, of course he was at liberty
to forget, but his faith in woman's consistency
was shaken. Had she not admitted that she
loved him, and always Toul2? Had Kate
looked thin and pale, and sighed deeply-a Ia
novel heroincs-he would have felt a twinge
of remorse But here she was, blooming as
rose with Il CHEEKY smile for him, as well as
the rest with whom she spoke, and he congrat-
ulated himself upon his escape from woman
with 80 little heart. Oh, if he had known the
truth! Kate hdd heart, large, warm and true
anG so human as to cling tenaciously to the
memory of her one love. She was christian
and if in her prayers Guys name was not pro-
nounced, she remembered him nevertheless,
and now was added the name of his wife.
The visitors soon returned to Elkerton to
settle down" and the monotony of Hates life
was unbroken up to the time of Charities close
questions.
How the little lad knew enough to inquire
about valentine for her, seemed a puzzle to
his aunt She did not know that he had been
told only the day before that Il "splendid val
entine had been bought, purpose for Aunt
Kate" but he mustn't teH.-The splendid val
enune" fell into the wrong hands-was inter
ceptcd in tact-but the sender would have gain
cd nothing in Hates esteem had she received
1t. Friend Charlie was determined to stay
awake, and see if 1t would not come yet. He
did not know just what "A valentine meant, but
he was one of the kind that learn more from
observation than asking questions. Just then
his father and mother came in and Kate got a
lamp. She took care to sit with her back to
it, for she knew her face would prove tell
tale In less than ten minutes ting-a-ling!
went the door sell.
There" said Charlie, 81 guess It's the valen-
tine, and running after his aunt TO the door,
and taking a peep at the "big boy" who
stood there, he ran back saying, Mamma, It's
a big boy with white bundle" and, full of
curiosity that lady went into the hall. There
she saw Kate with the bundle IN her arms,
speaking excitedy to the boy, while her cheeks
had becomc rs white rs the bundle"