The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-13


He seemed to have grown as vari-
| able as the wind; at times tenderly
gallant in his treatment of her, at times
| bitter and sarcastic.
| And Kate's meekness was a wonder
| to behold.
To be sure she quarreled with him,
but much as a naughty child would
| quarrel with it's lawful guardians.
| The fiercest never seemed to keep them
| apart.
| Wherever Kate was, the young au-
thor was sure to appear in his shabby
| coat, at,sometimes smiling and debonair,
sometimes with g. coldly, careless ex-
preston, which made him doubly
handsome.
Matchmaking mammas whose
| daughters were attracted by his fine
| face and figure, were wont to say OF
/ him:
ga handsome young man, but so
very poor, you know, in spite of his
4 talents
| 1t mattered little to him. He had
eyes and ears for but one woman. He
denounced himself O. hundred times q
| a week for beings contemplate fool, if
not q knave, for lingering about this
| woman whom rumor had betrothed to
| Lord R, yet night after night found
| him IN her presence at ball, at opera,
hiding his pain and passion under a
| careless exterior.
But the end was near.
Lord R-was expected in Paris soon
and Kate's aunt's had been
showering reproaches upon the
girl for her reckless disregard of
appearances in flirting so desperately
with 1'that poverty stricken scribbler,
who hadn't a decent coat to his back, +"
and Kate was quite desperate.
"Lord R returns next week, and
what will he think ofyou?" pursued her
irate relative.
at matters little to me what Lord
R-thinks," replied Kate, very calmly,
though there was a glitter in her dark
eyes.
Mrs. Chamberlain, who affected Par
isian manners, uttered alittle shrek.
"And you are as good as engaged to
him! What can you be thinking of?
l am sure he is coming here to propose
to you. People consider it a settled
affair already. and you are the envy of
half the women in Paris-you strange,
perverse creature!"
"Aunt Louise" said Kate very de-
cidedly, "Lord R is not coming
here on my account, I think he
understands that I shall never
marry him. You have been kind to
me, and have shown me many favors,
for which am truly grateful-there
fore regret to disappoint you, but
honesty compels me to confess that I
shall consider myself happy woman,
when Alvin Sutton asks me to be his
wife"
And she swept away, leaving Mrs.
Chamberlain in condition bordering
on frenzy.
Kate was so sure that Alvin Sutton
loved her. Had they not vowed eter-
nal constancy in the old days? Had
she not kept his image pure and un-
defiled in her heart, while she waited,
waited for fate to bring them together
once more.
She laughed, with blissful tears in
her eyes, thinking over the old days
and their more recent intercourse, dur
ing which he had not scrupled to con-
denim her frivolous life She would
show him some day how dress and
fashion had not quite spoiled her!
How she would keep his house, and
get up delicious dinners for him out of
nothing, and economic in any way so
that she was with him his happy, low
ing wife!
That very evening, at the Russian
minister's reception, she met him.
He led her into the conservatory,
presently, where the music of the band,
softened by the distance, mingled with
the splashing of a fountain. Shelook-
ed like a bride, in her dead-white silk,
with creamy roses in her hair and
bosom.
Alvin's eyes clung half sadly to her
smiling face, as he said, slowly:
81 suppose must congratulate
you"
Upon what?' queried Kate, look
ing up in surprise.
He laughed bitterly.
''How innocent you are! 1 have |
learned to-day that your fiancee, Lord |
R, returns next week. | must, of |
course, congratulate you, as well as
bid you farewell; for business demands
my presencein in America. My new book
s to be issued this spring. Our little
Irritation has"
"Stop, sir!''
She had arisen and stood before
him, white and trembling in every
limb.
All the anguish that mortal seemed |
capable eofsuffering seemed to be crowd
ed into that one cruel moment. Even
the sensitive pride, which is a woman's
shield, was thrust aside by the sudden |
ness of the blow which had struck
home to her heart.
For moment there was a silence.
broken only by thefar-off crash of the
band.
At last she spoke, TREMENDOUSLY, de-
spite her mighty struggle for self-con-
troll.
81 am at loss to know what man.
ner of woman you consider me-"
she said; "but justice for myself and
respect for Lord R-compel me to in
form you that I am not, and never
have been betrothed to him, neither
do I expect to be-"
"Kate-Kate!"
He threw his arms towards her with