The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-11

and it's just . pleasure to look at him, he's so
beautifully cried Helena
"Well, II this isn't hero worship" exclaimed
their crony, tell me what isT
But we're worried to death about his health"
continued Anna. THAT cough of his tears rs
every one to pieces-as much as IL does hint
seems too bad that 1t couldn't have come to one
OF rs girls. mothers cough. We all set out
last fall that be should go to Florida for tit
took our united effort to carry the day; and it
was long first; but DIR. Day said he would not
guarantee his life q year if he didn's
go. and it he wanted to live for moth
ing else than be of use to US girls
he must go. And he said-only just think!
Kirke said it was of the utmost Importance for
him to live till the city could be persuaded to
take the old Outerbridge place for its new public
that is his great scheme, you know, to make all
our fortunes--the city will pay such q price for
the place, and the lots in the garden will be real
riches. comparatively speaking, If he can
only manage to have it done. or
himself; but it takes 80 much time, and talking,
and influence. / am afraid be will get all worn
out in trying, and we urge him to let II all alone,
ana just live along as we are. But then he says
no, he accepted the trust from his father to clear
our fortunes out of the estate. and he never will
rest till he does it. What do we care about for
tunesg'
"They are very pleasant things-fortunes-
nevertheless" said their listener.
- wal Iva Vi 0pVu AthAoS1lf
said Kate. II know he thinks he is doomed.
For sometimes" lowering her trembling tones,
he looks at us, and see tears swim into his
eyes, and l know he is thinking who will take
care Of US and stand between us and the world,
after he is gone; and then we all make believe
we are so merry, and Helena begins to play a
tarantella, and Anna begins to sing and dance it
as If she was so gay she couldn't keep still, and
| just sit and hold his hand. OH! / don't think
| can bear i'll"
"Idon't know if it's all for us that sometimes
Kirke is 80 dull, said Helena. "Once in a while
| fancy there was somebody in Forida-and you
know kirke is so high spirited that he never
would marry if he thought his health did not
justify it. If he thought he was not going to live.
And then | don't know but he may have reasoned
that he ought not to marry with US on his hands
and. oh, you don't believe" cried Helena, quite
breaking down, that we are really stand
ing in the way of Kirke's happiness, we
three great, useless girls9 1t would break our
hearts! And it would be so lovely if he had a
beautiful wife to make him as happy as he has
always made us, and to be one of us. too, even
If she had to live in our crowded quarters. We
would do everything for her-only it seems as
though it should be happiness enough for her
just to be Kirke's wife"
"Kirke Is SO bright. and sunny, and original"
said Kate, taking up the burden.
II think [ am awfully good to listen to you"
said their friend, ssince | am not in love with
him, and since
"Oh, but he is always saying and doing such
unexpected t~hings-once he took all our Christ
mas presents, what they would have cost, you
know, and made us send a man diving of con-
sumption out to Texas, and called him our emil
grant, and followed his fortunes. and the mans
alive now on a rancho, and bringing out other
consumptives. Oh. yes. kir;e always comes in
cheerful, he always has something to tell. he al
ways has some new pleasures to propose, 1T it's
only q night at the theater."
And he makes you leave off thinking Of your
self by giving you something else to think of.
He tells US of people he has found poorer than
we are, and he says If we have nothing else to
give We can give ourselves; and he goes with us
sometimes. and comes for US other times. when
we go to sit and read with persons who are bed
ridden and disabled and have nobody. Oh, there
never was such a man as Kirke! He's too good
for this worldw
'Nonsenset' said the friend. "Nobody's too
good for this world. But | will admit, having
known him all my life, that he's better than any
body else in this world"
well, it makes us cringe sometimes to think
how perfect he is, and how miserable he is. It's
just in the line of the way things move that we
should lose him because he's so invaluable, and
So"
Things don't move that way" said Helena.
Its wicked to say SO. Only. If anything should
happen to Kirke, it would happen just the same
to all of as. he is SO precious TO US, and we do SO
want him to live after all these weary years in
which he has had so little ease and happiness of
his own. He has been living fathers life and
ours, not his own" And just then the key
turned in the latch, and Kirke came in. the tall,
bright, knightly fellow, and after the exhaustion
of a fit of coughing had subsidized, pro-
ceeded to show the girls and their
a most interesting trick. which turned a parcel
of pennies into a shower of chocolate creams,
and then he took from his great coat pocket the
last new poem, and read a part of it to them;
and, after the friend had gone, out came the
maps illustrating his business schemes with the
old house and land, and he explained anew to
the sisters his immediate plans. showing them
the advantage Of this and she disadvantage OF
that. IF the city does this, it is ease and
competency for us ALL" he said. But lately
it has seemed to me that if 1 could possibly DO it
myself, or with The aid of but one or two others
one or two others l must have-thcn it is alb
solute wealth. And I've half the mind to try.
Half the mind,o he saId. Il mean to try.
know of a good fellow down on Ferncroft Hill,
with plenty of ready money. l think he would
do anything l askei-I know l would do. any
thing he asked. If I could get him to go into
this, I could get Colonel Evans, too, and
comes to me like an inspiration-and you
should always attend to an inspiration Or the
spot If it wasn't SO confoundedly cold and raw
ard getting up for a clustering night, I'd be dis
posed to try it. And don't know why the
weather should stand in the way. l might take
the 3 O'Clock train to morrow, if / don't find
Ferncroft in town. that gets me down at half
past 4-do my work there-take the train for
Evanston afterwards, and be back in
the midnight train. No matter if ii is
Saturday. And if I succeed. then she
whole things as good as done-my girls are in
dependent, let what will follow-and possibly
possibly And when the girls had gone off
behind their screens to their sofa beds. and he
had tired himself puzzling over his accounts,
where for years few had been the pennies to be
recorded as wasted, he still sat there, with the
last of the fire THROWING its flicker over wa lis
and d~raperies IN all fantastic shadows, lost in a
happy dream, the place full of visions. all ris-
ing from that one word possibly"
Poor Kirke Outerbridge! Since the years of
his early manhood no one had ever tested more
fully than he the truth of the words that
man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.
From the day his father died and left on his
hands his three sisters, and the most curiously
involved estate that ever fed lawsuits, he had
never known what rest was. Now he saw rest
Just before him. How fair looked it's green wales