Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-14

lew minutes Without speaking. Then he said.
with slightly artificial accent:
GOOD bye, then, for aweek or two. shall
take the early train to- morrow"
He took her hand In both hts. without wait.
Ing for her to hold it out. She raised her eyes
to his with the most undisguised intensity OF
expression. He made a little movement. then
stopped himself, and laid down the hand he
held with an especially gentle motion; said
simultaneously with her hardly audible an.
swer.
AS soon as he had turned the bend In the
path Kate went to her upper window and
school house. till the street became road
stretching far away, between the two lines OF
blush eucalyptus, toward the foot hills. About
aquaTter Of mile up the road he passed u
peared. She was crying little, but she rather
enjoyed doing so, and her mind was much oc.
cupied with the suggestion conveyed by that
question about her address.
But Graham was In mucn less comfort.
able frame of mind. and one that would have
much surprised her II she could have seen into
saying to himself, with sudden reaction OF
alarm:
fart"
of the railroad trip. ne went uncomfortaoly
enough over the whole affair.
How did ever let that little girl get such a
hold on me?" he meditated. why, II is in
He returned to that incredible" afresh at
every period of his thoughts. 1t was incom-
prehenSlble to him how this insignificant LITTLE
standards utterly without social prestige, as
she was, could move him as other women had
not. There was K1ttie Bradford, who read
and Isabel Haly burton, who carried In her blue
eyes and little dimpled hands more social po.
tency than any dozen other women, and Caryl
Fairfax, who showed In every motion that her
lnn6 hn6 No hNny 1fVhf Tn Hry,
Of straining through the veins of 1nnumerabe
high-bred aneeStOrs-and at this point era.
ham flushed darkly. What Of Kate Bruce's
Sr ana He had never
offered any Information, 1t did not follow that
because Graham had a cousin who had mar
ried Mr; Martin. OF Farwell, he was himself at
the connection with some amusement, as one
OF the lncopgruities that will creep into Amer
lean families. HIS own antecedentS were of q
Rates something lntolerably annoying to him.
There was no Disgusting the fact that he had
somehow let her become 80 much to him that
II she had come out Of such past as he should
her to marry him without hesitation.
$50, there's the question:" he thought
'Shall follow my fancy, and WOO woman
who. delicate as she seems, may show In time
traces OF all sorts OF vulgar early Influences
or shall throw up the whole thing like a SEN
Sibie MANI"
Nevertheless, he fulfilled his tacit promise.
and wrote to her few days after reaching
undertone of tenderness that produced after
ward in himself another reaction Of alarm and
Inclination to be shy OF Miss Bruce.
Meanwhile, Kate began to wonder II he
might not write twice, and went very punctu-
ally to the post office. The office was 10 gro
Gerry. hardware, dry goods and general store,
ard there were always men gOssiping there.
One day, as Kate asked for her mail, two stran-
Sf0fd leaning nnIInfnr
acquaintance With the clerk. The taller one
Strengthened up and stared at Kate as she re-
ceived her mail at the farther end OF the
counter.
"By George, do you know who that u.s. Joe?''
Kate's ear.
The ether man stared too
Rose Hever, By thunder he exclaimed
with much emphasis.
"Rose Hever, that's sure!' the tall man re.
peated.
to catch the point OF what was said.
mo. you're out there, Bant1ng," he said.
.'Thafs the school teacher, Miss Bruce. Been
here year. seems to be engaged to the princi-
The two strangers glanced sympathetlcally
at each other.
Now, if that amt Rose Hever all overr'
Banting exclaimed; and then went on explain
atorily. "Not much Miss ABOUT her-Deen a
married woman this five years."
He turned for cOrrObOration to his less volu-
BILE companion, who answered the look by say.
"Heard long ago, up at Stockton, that she
was down country somewhere. sailing under
another name. Oh. that's the girl. Somebody
ba ought to tel that fellow shes engaged
All the men In the store were gathered
around. 1t was much more interesting that
Miss Bruce should be some one else than that
she should be Miss Bruce. Into the circle
walked Mr.. Farwell.
"Hear that, Farwell?" the clerk called, eager
to be the first to tell; and In minute the story
was repeated to him, Banting added, in sort
"Oh, knew her well. Up at Stockton, five
yearsago, she married fellow by the name OF
Wnktnson-she was Rose Heyer then; and In
about eight months she ran of With a quack
two: SO tEen we heard she got a certificate
some four years ago. under another name, and
went to teaching. Wilkinson him self don't
know where she is; but there's never been a
divorce, for l know the man well-been his
commission merchant for year5-and Joe, here
raised ducks with Old Hever. I've seen heI
with her husband often. She looks older now
OF course. How old Is she?"
she was twenty-five when we engaged her,
MI. FarWen said, posd 'ely; ''she must be
twenty six now
he had set her down at that age In his mind,
and could not have been more certain about II
If he had been her father.
'Old Hever told me Rose was twenty. one
when she married-that's five years ago." said
Joe"
One of the larger school boys contributed his
item: Miss Bruce'S certificate is dated foul
years ago. saw it In the report in the schoo
library"
Trough on Graham" two or three said.
MIR. FarWell looked intensely out of temper
he prided himself On his selection Of teachers
''She's an excellent teacher" he said. He
had two distinct methods of diction, one when
he spoke as an officer, and one when he spoke
as man, and he used his official dictiOn now.
But Of course this units her for our school
Her husband should be communicated with.
abouts-and the HeVers have gone to Oregon
some where"
MI. FarWell turned away.
~ will speak with the other trustees he
said.
When the other trustees were found, Mr.
Martin was ready enough TO be outraged at the
position into which his wife's cousin was put.
I'VE always thought Geoffrey was thro wing
himself away On that Old maid, he said. "We
never could see what he saw in her; but II
seems he's just been roped in. Such women
know how 10 go TO work. I'll write 10 him sure
as gun, by the next mail"
KATE knew very soon that something was
wrong. Her pupils met her with an tnSolen1
m6nneT.eyery one spoke to her With cOnStrainU
''There Is some dissatisfaction; | am going Il
words that have become moarnful formula II
schoOl-teaching ranks. Her courage had all
gone with Graham and trustees and parents
and school children were again terrible. But,
most alarming of all, the allotted two weeks
had passed, and Graham had neither returned
nor sent her any explanation OF his absence.
The two weeks had become three before any
one spoke to her." for vacation time cos
nothing, and Mr.. Farweu was trying to get hi:
wife to do the speaking. But Mrs. Farwol
steadily refused
"Youll have to speak to her yourself.
n n 7 or1n