The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-02

Letitia came forward and took one Of
the good wOman's strong brown hands
holding it tight between her ovn, and
looking up with eyes that might have
softened milestone.
"My DEAR" said the farmers wife, ten,
derly, "do just consider what foolish
thing you are doing. Leaving your
home and everything just beeanse a
handsome young gentleman asks you
There amt one among them, my dear,
that's worth it. If | was to do my duty
| should just have the horse put in, and
have the matter to drive you back home
this minute. Inever heard such mad.
ness in my life. As for you, sir, you
ought to be ashamed of yourself. Pray
how do you expect me to help your
Perhaps your friendliness made me
expect too much" said Crosby. "But
since l received this lady just now at the
garden-gate, have thought that you
persuade your husband to lend me his
gig and that strong horse l admire so
highly. Then should drive to London,
where discovery is almost impossible. It
also seemed to me likely that you would
allow your daughter to accompany US. !
would see her safe return"
At these demands Mrs. Pratt lost pa
tience, and observed very sharply that
gentle folks thought that the world was
made for them. She begged the Captain
to give her no more of his nonsense. She
would not listen to another word. Kitty
go with them, indeedl Kitty was a re-
spectacle young woman, who had never
been to London in her life, and never
should 60 TO such a wicked place with
her mothers good will.
AT the end of all this, which sounded
rather hopeless, Letitia sank into chair
and hid her face in her hands. Captain
Crosby frowned as he stood beside her.
care you ill, dear MADAME said Kit
ty, going up to Letitia.
Yes. am very tired and miserable"
sighed Letitia.
"B'ess her dear heart, dare say she
is" said Mrs. Pratt, all her natural kind
ness returning. "Come, then, my pretty
one, go upstairs and rest in Kitty's room
for while. Then you shall go quietly
home. They're all wild after you al
ready"
81 shall never 60 home," said Letitia.
"Well, anyhow, go and rest yourself a
bit. You're that excited you don't know
what you're saying. That's right; lean
on Kitty, my dear"
Crosby stood and saw his lady-bve
conveyed away up the dark old stair
case. 1t was true that the painful ex-
element she had gone through lately,
added to the fatigue of that morning. 5
walk, had been almost too much for
Letitia. He was almost wild, between
anxiety for her and the difficulty of get
ting out of this new scrape with success
and honor.
"You will do a very cruel and very
foolish thing, Mrs. Pratt" he said, ''if
you refuse to help us in such an emer-
gency as this"
"Sir." said Mrs. Pratt, '1'm sorry to
to disagree with gentleman like you.
But your own conscience tells you that
it's cruel and foolish thing you're
wanting to do. No good ever came of a
young lady's going against the will of her
family"
"Confound her familyp'
81 won't be sworn at in my own
kitchen, sir, if you please, said Mrs.
Pratt. ..t...
81 beg your pardon" said Crosby,
bowling. 81 an good deal irritated Just
now, and with good reason"
He walked out through door that led
into the garden. Mrs. Pratt looked after
him.
II never did see a pleasanter young
man, nor handsomer," she soliloquized.
"But the impudenee Of these here officers!
Our best horse, and Kitty into the bar
gain! What'll lie want next, | wonder?
That young lady goes back to Sir Georges
this very day, as soon as Pratt comes in,
or Im not mistress in my own house.
I'll have no such doings here
Crosby was incoming about up and
down the tidy garden walks, almost at
his wits end what to do with his treas
ure, now that he had it, when Kitty
Pratt came carefully creeping down in
the shadow of hedge, beckoning to him.
He joined her, and they had long con-
fdential talk in an arbOr, where her faith
er smoked his pipe on summer evenings.
Then Kitty went back in the same eau
tious manner to the house again.
That WAS a strange day at the farm
it was very still, the sun was shining,
and the hours crawled on slowly-to Mrs.
Pratt, vexed and anxious, as she waited
for her Husband to come in; to Leritia,
following Kitty's advice by staying in
her room; to Kitty herself, with all her
resolution and cleverness; To Crosby, as
he wandered about outside, uneasy, in
spite of his faith in Kitty, and not
caring to go in and encounter her moth
er. ut ,4 s-f-r -.. .....'...
Towards one o'clock q message came
in from the farmer, saying that there
was 10 need to wait dinner for him. A
friend of his, ten miles off, had sent to
say that some Of his most valuable COWS
were i'll, and he should be glad to see him
and hear his opinion Of them. So he had
ridden off at once from the field, and
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