St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-24
CHAPTER |.

FASCINATING KITTY
"Kitty. you really have behaved very
badly!"
Eyes. jack"
81 want you to try and realize how
angry all his people are about it-how
very reasonably angry. Kitty"
Eyes, john"
land surely you must see for your
self that it is not-that it s-that--"
Yes. John julius"
She was standing directly facing him
as he sat in his library chair, turned a
little from his writing table: and be-
hind her. seen through the oriel win
dow, vast eXpanse of Snow-covered
meadow and woodland made curiously
still, cold background for the warm lit
tie figure, so full of vitality even in Its
repose.
She had uttered her three replies with
a serious meekness which to the unin-
ttiated would have implied the utmost
penitence and every intention Of in
Simultaneous amendment.
kitty, you wicked little thingw he
said.
Eyes, jack" more demurely than
ever.
"Don't stand there looking as inno-
cent and harmless as lamb. Come
here"
AREN'T too wicked. John Julius?"
As she spoke the words, in the small
est voice imaginable, she raised her
eyes. They were dancing and CLEAN
ing with fun and mischief.
"Poor old boy" she said, with comic
accent of coincidence in her mischieyOus
voice, II have been rather bad this
time. haven't 1?'
Twill you promise me not to do it
again, Kit?''
He had asked her this question, on an
average, certainly once month in the
course of the last two years.
"Don't you think, Jack, I'd perhaps
better not promise?"
"Why nOt?"
"Well-you see-perhaps-don you
understand, it isn't that mean to firt,
it's Just that do it, and then, what's
the good of promising? Suppose l say
I'll try? Won't that do, Jack? Won't
it? Are. you angry with me, Jack? Look
at mel"
She put her two hands under his chin,
as she spoke, and turned his face up
until it was close to hers.
Then they both laughed, and he gave
up the struggle, as usual.
There were fifteen years between that
brother and sister; but there was very
little of the paternal element about his
relations with her. Kitty's mother had
years her big brother had been de-
voted slave and play-fellow.
But before long, John Faulkner be-
came conscious of difficulty, a perplex-
ity, for which, in his innocence, he had
been so entirely unprepared, that it was
sometime before he thoroughly realized
whence it arose. Kitty was growing up.
He had, of course, expected that she
would, though, perhaps, she had ac-
complished the process somewhat rap
idly. But all girls grow up, sooner or
later, and, on the whole, grown-up
girls were nicer that not grown-up
i'm every stage of her existence. Kitty
was extremely pretty. That also was
quite as it should be-he liked pretty
girls.
But-Kitty was an outrageous little
fiirt.
Now, John Faulkner, though a sens
ible man enough, had never had any OBJ
lection to little Irritation on his own
account; in fact, he had rather liked it.
But that was very different matter.
To pick up the glove thrown down by a
pretty fiirt, is one thing. To be re-
| sponsible for that same pretty flirt, to be
| made to feel abjectly Apologize to her
victim to be necessarily tormented by
anxiety as to what her next proceeding
may be, is quite another. John Faulk-
ner, when this new phase of Kitty's de-
| yelopment finally dawned upon him,
| when brOtherly blindness could nc
| longer deceive him, decided with con-
mendable promptitude that the moment
| had arrived when his authority-the
| authority at once of elder brother and
| guardian-must be eXerted once and for
| all. Kitty must not, Kitty should not,
flirt.
This mornings Interview had been a
| repetition of many that had preceded
| it. He had called her into the library
there was certain solemnity about the
| library which he vaguely hoped might
be a help to HMM sheer desperation,
feeling that something really must be
| done. Her last eScapade had drawn q
stately remonstrance from the victim s
mother, and he could not, no, he could
/! not and would not, stand it. But in.
| stead of the new scene which he had sc
carefully rehearsed-by himself-they
| had only gone through one of the old
scenes over again.
| He resigned himself, as usual, with a
| deep sigh; and, being of sanguine dis
| position. determined TO hope for the
best. Kitty proceeded to change the
| subject.
ssWhat lot of letters. Jack" she
said, with every appearance of the keen.
est interest. He fell into the little trap
at once.
There's one from Lindsay" he an.
sWered. Hes coming on the 6:15. It's
rather awkward, for Pm afraid ] shall
hardly be back from Blackford by the
time he arrives. L must go. If an
not back, will you be good. serious
Kitty. and receive him nicely for me?'i
AREN'T you afraid, Jack?"
eff you only knew himi' he gasped
| at last. "Oh, Kit, If you only knew him.
No. my dear, you'll hardly believe it.
but Pm not in the least afraid, not in
the very least"
''Why, Jack, what is he like?" said
| Kitty, with naive establishment.
He won't interest you, my dear.
wish thought he would. He's much
too-too solid and sensible. Pm afraid
you'll find him little dull. Come, be a
good girl, and promise me to be nice to
him, for your old brothers sake, even
if he does bore you bit. He's thor
ough good sort at the bottom"
| "What is he on the top?o
| 'We)l-well, at the top there's no de-
| nyIng that he's lust trifi6 solemn.