Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-04-18

| 'OeNcTdl people mentioned your KIND
ness and attention to the Clancys Kate.
| have heard it from many sources"
81 wish people would mind their own
affairs" walled Mrs Rayner, poevishly.
$50 do /, Kaee; but they never have,
and never will, especially with an en-
gagged girl. | have more TO complain Of
than you, but it doesn't make me for
lorn, whereas you look fearfuly worried
about nothing
"Who says I'm worried" asked Mrs.
Rayner, with sudden vehemence.
you look worried, Kate, and haven't
been at all like yourself for several DAYS.
Now, why shouldn't go to the hospital
with your Why do you try TO hide YOUR
gong from me? Don't you know that |
must have heard the strange stories that
are lifting about the garrison? Haven't
asked you to set me right if I have
been told wrong one? Kate, you are
fretting yourself to death about some
thing, and the captain looks worried and
ILL., ! cannot but think it has some con-
ncction with the case of Mr. Hayne. WHY
should the Claucvs'-
''You have no right to think any such
thing aus wcred her sister, angriIv
1--WE have suffered too much at his
hands or on his account already, and
never want to hear such words from
your lips. 1t would outrage Capt. Raw
ncr to hear that my sister, to whom he
has given Il home ard u welcome, was
linking herself with those who side with
that-that thief
"Katc! Oh, how can you use such
words: How dare you spcal, SO of an
officer? You would not tell ;Ac what he
was accused Of; but | tell you that if it
be theft | don't believe it, and no one
| else'---
There was a sudden football on the
porch without, and a quick, sharp. i'm
peratiye knock at the door. Mrs. Ray
ner fed back along the ball towards the
dining room. Miss Traver5, hesitating
but a second. opened the door
1t was the soldier telegraph operator
with a dispatch envelope in his hand.
''lt is for Mrs. Bavner, miss, and an
answer is expected. Shall waltz
Mrs Raynor came hastily forward
from her place OF refuge within the din
ing room, took the envelope without a
word and passed into the parior. where,
standing beneath the lamp. she tore it
open, glanced anXioD,ly at its contents,
then threw it with an exclamation Of
peevish indignation upon the table
You'll have to answer for yourself,
Nellie, l cannot straighten your affairs
and mine too And with that She was
going, bat Miss Travers called her back.
The message simply read: "No letter
in four days. Is anything wrong: An
swer paid, and was addressed to Mrs.
Rayucr and signed ). V. y.
Il think you have been extremely neg
lectful.' said Mrs Ravner, who had
turned and now stood watching the
rising color and impatientlv tapping foot
of her younger sister. Miss Travers bit
her lips and compressed them hard.
There was an evident struggle in her
mind between desire to make an i'm
pulsive and sweeping reply and an effort
to control herself.
'Will you answer quiet question or
two4 she finally asked
'Iou know perfectly well will, f." was
the sisterly reioinder.
How long does it take letter to 90
from here to New York
Five CT six days, suppose"
Miss Travers stepped to he door, briefly
told the soldier there was no answer,
thanked him for waiting, and returned.
"Iou are not going to .nply:' asked
Mrs. Rayner, in amaze.
81 am noC; and inferred You did not
intend to. Now another question How
many days have We been here"
Eight or uiue-nine. it is"
"Hou saw me post IA letter to Mr.. Van
Antwerp as we left the Missouri. did YOU
not"
Yes. At least suppose So"
81 wrote again as soon as we got
settled here, three days after that, did 1
NOT
You said YOU did replied Mrs. Ray
ner, ungraciousiy.
'And you, Kate, when YOU are YOUR
self have been prompt to declare that [
say what | mean. Very probably il may
have been four days from the time that
letter from the transfer reached Wall
street to the time the next one could get
to him from here, even had written the
night we arrived. Possibly YOU FORGET
that you forbade my doing so, and sent
me to bed early Mr. Van Antwerp has
! simply tailed 10 remember that h2d gone
several hundred miles farther west, and
even had | written on the train twice a
day. the letters would not have reached
him uninterruptedly. BY this time he is
beginning to get them fast enough. And
as for you, Kate, YOU are quite as unjust
as he. 1t augurs badly for my future
peace; and-l am learning two lessons
here, Kate"
"What two, prav?"
THAT he can be foolishly unreliable
in estimating a woman
"And the other:
''That YOU may be persistently unreli-
able in your Judgment of q man
Verify, for young woman with a
sweet, girlish face whom we saw but a
week agone twitching kittens ears and
saying little or nothing, Miss Trdvers
was displaying unexpected fighting quail
| tiles For n moment. Mrs Ravnor Ciarei