The Irish standard., 1890-09-13
shich somehow had fallen from the


lsrhich somehow had fallen from the
trees. = - Isl 8ss III 3l
ssOh. the dear, dear little things
cried Kate, her blue eyes glittering, her
damask cheek laid softly against the
callow nestlings. . s.zs
s..'I thought you would Like to see
Them said Charley. And then, all in
a second, he took both her hands, birds
NEST and all, in his, swayed by Q sudden
| burst of impulse.
Kate = cried he; Il love you! Obi
nv dearest, you must. have known it
long ago.
But she pulled her hands indignantly
away from him.
..How dare you speak 80 tome, Mr..
Daggett?'' said she. And the next in
slant she was gone.
Charley Dagg ett lookod after herewith
panied and beWildered face, like one
who has received mortal wound Was
| 1t, then, possible that he hadS5been so
fatally mistaken? That all this time
Kate Blessington had only been anus
ing herself at his expense;
Trying to break country heart
:
While up in her own room Kate Bless
| ington burst into passion Of tears,
whether Of pain or pleasure, she could
hardly tell. g.s
81 liked him so much" she sobbed
out ssOh, I did like him SO much--and,
now But the idea Of his daring to tell
me that he loved me! Pill go home to-
| morrow
And the picnic by the mountain
spring, whereat Mr.. Daggett was to be
instructed in the mysteries OF Madran-
ello's recipe for salad-dressing, never
came to pass.
The old housekeeper in the Fifth
avenue mansion stared when she opened
the door to Miss Blessington, who had
driven up to the front steps in cab.
piled high with luggage, in the purple
dusk of the summer evening.
SIS nv uncle at home, Priscilla?'
''Well, Miss Kate" stamrnered the
astonished old lady, she just amt, and
that's fact!"
''Gone to his club?"
emo, Miss Kate, not ezackly."
s'Where is he then?"
Didn't you git his letter, miss?"
questioned the old woman.
II have got no letter. He isn't sick? ?"
mo, miss, but he's married.
''Married?"
Miss Blessington sat down in the big
hall-chair.
''My uncle? And to whom?
''To Miss Nina Grey!"
china Greyr' gasped Kate. ''Pris-
ella, you must be dreaming. She's
younger than ann
II amt, miss, no nore'n yourself.
He sailed for Europe, on Saturday, with
his bride. Dear me, here's the letter now,
in the rack. l s'posed it had been
mailed week ago."
A cold, clear, cutting letter in which
MIR. Orlando Blessington expressed his
conviction that in rearing and educat-
ing his niece he had done all that
could possibly be expected of him.
That he had just been married to pretty,
little Nina Grey, his partners young
est daughter, and that hereafter he
hoped that Kate would find it conyen-
lent to shift for herself, as Nina pre-
ferred no divided rule in the Fifth av-
enue mansion.
Poor Kate!
Once, twice, she read the letter over
before she found herself able fully to
comprehend it's cold, cruel meaning;
and then, with her eyes blinded with
tears, she turned to Priscilla.
81 may stay here tonight, I sup
noseY' she said with culver in her
voice.
''As long as you please, Miss Kate?
cried the old woman.
'&No,'' she returned more firmly; ''this
is no longer my home. Only-only I
have nowhere else to CO. just yet, and
all this seems SO sudden
Mrs. Daggett could hardly believe her
eyes, the next week, when Miss Bless
ington came back to the old farmhouse
among the Berkshire hills.
'tYou are surprised to see me-" said
Kate, with faint smile. 'But-but
things have altered with me. My uncle
has married girl younger than myself,
and turned me in civil sort of way,
to be sure--out Of doors. | have got to
work for my living now. And there are
50 few things, short Of genteel starva-
ton, that woman can do! So I
CHANGED to remember what you said
about a school-teacher being needed at
the Hadden Cross Roads public-school,
where nobody liked to go, because it was
such an unhealthful location, and the
scholars all so rough and stupid. But
beggars mustn't be choosers, and l
thought th at perhaps Charley-Mr Dag
gett-coulta see the trus tees for me, in
day or two"
Certainly" said Mrs. Daggett. "And
you're kindly welcome, Miss Blessing
ton, back to the old farm"
But Kate cried herself to sleep that
first night in the sweet old room, where
the sweet brier bushes sent up SO subtle
fragrance, and the walls were papered
with blue-and-wh stripes.
$50 you are back, Miss Blessingtonp
said Charley, when he met her, the
next day
''Yes, am back"
''And you want to go to teaching?"
Eyes
But once heard you say you detest-
ed school teaching"
$50 do.''
| Mn. 5o- k>, 10