Little Falls transcript., 1886-04-09


! word, commenced mot to look Slona but
tomourn Mmsat lost TO hsf, Indeed. 5s#
And Maud Anthony, to whom aA this
Was due, rejoiced TINT Wilkes seemed 10
have suddenly ceased to visit Ahe sl.aneR
alld ttrove with renewed efforts 10 en-
.tangle the handsome yo,lng telloW-tcr
Wilkes Lee was consid the best netdh
the village afforded. .Btit with all thb
pleasing ways she could affect llksg
seemed hnpregnable to her Atteznptg.
s Indeed, no one knew that he even noticed
her, save Katie, who looked on j1alouEly,
\ SthinkfngEhe could no longer hold Is pladk
by her side. In Katie presence alone did
Wilkes seem to care IN the least for the
t1lrt. After q while he cast even her off,
and disappeared entirely. All, Katie! the
battle was more than half fought when
yyuuseaat the love of q man, pure and TN
divided, from you. This las 6tly T. little
struggle before che actual defeAt. rs 81
There was grand hall at the Anthonws;
positively the affair Of the season, those
said who, ought to know. OF course all
the fashionable people would be there; no
one world miss such a chance to show
themselves; as this bal masque afforded.
The Lane carriage Has In attendance, ana
Katie was Ehan~ looking prettier than
ever; tride paler than usual, no .donbt,,
though for the world she would not have
had the sharp-sightea gossips surmise the
real cause. s..-
Tue ball was in fun blast when the close
carriage of the Lees WAS whirled up to tho
door, and the occupants, en costume, an-
hounced. No one doubted, even for q
moment that that tall, distinguished look
ing fellow, with lady leaning heavily on
his ar m was Wilkie Lee; but who was his
| companion--who was she? This was with
all the theme of wonder, none the
less with Katie than with the coquette.
Maud Anthony. Some said twas his
wife; perhaps he had married in foreign
{ land. Some said no; Mrs. Lee had said
only to-day that Wilkes was coming home
unmarried.
And so while all wondered, no one
knew. Katie's, wandering little heart sank
still lower as she saw what care and at
tention the young man bestowed upon his
companion. 'awas well her face was con-
eealed beneath the simple milk-maid's
dress; otherwise some might have said
she still cared FOR him.
And, think you, this verdict would have
been wrong? very much suimise it
would not
The mask seemed not 10 have any eyes
Or ears for anything save the lady beside
hiM. And lower and lower sank Katie's
poor little heart us the evening wore on,
and still Wilkes made no effort to dis
,tinguish her from among Ehe crowd. At
last when she could constrafn herself no
longer, she quietly slipped away from the
throng and went out into the moonlit gar
den and ,wept alone, in seat under the
| trees.
A long time she snt thus, when with
| the thought that she would be missed, she
| started up.
A hand was laid gently on her arm.
"Stay a moment, Katie I want to
| speak with you q nloment.''
l.. Twas Wilkes Lees voice, :terfa Katie
/ struggled to get from the grasp that de-
tanned her.
| Katie, I heard what you said that
day under the clnis; did you mean ity"
| His warm breath touched her face.
"No, Wilkes, l did not. was pro.
voked," came falteringly, hesitatingly,
from Katie's rosy lips What if, after
all, he had been true to her? She could
not help thinking Of 1t.
| And you love me still?'
"I have always loved you, Wilkes"
&c Then You own up that you are de"
feated, Katle?" j..
"But what Of that lady who ts With
| you? She is yo1t=-"
! "Mother my darlffg; and you are 70
be MY wife"
Reader, never was good at =, por-
traying scenes like the sone which follow:
ed. Perhaps some Of you can imagine
what it was: AS for me, j know only by
Imagination, never having been there.
Suffice to say, q few days after there was q
wedding somewhere and some one, which
means Katie, was married to some one
which means Wilkes Lee, the one who SC
unwillingly became once a participator IL
Katie's defeat.