The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-06
A RECONCILIATION

hood he had been cared for by the part
ner of his dead father, and il came about
accidentally that he took the name OF his
benefactor, and that the public. or rather
that small part Of ii acquainted with Kane
Perrin, merchant prince, n his affairs
knew not which of his two sons, John or
Burchell, was the dearer To him.. Ger
tainly few suspected that N wal only q
son by adoption.
The days of boyhood passed. The col
lege days ended. The young men were
never apart. Their friendship was closer
than il would have been had they been
brothers by natural ties, for the affection
which exists between those who are a kin
lacks these elements Of mystery and Of
contrast which sweetens the friendship Of
those who meet by chance and owe
through election.
ave are queer people," said Burchell
one day when the two had been home
from college a month. ~ am sure We are
not lazy. In fact l believe we are perfect
reservoirs of force. But we do not seem
TO be i'm "a rush to go to work. ! suppose
il is the natural repose of our
eh? But we must buckle down.. Father"
-Burchell always used to call his benz
factor father-"ought to take a rest, and
since we have put aside the idea of dag
zling the bar or pulpit, and la decided
to be nothing but common place young
men in a dry goods shop, il woul be bet
ter for us to go to work and make places
for ourselves. Father has taken care of
us long enough, ! guess"
John did not answer. He was lying
stretched at full length on the sofa and
his face was pale and his eyes languid
and evasive.
you're not yourself. lad,' said Burch-
ell. you've no ideas"
"Thank you," said John. ~ take the
implied compliment. ! am to suppose
that when l am myself l do have IDEAS"
swell, l made no insinuations. But !
must say you do not act as il you were up
to par. What has gone wrong? Of
course l do not expect you To DOL as joy
full as / do. You nave not the same rea-
son for doing so.' Burchcll colored a lit
tie and laughed i'm enjoyment none the
less hearty for being a little shamefaced.
Then he took a portrait out of his pocket
"a bit of exquisite work of ivory-and
looked at il with the flush on his face
deepening. II say he said in a sort of
whisper, THAT is about the pleasantest
thing a man ever looked at, isn't it," He
held il out in his old boyish way for John
TO sec. The young man took the portrait,
~languidly turned II so that the light would
fall on il and looked at it long enough to
please even his companion.
ut is beautiful" he said as he handed
il back. ut is piquant. But IL is not
calm, nor candid, Miss Dover looks rest
less, my dear fellow, and i never like to
have a woman look restless.n
"But that" broke in Burchell impet-
nously, "was taken before"-he hest
tated.
"Oh. yes. / see. 1t was taken, my
I@-. m. Lr-un $500, ill -. 49,. -.
loved her. You think she must be con-
tented now"
"Johnw
"That's all right. old man. OF course
she Is contented. How could she help AZ"
He lounged out of the ROOM, pausing at
the door to bestow a smile upon his friend.
n the smile was more hooking than
friendly. The other man stood looking
after him, astonished and dismayed. II
was the first time the two had ever spoken
TO each other with covert meaning. He
stood SO, with n dozen different emotions
conflicting in his heart-a half formed
suspicion, n passion of grief, a hot sensa-
ton of anger, a bafiied feeling-he hardly
knew how to define his state, when the
door opened and n servant brought n let
ter to him.. The superscription set his
pulse TO leaping. He burst the seal and
read:
Ny DEAR BrRcHEII-Let me break to YOU
IN The FIRST line thai the contents Of this letter
NV iiiNt tt Nihl'hs NV Ut " IliitI U
shrink from the writing of twill he, 10 say the
least. very distressing Ia you. ] have "A comics.
sion Ia make which Is hnmiliating 10 me-, and
which must cause You anger and suffering IL not
sorrow of a more intense kind. ] 10 not express
myself well, but perhaps ! am not Ia he blamed
for that. Dear Burclicll, we have been lovers
after "A fashion for ~ many years. thai il seemed
quite natural when You came home the other
day that you, should ask me to marry YOU, and
that ! should consent. But since then l have
been awakened. ! have undergone u terrible
experience, and II IL has enriched life IL has also
made j. terribly sad. | have met your brother.
lon will say there Is nothing in that that ! have
met him a Thousand times. But you will under
stand that since we met two years ago, before
talked with him, nor in a way noticed him. Since
then we have both changed very much. l saw
him two days after ] promised 10 he your wife.
you. But this Is different. You can imagine
how different IT is when ! tell You that
stu love you in Imst The same way
John is the only man would be willing to die
for. ] thought l could always keepthis a secret,
hut do moi know how it was, We merely looked
Since then we have been unable 10 keep from
speaking the truth 20 each other. John begged
me 10 marry you. He said he would 90 away
and that We should never meet again, aud that
could not but be. happy with you. OH Bur
chell, you do not know how we have suffered.
And after thinking and thinking III my head
and my heart seem broken and crushed. ] have
concluded 70 be honest with you. That Is best.
John Is going away; We shall never meet. We
do not intend to be happy at your expense. am
going 10 live without love. for | renounce both
you and him.. I shall try To live an unselfsh
life in which l shall he worthy OF the regard you
have both given me. hut marriage with you
would have been a crime. I could not do you
that injustice. Please do not come To see me.
DO not even force yourself TO say that you for
give me-. You can not now. Let time do the
work for us all. Yours, in sincerest regret,
KATHERINE DOVER.
Burcbell read IL through twice. Ii was
growing twilight. The yellow glow from
the west gave everything a look Of I'M
reality. He felt himself as II he might be
but a ghost or a man playing a part. He
put on his hat and went out into the wicTd
light. In the garden he saw John walk