Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-04-23
Runlnaging.

what are you doing In the garnet
Come down, child, do. There's not
one thing there you would care about
and I do hate to have people rumma-
ging among my things she added
in lower tone, quite unheard by her
niece, who ran gaily down.
sOh, aunty, such treasures Are
you going to sit down now I'll bring
my work. And she ran into her
room to brush off the dust from her
black dress.
Aunt Catty,' she began, after they
were seated in the neat, bare parlor,
which Kitty contemplated with an in
ward shudder, i wish you would tell
me about great Aunt Katharine
what shall tell you about her?'
Oh, everything. Why she was so
queer and unkind to you and papa
and what became of the beautiful
old place and furniture, and why
you, poor thing, were cut off with a
shilling.
In the first place. said Miss Ran
dali, rather grimly, 'she never was
unkind to your father. She never
meant to leave her money to him.
She gave him good education, and
he was man and what more could
he want? she thought and | think,
too. But the place; why, do tell,
Kitty Randall, if you didn't know it
went to the Masons. Jane Mason
was her other niece, and had a large
family of children: and | suppose it
was all right. But as for me, who
had always lived with her from
baby-well, l suppose we are too
much alike. If she nagged I an
swered back, spoke my mind instead
of holding my tongue. However, I'll
try to be just to poor Aunt Katha-
rine. l don't believe in my heart
that she would have let these trifes
influence her will, though in the long
years they do turn love to something
very like hate. But it was more than
that. / suppose [ may as well tell
you, Kitty. l was engaged to the
wrong man.
'Aunty! You engaged! Why did
nobody ever tell me about it?'
Who was there to tell you, Kitty?
Your poor father was i'll so long he
wouldn't remember the past-my
past at any rate
But do tell me all now, dear Aunt
Catty.'
There's not much to interest you,
child. was thirty, and as plain as
a hedge fence, and lovers had never
troubled me much; so. when this
man-never mind his name-began
to make up to me, and seemed to
care so much, why, he made fool
of me, perfect fool.
Aunt Katharine hated him. She
did everything to induce me to break
it off. couldn't think why. He
was very personable man, my dear,
and had made both his other wives
happy; and l was just set on him.
l am ashamed to say.
Finally she told me all. 1t was
an uncle of this man, the same name
even, who had ruined her life. and
made her the queer, grabbed woman
that she was. She was only sixteen
when he persuaded her into secret
marriage, to be concealed until she
was of age or grandpa could be
brought round; but before that time
came her fine young gentleman had
settled his fate by committing for
gerry and being sentenced for twenty
years.
Aunt Katharine never owned the
marriage, though she might have got
a divorce easily enough, and she gave
him large snm to promise in writ
ing never to claim her, and she burn
ed the certificate. And as for letting
me marry the nephew of this man,
and having him drop in upon us at
any time, why, she wouldn't and she
ended by declaring that it was my
fortune James Levater (there, the
name is out y wanted, and not me,
and that not one cent of her money
should ever go to forgers and fortune
hunters.
Matters didn't mend. Neither
gave up. We couldn't; we were born
so. It was just as impossible to
either as to sit crooked or to make
our hair curl, and we were just alike.
l felt sorry for aunty, | must say,
. but / saw no reason why her bad luck
should keep me from happiness
Well. Kitty, it wasn't many weeks
after that aunty died. Died in g
moment, of heart disease. Nobody
knew she had it, unless maybe her
self, for she had looked strange anC
shaken for some days, and | guess
she felt it coming on. At the flu
S neral / saw stranger, an old man
standing close by the grave. You't
l have thought he was chief mourner
and James Levater, my lanes, wen
up to him, looking very red, ant
, they walked off together, talking
e low.
: That was aunty's husband.
found it out afterward, and that b.
r had been lowering about the neigh
+ borhood for a week or two. And tn
5: next thing that came out was tina
the Masons were to have the oil