The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-08-13

rom the hopeless GREATNESS OF tneS pres
A young, bright face, w,sn-fA,5inr of soul
stamped upon every lineament, arose before
her, and she covered her face with her hands
and moaned in her anguish:
.'They will tear me from my Harry-my
darling. and my pride; they will preach to
me of my duty to them and to myself, until
wrong will seem right, and 1 shall become
mere puppet in their hands. And he-he-
that man of strong will, is coming to COM
pei me to fulfill a contract never meant to
make Oh, what shall do! what will be-
come of mer'
She had sat down on the upper step of the
winding stairs, aud now rising abruptly. she
went into her own room and closed the
door.
Shortly afterwards Mrs. Loser knocked
TREMENDOUSLY at her daughters door and
There was slight stir within, and fall
terIng voice replied: f --a
81 had rather not see any one just yet,
mamma Give me time to battle my eyes,
and get calm, and Will see and talk with
you. o! ifyou love me leave me alone
now!"
To this passionate adiuration Mrs. Loser
replied:
II must see you at once, Kate. l have
somethidg that Is most important to say to
you. Something that you ought to know, as
it may help you to decision as to what is
right for you to do"
After slight delay the door was unlocked,
and Kate, with swollen eyes and pathetic
expression of helplessness upon her face,
looked with trembling dread upon the
mother, who, she knew, had come to throw
some additional load upon her young shout
ders, heavy as was the one she had to bear.
The apartment of Kate was simply but
tastefully furnished. In it were found the
few books she claimed as her own, her gull
tar, her portfolios of dried plants, and many
little nick nacks such as young girls like to
collect around them.
The walls were covered with pencil
| sketches made by herself, fancifully framed
with autumn leaves. Among them was
found the shadowy outline of a young mans
| head so lightly drawn that the fair artist
seemed afraid to make it too distinct lest it
might be recognized. A wreath of wild
| flowers hung over 1t, and concealed the
words family traced beneatk-"My ideal"
The head was certainly very noble and
handsome one, and Kate deserved credit if
she had drawn it from he own conception
of what Is grand and true in man.
| Her mother glanced around as she came
in, unwilling to look straight at her daugh-
ter and see IN her face the signs of the bitter
/ struggle she knew she had been passing
! through. Her eyes fell on the phantom
head, and she said:
This is something new; have not seen
! it before. Have you taken to drawing
| ghosts, KateP for this seems nothing more"
THAT is the ghost of my happiness, man.
ma, !" said the girl YEARLY, land it will soon
go to the grave that is being dug for It,"
''What stuff 1 see now that it is highly
localized sketch of Harry Coprad's head,
| and you have placed it there as shrine, ]
suppose, before which you offer your silly
alteration. do declare. Kate, that you are
a most absurd young woman"
Absurd as l may be, mamma until to
day you seemed to sanction my attachment
to Harry. 1t is cruel-cruel to expect me to
tear my heart away from him at moments
warning. | know what you have come to
say, but would rather not hear it. All the
persuasions selfinterest may prompt you tc
utter will be powerless to change my feel
ings toward Mr.. Conrad"
"You dreadful girl! Is that the way you
brave me to my very face? You can not, you
shall not marry Harry Conrad. Have moi
given you to understand that such union
is out of the question? That 1t will brine
destruction on all you are bound to care fol
in this world?'
Kate grew pale, but she quietly said:
My refusal to sell myself for gold car
only affect myself, mamma. Your fate an6
that of Edna can not in any way be con
trolled by my discarded lover
"Can 1t not? when he owns the very roo
that covers us-the soil from which oul
scanty living is drawn? 1t IS true, Kate
He holds mortgage on the place for money
advanced to Luis, and my dover right il
ILLS DOfeIIy-SbIlCk6A uOul6 Is al Ina
stands between us and starvation. This il
what came to tell you, and this is what yor
must consider before you anger by refusa
the man who certainly has the first claim OF
you" t-6ayss
Kate fell back as If she had been shot ant
the courage she had battled so hard to sus
tain deserted her. Her breath came in low
Il gasping sobs, and after long interval o
silence, which her mother thought would
never end, she family said:
81 understand that nv fate Is settled
then. I shall be allowed no choice. Oh!
know too well that shall be forced to sub
NIT my will to yours, and struggle as may
the net will close around me and compel mi
to give my hand to one man while my Who'll,
heart Is in the possession of another. Oh
mother, mother, how could you have sui
fered things to come to such pass as this
Paupersl dependent on Richard .Stauntor
for the very bread we have eaten, he will
demand his payment of me, and 1 dare no
refuse it, know the kind of man he is-h
would set us adrift, penniless, homeless, t.
beg or starve, should 1 prove false to tina
silly pledge given in childish thoughtless
ness, and OH so bitterly repented of since!'
Her voice sunk into low, sobbing muir
murs, and her mothers pity for her wa
mingled with exultation that she seemed t,
yield at once to the necessities of her posl
tion,. and accept the fate it was so much tt
the interest of the whole family that sh,
should not refuse. p9 n4aA sga
A week passed away and nothing wa.
heard OF the expected lover from CaIifornla
although he had written that he should no
be many days behind his letter, and at las
rumors came that the Albatross, on which
he had left San Francisco, had been wrecked
and that many lives had been lost. $500.
J Kate had been struck down by brain fever
and for days she lay vibrating between lif
, and death, raving in widest delirlum, anl
then moaning over the cruel fate which CAV,
her heart to one lover and fore ed her to yielt
her band to another. y
: Mrs. Loser was fond and proud of her love
ly daughter, yet the deepest dread in he
. heart at this dresry crisis was, that in tn
pass from them all. .sa.. :, s-sis
Edna watched unweariedly by the SICK
! couch of her sister, ana Mr.. Loser devote,
! himself to her assistance. He was grea
help to her, for he had studied medicine il
his youth. and he undertook the manage
ment of the case himself declaring that h