The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-27
KATIE'S RIVAL.

|
ton his name to me again."
And Katie Lane flung back her bright
brown curls as she spoke, q little dis
dainfully, perhaps, and bent little
lower over the piece of crocheting she
held in her hands.
will not stop to tell you that she
my heroine, was handsome; suffice ii
to say that she was the belle of the
pretty village of M; and, as mat
ter of course, was sought after and ad-
mired by all the young men of the
place, not only because she was witty
and accomplished, but because old Guy
Lane was the wealthiest man in the
| place, and would one day leave his all
in the hands of Katie, as the only legal
heir.
Maud Anthony laughed low and tri-
umphantly as she returned:
''Really, Katie, you need not speak
SO angrily. Everybody thinks you
are going to marry him, and for my
part, think he will make some one a
kind husband"
""Well ,ifyou see SO many good quail
ties about him why don't you marry
him? When / see fit to get married l
shall take whom Iplease, despite what
everybody says"
ling eyes glanced saucily at the finish
ed coquette opposite her.
Hs0h, no! so my pretty young lady
IL G l.
I must flee. Only remember l have
done my duty. I thought you ought
to know how people are talking"
--You need not trouble yourself Miss
Anthony, to look after my affairs;
you must have enough of your own to
look after. When need your advice
l will surely let you know. So bid
you good afternoon
The queen1y little head rose proud
ly erect at this, and with a ascornful ex-
preston on her lips Katie walked
quickly away into the shadow of the
shrubbery of the garden.
AS she walked hastily on a footstep
on the other side of the hedge checked
her fight, and in moment Wilkes Lee,
the subject of the little conversation
under the elms, scrambled up into
sight, without seeming to have seen
Katie, and hastened away.
The strange little heart of Katie gave
a sudden start as she recognized her
old friend and-lover, and she paused,
murmuring:
81 wonder if he heard what we said?
/ wouldn't have had him for all the
world. A plague on Maud Anthony!
She forced me to say it. Isuppose she
is glad, too; for now she thinks don't
care for him."
For a moment Katie was silent as
she worked nervously at the pretty
diamond ring that encircled that
chubby forefinger. 1t was gift from
Wilkes, betrothal ring.
81 don't carel" Katie at last broke
out, pontingly. "Now, that I've said
it, I'll show Miss Anthony 1 mean it.
There!" she said, as she drew the dia-
mond from her finger and cast it away
into the bushes, "there, lie there and
rust, for all L care. Much good may
it do you, Maud, too. You can catch
him, know, but what do I care?''
More than you think, my pretty
heroine; we shall see.
A moment. Kate stood there looking
in the direction of the hedge; then
clapping her hands to her face she
burst into quiet shower of tears.
On the other side of the hedge Wilkes
Lee strobe quickly away, saying sheep
ishly:
"'1"'ell, we'll; pretty scrape you
came near getting into my boy. Didn't
mean to be an eavesdropper, certainly;
accidents will happen, you know. So
she don't care for you, eh? Well see.
Iil warrant she don't know her own
helrt now. I think I'll run away
few days, and let her get over her fit"
And the young man disappeared in
the underbrush that lined the road,
leaped over the fence. and was soon
ost to view in the distance.
n y X
Katie waited patiently for many
days for the visit of her once ardent
lover, and then, concluding that he
had not only overheard what she said
that day in the garden, e%1t had taken
her at her word, commenced not to
look alone, but to mourn him as lost
to her, indeed.
And Maud Anthony, to whom all
this was due, rejoiced that Wilkes
stSHlGO 70 IdN0 SuuueIlly ceaSeu TO
visit the Lanes, and strove with re-
newed efforts to entangle the hand
some young fellow-for Wilkes Lee
was considered the best catch the vii
lage afforded. But with all the pleas
ing ways she could effect, Wilkes SEEM
ed impregnable to her attemps. In
deed, no one knew that he even no.
ticed her, save Katie, who looked on
jealousy, thinking she could no longer
hold place by her side. In Katie's
presence alone did Wilkes seem to care
In the least for the fiirt. After while
he cast even her off, and disappeared
entirely. All, Katiel the battle was
more than half fought when you cast
the love of a man, pure and undivided,
from you. This was only a little
struggle before the atual d efeat.
There was great ball at the An
thony's; positively the affair of the
season, those said who ought to know.
Of course all the fashionable people
would be there; no one would miss