Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-23
Gales ar,o Skftfhts.
WHITTIER SIZE WOULD Or 10.
L. Z. G.
Continued from yesterday. J


she sees at the bottom of the card
the words. written in a fine girlish
hand. ''Yours sincerely, Grace Randolph. ;"
She turns the card over and reads on the
back, in handwriting she has come tolora-
bly, familiar WITH. of late:
my Darling. Oct. 20, 1S-"
Evidently not sister; and BittIe re.
places the picture in the album. which
contains no other woman's face except an
elderly one, which she guesses. from its
resemblance to Towards, to be his moth
er's, and goes on with her work; irving
TO experience the feeling OF satisfaction
she knows she ought to have in the knowl-
edge that she will be spared all persecu-
ton from this once much dreaded John
Howard. 1t is not quite so pleasant to
think of as she had imagined, somehow
still Bittie tells herself It is as it should
be. and she will let papa and mamma
know it right away, and she hopes it will
cure them OF match making.
Some two weeks later, at the close OF
q July afternoon, Bittie stands at the gate
bidding goOd-by to Ella Manning who
has been spending the day with her. Bit
ties usually merry. spirited face wears a
subdued expression which puzzles her
friend; but she has not mentioned the sub
ject which formed the chief topic Of con-
versati0n during Elias previous visit.
II judge life with your Beast has not
been altogether unbearable after all. ~
says Ella at last, IL like him immensely,
notwithstanding your gloomy predictions /;
he Is so entertaining and distingue, and
and all that" she ends vaguely.
"Oh yes, he's very entertaining" list
lessly.
"Well. you're not enthusiastic. entirely
but that could hardly be expected. consid-
ering what a come down you have had
from the lofty stand you were going to
take with him. Actually, it is as good as
aplay to see him control you, without
any appearance Of doing So"
''Your imagination is running away
with you" retorts Bittic, finishing angrily.
her listlessness all gone. IL don't know
why you shOnld think OF such thing;
am sure neither OF US has the least desire
to control the other in any way. | wish
you wouldn't talk like that; as if two peO-
pie could not be good friends without all
that nonsense''
"Oh. don't get angry; I'll take it all
back. suppose it's only good friendship
which makes him follow you all over the
iOOu Win tuost gay tNtS vi MS, WIFI u
look in them that is so very different from
the cool, business like glance with which
he regards other people. | suppose it is
good friendship which makes his whole
face light up when you come into The
room. and get very dull again when YOU
90 out OF it, suppose it is friendship
which makes the tears come into your
eyes when he sings, In the Cleaning
fhnnnb I thn,-
when Ray sang it. | suppose it is friend
ship which made you blush so turiously
when you pinned that rose in his button
hole. though | have seen you do it scores
of times for other men without,
ELLA, for mercy's sake, do stop, and
do please understand that Mr. John How
ards affections are the property of another
and your imagination has PLAYED YOU
false, as it has way of doing" breaks in
Blttie. trying to speak lightly; and. feeling
that she must set matters right, she tells
her friend of the discovery of the picture.
Ella is puzzled, but not entirely con-
vinced. "Oh. there's some mistake about
it. I'm sure" she says. and goes away.
devoutly hoping there is. as she had been
coming to the conclusion all day that
John Howard was lust made for Bittie'
As tor Bittie. she watches her friend
out of sight. leaning her head YEARLY on
the gatepost, and listener, lying on a
bench behind the lilac bushes, hears
long, quivering sob. and the words:
IL thought | was going to hate him,
and oh wish had, ~
''Yes, | go back to work next week, and
before 60 wish to tell you something"
Howard speaks in his most matter-of
fact tone, and looks absently at the clouds
on the horizon, as if his thoughts were tar
away. They have been taking long
walk. and have stopped at Bi,tie's cor
ner" to rest.
Bittie turns little pale and looks as it
she would like to run away. She has no
wish to hear his condolences; but she has
lost of late all the tact and readiness with
which she was wont to waive disaSreea-
BILE subjects. and she has learned some
time since not to try her small girlish de-
ceits on this man. He has a way at such
times of opening those penetrating eyes
OF his, so practiced in the reading OF
countenances far more impenetrable than
hers, and turning them full upon her.
while his dimples deepen suspiciouslv,
until she has been unable to sustain the
quizzical gaze. and take refuge in truth
IL am gong to be married this fall. ;" he
goes on coolly. She has been preparing
herself for this. but the blunt statement
makes her vince.
"Yes. saw her picture in your room
one day; she is very pretty" she SAYS
hurriedly, trying to appear selt-possessed
VERY. very pretty, is my little love-"
with mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
which she does not see because she is not
looking at him.
II wanted to ask you If you thought
your parents would be willing for me to
bring my wife here next summer"
Bittie has endured without a sign the
tender caressing tone in which he says
my little love" and the air of pride with
which he says my wife," but this de-
mand is more than she can bear. and.
springing to her feet with white lips and
blazing eyes she exclaims:
mo! She shall never come here!''
Then. feeling she had betrayed herself be-
yond help, she turned to flee. but, catch
ing her loo in branch of the vine that
lies unseen in her path, she falls igno-
miniously, and would have struck her
head against the rouCh rocks of the wall