The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-10-16
MRS. DRESDEH'S CLEVERDESS,

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MRS. DRESDEN'S CLEVERNESS.
kathleen Alistone islove1y, Arthur.
Why will you refuse to meet her? If
you two were to fall in love everything
would be SO satisfactory"
AS she spoke, a tiny pucker of dis
content gathered between Mrs. Lena
Dresden's brows.
Her brother laughed easily, but his
own smooth forehead wore a Slight
froWn.
III accept no wife, at living hands
or dead he said, carelessly. my
uncle never prepared NE for such an
act. on his part. or he should have I'M
stood that his nephew was not quite
fool enough to value wealth beyond
freedom. Enough. my dear! Let us
ask our friends to visit us herc-let us
make merry for. the two months during
which am to be master here. and
then the deluge!''
The deluge = indeed, it would be
for Arthur Bancroft; for, from luxury
and idleness he would go forth to pow
erty and labor.
But the dead uncle. who had brought
him up as the heir of Heath had left
so strange Il will-had made him mas
ter of it all but for q year. At the
end of that time if he had not won
the promise Of Miss Kathleen Alistone
to be his wife even though he asked
her and she dcclined-he was to hand
over all to her, and go forth empty
handed. i
Who is Miss Kathleen Alistonepn he
had asked his sister.
1.-THE daughter of the only woman
our uncle ever loved,n she told him. Il
have met her-a bright, sunny girl.
She is to be in our party at Cliffs in
September
Then cross my name from the party
list. y the young man said. CURLY. Il
have no wish to see the lady, and you
may tell her that on the 1st of August
next she shall take pcaccablc posses
sion of Heath"
Nothing that Lena could do or say
had the least weight with him; he
would not, and did not once come
face to face with the girl whom he
declined to WOO, and now it was the
latter part Of May-so near the end Of
the year.
Lena, after she had entered the
house. stood at one of the Windows.
looking out at him as he smoked on
the lawn.
1T is !. thousand pitiesn she cried.
impatiently. rs there no way to set
this tangle straight? Let me think
| again.
She watched the straight, tall figure,
| the lifted head. the clear-cut naughty
face; then her eyes left them. and went
over the lawn, sloping down to the
river. the stately trees the broad and
fruitful lands, the smoking mills. the
grazing herds-all to be lost to Arthur
now so soon, unless
.'Ah!" she breathed. at last; .twhy
did not think of that bcforcp I'll try
it."
She hurried to the library, and was
still busy at q desk there when Arthur
entered half an hour later
i You are writing to invite guests,
are you not?n he asked. carelessly.
Let US have a merry party. What is
the listp'
Martin Lawton and wife," she said.
rather confusedly, gathering up and
folding the sheets on which she had
written. Mrs. Gale and her daughter,
Rowland Dree and his sister. Jack
Wide, Maud Varcoe, young Towers,
and-a girl ! do not think you know
Miss Kittie Stone.''
Kittie Stone! / never heard the
name. The rest / know; but pray de-
scribe Miss Stonc.'
Tall slight, pale, with silvery-
brown hair, and gray ewes flecked with
brown. q. dainty, laughing, merry girl.
whose face and nature are all sunlight.
j How hope she'll GOMEZ
docs she rider"
"She does all things"
1T was a week later that the guests
began to arrive. and one evening. Il,
Arthur stood in the long hall. he heard
a light football on the stairs above. and
4 looked up.
He never forgot TINT first glance
into Il pair Of starry. sunny eyes--that
| first view of !. girlisL, smiling. lovely
4 face.
4 She was clad in some gossamcr thing,
as pale azure us the evening sky, and
i her slight figure moved toward him lis
gracefully rs though "a music.
Lena. who was beside him. intro.
| duced the two, and he wondered why
tho fair. coiorless face grew transientlv
j hot with bushes. shen dinplcd into
4 such rogusll smiles.
: After that. as tile warm June days,