Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-03-08

mamma, mamma saying that she di
not think poor Kate would ever gro,
strong again, but slowly wither away
I gave great gulp as I heard tbos
words, and then burst out sobbing vic
lently.
"You here, Jenny!" said mamma
"Well, my dear, as you have heard wha
we said, it must be your secret too
Never let your poor cousin know wha
we think, and never behave to her as
you thought she could not recover "
| promised readily, and at fourteen
the possession of that secret seemed t.
make me more womanly than my sis
ters, as I redoubled my tenderness t.
the suffering girl.
| The invalid was nineteen-a great ag'
in our estimation-and I used to look vi
to her with veneration, gazing at he
soft sweet face and wistful eyes. wonder
ing why she was SO ill, and what wa!
the great sorrow that had come upOr
her like blight upon one of the rose'
round our porch.
Cousin Kate came to us in the spring
and the months flew by till it was tht
height of summer apdmany and many
night had I turned my face to The
wall, SO that Iii should not know, and
cried silently till Eny pillow was wet.
For knew SO we'll that Kate was weak
er, much weaker than when she came
walk across the lawn to the old garden
seat in the shade being as much now as
she could bear.
"Cousin Kate" said, one day when
we were alone, Lii and Cissy having
rushed off to get some flowers, "couldn'l
any doctor make you well?"
She looked at me with wild, strange
gaze which almost startled me, before
she replied, and then in a, way that made
my heart beat she sobbed out
"Only one-Only one !f' and then as
ed, "and before he can come shall be
dead-dead
She did not know I heard her last
words. and sat chilled and frightened.
gazing at her till my sisters came back,
when. as we frequently did, we sat down
about her; Lii got upon the seat, Cissy
sat on the grass with her head against
one of Kate's hands. which hwng list
lessly from the corner where she leaned,
and threw myself on the grass at her
feet, so as to look up in her gentle face
which had now become calm, with it's
old weary look.
cousin Kate" said Lii, "tell us an
other story"
mo, no." said, "don It ask !; she isn't
SO well to day.,
YES" she said quietly, raising her
head and looking at me, II am better
to-day"
'Tell us one, them" cried Cissy eager
ly: zone you've never told us BEFORE"
There was silence then for few mi
nutes, and as gazed up into Kate's face
l saw her eyes close and sort of spasm
twitch her lips; but the next minute
she was quite calm, and then with the
leaves whispering round us, and the
twittering of the birds coming now and
again from the distance, she said in a
low. sweet, musical voice
"Once upon time in the days Of long
ago, when people were very, very hap
py on this earth, there lived a prince
who was young and handsome, ans
trua. Nearly every one loved him. ne
was so manly, and yet 80 gentle"
"And he loved a beautiful princess, !"
put in Cissy.
I saw the spasm cross Cousin Kate's
face again, but it was calm directly af-
ter, and she went on.
mo, DEAR" she said, "he did not love
beautiful princess, but a poor, simple
girl, who loved him, too, with all her
heart, and they were SO, so happy
When the flowers blossomed they seem
ed to blossom only for them. and the
birds sang their sweetest songs for them
in the sunshine"
eyes, and they were married, and
lived lived happy ever AFTER" cried Cissy.
Thoro moe on no ,,ooro tbo< x,;too,,e 1ool,
upon Cousin Kate's face, seen only by
me. but it passed off, and she went on.
mo Cissy, they were not; for the
poor, handsome young prince had enc
mies-cruel, bitter enemies-who SLAM
dered him, and said that he had made
false keys, and opened the treasure
chests of a great man, and stolen away
his gold and precious stones"
"Oh!" whispered Cissy, now deeply
interested.
"And," continued Kate, "they took
the poor prince, and there was great
trial, and though he declared he was in
nocent the wicked people who slander-
ed him and bore false witness against
him prevailed and the great Judge said
that he was to be cast into prison, and
wear heavy chains, and be kept there
for twenty-One long years."
"Oh !" cried Lii.
"Yes," said Cissy, II know and then
the simple young girl who loved him
went and unlocked the PRISONS gates, and
struck Oft his chains and set him free"
"No-nO," cried Cousin Kate, and her
voice altered terribly, so that L was
alarmed, though 1 could do nothing but
gaze up in the wild face before me, for
now change came over it. NO" she
cried, "the poor girl could do nothing
but sit and weep, and feel her br okeh
heart beat-beat-beat, in its own pri-
son, wearing itself out till-till she died,
and-O, Frank Frank! what have we
done that we should suffer this?"
l leaped up to throw my arms round
her, while my sisters shrank away
alarmed for Cousin Kate turned from
US with bitter wall, buried her face in
her hands, and threw herself half over
tue arm of the old garden-seat, sobting
in wild, hysterical way, such as had
never seen. "Kate, dear Cousin Kate,
l sobbed but even as spoke there was
a hasty step on the gravel, the bushes
were dashed aside, and the shadow of a
tall man was cast over us.
"Kate-darling" he cried, c.,tching
her in his arms, as was thrust Iude}y
dsIue, 1 AN innocent ana free."
She did not hear him, for she gave a
faint gasp and sank back iDsensi bic.
We three girls were almost st tunned !;
but we saw the tall, thin, pale looking
stranger hastily lift poor Kate from the
seat, and literally run with her to the
house, while we followed more 81 owly
AS we reached the porch it was tc
meet papa running out, and in shorl
time he returned with the doctor. But
this doctor was the wrong one the right
one had come to us at the garden> seat
and it was his words that brought deal
Cousin Kate back to life, and in the
course of a few months to health.
For Frank Roberts was reinsJated in
the government offices from which he
fell-in a higher post, one which gave
him the confidence of the higher of.
ficials; while the man through whose
treachery poor FRANK had suffered q
year and half before died, confessine
that he had been the guilty party alone
Oh those happy days when the roses
were coming back day ny day into Cous-
in Kate's cheek. and when Frank, who
was down at the old place every Satur
day to stay till Monday, used to be sent
to play and romp with us girls I can
hn r6lx holiovo =;