Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-08-25

had been his brothers wife for several
years that he heard at all of this MARI.
age seeming TO him so extraordinarily
incongruous and unsuitable. He could
not reconcile it with her appearance, her
manner, her pretensions, now that he had
seen her once again in the splendor of
young womanhood.
The jo,ial good-fellowship of the kindly
squire offended him. He felt as If he
could not bear to see husband and wife
together, to hear Halls lanky girls claim
her as their mother. But Lancelot Barks-
dale had noble nature and strong
will. Resolutely he trampled out the
fire that had so suddenly been kindled
up within him. Kitty was no longer
it was long indeed since she had ceased
to be-the sovereign of his dreams. This
brief madness at an end, he would be
able TO take her by the hand like loyal
and honorable gentleman as he was.
This reverie was brought to a prosaic
ending by the appearance Of Hal Mt his
elbow, looking like an amiable young
Bacchus, SO ruddy were his cheeks, so
broad his smile Of pride over the beaded
goblet he presented to the traveller.
Drink this, my dear boy" cried the
Virginian, "and if in your travels you
have come across a beverage to beat it,
may / never compound another julep."
Absurd as it seemed to a man of
Lancelot's temperate habits to partake
of stimulants at the meridian of an after
/ in he. taI hAl
Of the amber liquid, wherein strawber-
ries coquetted with sprigs of mint in
mass of finely-splintered ice. Your
brew does you credit, Hal" he said,
gayly. And now to pay my respects to
the ladies. You haven't told me what
welcome to expect from my step-mother.
I'm in her debt for long list of boun-
ties in my bayhood, and to have been
separated from her all these years
through the estrangement of that miser-
able war has been real pain"
At this moment in came Mrs. Barks.
dale the elder to answer for herself. She
had been told by the house-maid of the
arrival Of a guest, and with the usual
cordiality of her kind, hastened in to do
the honors. my dear Lance. she cried,
after a momentary survey Of extreme
astonishment. Il am glad to welcome
you once more to Cherrycote.
"If you knew how much those words
convey to mel" returned Barksdale with
real feeling. taking her thin. old hands
and kissing them. Il am alone in the
world since my old aunt died. year
ago, and the ties of early association
seem more potent as we get on in life.
think. At any rate. have fairly longed
to make friends with you all again. and
such welcome as you and Hal have
extended to me heals many wound of
time"
And am far too old to indulge in
rancor," said the old lady. tears coming
into her eyes. "Now that our fearful
war is over, can regret the violence Of
feeling with which we went into il. Oh,
Lance. am glad your poor dear father
was spared seeing his state conquered.
| think it would have killed him. But
let by cones be by-gones. We must agree
not to talk about the war. 1t was kind
Of you to come 80 far to see us once again,
and we will make you comfortable,
though things are not as they were al
Cherrycote. am sure you are glad to
find Hal married and settled so happily
Poor as we are, his little wife is such q
manager l have given up the housekeep-
ing entirely into her hands. And those
sweet children! Dear me! Here am for
getting that Kate wants you to come out
to the garden, Hal. She wishes to con-
suit you about her flower beds. Don't tell
her Lance is here, for she has not the
least tdea who il is. The children said il
was Mr.. Lewis come to see their papa
about the sheep. They have gone with their
auntie to pick Strawberries for tea, but
you shall soon see them all. Lance, you
must be taken to your room. But here
comes Hal again with Kate. Dear boy!
he is so affectionate, and though you
never knew her intimately, believe,
Kate knows you well by reputation"
At this point, when good Mrs. Barks-
dale paused for breath in her flow of
cordial greeting, Lancelot felt his tenn
Piles throb. and sort of mist pass before
his eyes. Through the open door Of the
veranda Hal hurried, followed by a lady,
and in a single brief and blissful moment
Lancelot became aware of the fact that
Halls Kitty was not his own @bride of
old dreams, whose spell went with him
still. In plain words, Mrs. Barksdale
the younger was the cousin with the
dimples-also a Kate Morris-whose
given name had long ago departed from
Lancelot's recollection Of the lady, had
he ever thought of it, indeed. In the
confusion of his ideas during the mo.
ments that followed this discovery he
was absorbed with q longing TO satisfy
himself at once about the Kitty. ~The
only one worthy of that sweet, old
fashioned name" he said, in his joyous
heart, for lovers, as we know, glorify
everything, even the homely nomenclat-
ure Of ancestral days.
She came in soon to answer for herself,
the little girls, as before, twining around
her waist and clinging to her skirts.
Il wonder. Kitty dear. IL you remem-
Der my Oldest son, Lancelot," said good
Mrs. Barksdale, with an accent Of pride
in her presentation of the stranger.
The evening sunlight slanted through
western window Of the old oak-pan-
elled dining-room. Lancelot stood with
his back TO it, his face in shadow, but the
searching radiance brought out every ex.