Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-04-03

at him! declaring their prophecies true
and saying he was weary OF solitude.
I felt little surprised at him. Only one
person preserved her faith in him; this
was Grace Cheslyn, the girls friend, al
most like another sister. She was stay
ling with them, and upheld Kenneth
whatever we might say.
Mrs Vernay dined that night with
the Lamberts, coming in Like some beau
tiful being from another world, jewels
glinting in her dress, and in her hair a
snake that gGttered with diamonds and
rubies.
We all came and paid court to her,
Kenneth included. She. looked with in
terest at him, saying:
'.Ah! the Hermit brother. I have so
wanted to see you. Have you left your
seclusion?"
Eyes, as we all knew''he would" quoth
Marie Lambert. ssThe cold weather on
that moor could not be endured"
"My sister is mistaken" said Ken
meth; 81 left for other reasons, and did
not particularly like coming away from
my solitude"
1--WE will teach you the pleasures of
society,"" Mrs. Vernay cried. Solitude
is horrible. Man was not made to live
alone"
Did see Kenneth vince? I could
not tell.
Then Grace came, asking Mrs. Yer
nay to write in her birthday book. And
the beauty inscribed LILLY vernay" in
a clear beautiful writing, matchless as
herself.
Kenneth read it over Gracie's sholdier.
"Your name is Lilith," he said to Mrs.
Vernay.
"Who told you that?" she asked, and
he replied:
81 know it," without offering any ex-
PLANTATION.
"Lilith! horridr' murmured Grace, as,
with Frank, Mrs. Vernay moved toward
the piano.
Il think its pretty; why horrid?'
Maria asked.
"Do you know about Lilith p her friend
replied. "She was Adams first wife,
and for transgression was turned out of
Paradise. She is the enemy of all little
children, and when Jewish babies are
born the nurses write, Lilith, avaunt!
against the wall, lest she should come
and kill the child. And tradition says
that she still haunts the world as beau
tiful woman, who entices men to marry
her, and then strangles them in her
golden hair"
"a tradition" said I, something like
the legends of the Greek Lamia."
"How do you know that there is not
truth in traditions and folly in rejecting
them?" Kenneth asked.
Meanwhile Mrs. Vernay was singing
song after song, and with every note
stealing away bit of Franks heart
And her music won Kenneth to her side,
for he took his brothers. place at the
piano, and stood there turning over her
pages-I believe in all the wrong places,
for he looked more in her face than at
the music.
I confess that in those days I was
vexed with Kenneth, for he seemed to
have taken a sudden and inexplicable
plunge into the society which a few
months previously he had abjured for
ever. There seemed only one explana-
tion-his ideal life had proved dull and
irksome. Everywhere met him, chiefly
with Mrs. Vernay; often Frank was with
them, woe-begone, undesired third par
ty. And the girls declared that it was
shame Kenneth, who rallied against mar
rage, should come and steal her away
from his brother.
A few women there were who disliked
Mrs. Vernay. Ny wife was one of them,
and well enough we all knew the reason.
For when, with maternal pride, she one
day showed off the children to the pretty
widow, Mrs. Vernay turned from them
with cold look of disgust, saying, 81
detest children" An insult no mother
could forgive. "That unnatural woman"
my wife henceforth called her.
How lovely she looked at the Christ
mas ball, when, radiant with delight, she
crossed the room to say to me: "Look at
the progress of nay conversion. Here is
Hermit Kenneth in this frivolous scene"
81 wish I was at the chapel" Kenneth
himself remarked; and certainly no man
looked so unsuited to ball room. He
had grown pale and thin during his soil
tary Life, and wore a thoughtful air I
never before had noticed in him.
"Why on earth don't you 60 back?"
said I. Nothing has surprised me more
than your appearance here"
II knew it would be So" he answered.
81 had to come"
Then in that homogeneous place he be-
gan telling me his experiences in that
wild solitude.
81 began to think my life there useless,
mere indulgence of my own tastes. I
read and thought, but the mysteries of
life seemed as unfathomable as ever.
One evening I felt myself no longer
alone. I saw nothing, heard nothing,
yet I absorbed this command into my
being: Go into the world, for there is
life you must save, demon you must
vanquish, and the life you have led
has given you power to fight and
conquer. The world viii mock and your
friends misunderstood you, but heed
them not. By this token know both
destroyer and destroyed Then across
the door of my room glided glittering
c-o1-o ,,~1sl,o xr,o eco ,,,>ov, L.,