Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-12
Then Catherine retired. and ii. mas

He continued sitting where the house.
keeper had left him, giving awav to =
profound and melancholy reyerie.
t?ne a.d not fl9ye me-" he thought
70 himself. "She is not a Woman like
catherine to love as Catherine loved.
ohe never seemed unhappy. She was
lmmeasurably angry with me for a
very small offense. And she has never
written pr taken any notice of me since
l came here. No! Twill not look up
on her face again"
AS he uttered this resolution aloud, a
servant opened the door and announced
that lady wished to see him; and, ere
he could reply, the rustling of a silken
SKIRT nae him aware that the lady had
ALREADY entered the apartment. Then
the door was closed. He and she were
together, and alone.
"Why, joint" cried the lady.
'I' that you, Kate?" asked he.
III is L, John. My dear John, what
on elrth is the matter with you? Are
you ni? Why are your eyes band
aged?"
Kate.'' ~
Inflammation! I am very sorry.
Are You in pain:?"
mo. l am not exactly in pain. Sit
down. 1t is kind of you to come and
see me-"
Il came because it is your birthday
and mine, and we have always keptour
birthdays together, John, since t was
eight and you were sixteen"
"Thank you, Kate"
'Last year we had a picnic on this
day"
1--WE had, Kate. You drove to the
place in a dogcart-with Lord An
gelo."
eyes, John. No one else offered to
drive me, if you recollect Alright"
II would have driven you with the
greatest pleasure, had you suggested
Indeed! Bien oblige, Monsieur! l
suppose you would also have danced
with me at Lady KS ball-where
you sulked all the evening in a COR
ner-if | had suggested it! You are
singularly gracious, John. But the
end of the world is not yet, and I am
still a woman"
"Have you come all this way to re-
proach me, Katep"
mo, John. 1 came to ask how o
were, and if you enjoyed life in this Sc
cluded place" =
II do not enjoy life; and it is proba-
BILE l shall never enjoy life again. l
can do nothing but resign myself to
fate"
':It is not a bad fate: you are a rich
man, and
Pardon me. it is a very bad fate. I
am separated forever from the person 1
love best in the world"
"From the person you love best in
the world! l wonder how men love,
John?"
Catherine expressed the same Won
der half an hour ago."
Catherine! Who is Catherine?'
"My housekeeper. The person from
whose society I now derive my only
happiness"
T, Greatly, John, you astonish metz
Catherine is a lady, Kate. I en-
gagged her, because in height and COM
Pexion she was like YOU"
""You tiatter me, indeed! Is she like
me mother respectsP"
''N.t very. She is older and graver,
and sic devotes herself to me."0
''Wlere did she come from?"
II COn't know. She presented her.
| self hre, and I engaged her because
| she pleased me. AS I told you, she
reminled me of YOU"
..Ard do you really know nothing
abouther, John?"
Il did know nothing whatever,
Kate. To-day she has told me a part
of her private history. She has told
me the story of her heart"
care YOU sure she is not q designing
woman"
"Quite my dear Kate. What designs
could she have?"
"she might design to win your af-
lection, john"
".Nay, Kate. She has loved"
Cor thinks she has loved, John"
II tell you, Kate, she has loved. If
you had heard her passionate language,
you could not doubt it. There is a
depth in that woman's soul which no
shallower mind could fathom."
"Wslch I could not fathom, you
mean! Beware, John! You take a
mighty interest in this Catherine"
II do. She makes my life happy
that is, as happy as it ever "a be
now"
"some day you will make her an
offer. john"
II! make an offer to any woman!
No, Kste. Never again!"
"Some day, [ say, John, You will
make her an offer, and, as a cousin, I
will give you a piece of advice. Couch
your offer in honest words. Be a man,
and don't fancy you are only accepta-
BILE because you n rich. Remember
that a woman who WEEDS a rich man
does not necessarily we'd for riches"
THAT is the very thing she said just
now. Kate"
'.Is it? She is a wise person, then,
and a true woman"
"She is, indeed, a true woman. Alas,
that such a woman should have mis-
placed her affections! She loved a
fellow, who tired to keep a secret
from her-who came to her, pretend
ing to be other than he was-the scoun
drel!'
Nov, don't abuse him, John!
t. ,oors ~ ,oo +hof ho Op1v hoboVad RI