Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-22

Did it mean that he might bring her Ger.
tain tidings Of Alonzo. Did it mean TINS!
Did it really mean this? Or was she In
fected with the fervor of her mothers over
leaping ambition? Her mother! The
sense Of that personality, that companion
ship, so tremendous, 30 drastic IN It's IN
fuence its, domination, terrified her. She
looked into her own brain, as 1t were, and
found there nothing but depressing tumult.
How would she act if action should indeed
be required of her? No, no; the need OF
such action would not, could not come. He
King! It was faulty to dream OF what
her mother had so boldly prophesied. Her
hands were at intervals very tremulous
while she dealt with her toilet; and once or
twice she felt as if she must desist from 1t
and seek the one sort of aid that just then
would have been least to her taste -,
But when the King came she received
him with much composure. Her mother
was to-day in visible throes To Kathleen
her disaray was pathetic. The Perturoed
lady gave one or two spasmodic curtsles
which were q mournfuI travesty of her
usual serene equipoise. She was so drunk
with the heady wine furnished by the fact
of this fourth roval visit that exhilaration
made her almost stagger. Clarimond, calm
and gentleman-like, as usual, appeared to
notice nothing. "Perhaps," thought Kath-
leen, ''he is used to such groveling servillty.
Poor mamma, will she ever get out OF the
room with q decent grace, she who has
prided herself for years on doing nothing
awkwardly."
But at last the door closed on Mrs. Ken
nalrd's ducking and bringing figure AS
this happened Kathleen breathed an
audible sigh of reliet. The sigh ended in a
feverish laugh, and she said, with sudden
candor to her guest:
"Tt's dreadful how you've demoralized
my mother You must see, 80 mention
it"
''Demoralized herr II"
ooh, then you don't see, monsieur,
mamma isn't accustomed to kings; that is
ALL"
"And are you?" he said, with his sweet,
kind smile. They were now seated opposite
one another, and near a large window that
gave q fine view OF the mountains and Q
still finer view of his white, any-turreted
palace.
'tNo," she answered. "But, mamma
Oh, YOU must have noticed. You're a roy
alty, as they call it, and you've turned her
head. It's odd, too, for she has met all
sorts of great people-prime ministers,
dukes, even the English Prince himself
seem so vulgar when I talk like this! I
do hope you'll excuse me. No doubt
you're used to embarrassing people-espe-
cially Americans.
He shook his head, smiling 'T have al
ways thought it rather hard to embarrass
Americans" he replied. ''One in particu-
lar" he added; and then his smile deepened,
as he wa ched her with q glance full of
drollery both frank and sly.
'T you mean me, monsieur" she re-
turned, with a slight shrug, 'T am some
how proof against all surprises. It's very
scandalous, no doubt, to acknowledge as
much at my age"
'sScsndaious?" he said, with q swiftly
changing manner. "What a name to call
honesty by!''
''Oh, am not so honest, assure you."
'There you confessed that you are. Any
one else would have spoken SO differently"
ANY other-woman, you mean?"
"Well, yes," he assented.
Sand other women, when they talk with
you, monsieur, are anxious to convince you
of their honestly"
"Well, yes"
Kathleen seemed to muse little, Gowly
shaking her head. "That is because you
are you"
He made an impatient gesture. Its 1t so
conductive to feminine deception, then, this
being I, as you put it." And without wait
ing for her to respond, he went on: "What
made me in the first place like you 50 much,
Madamoiselle, was your forgetfulness of
who I really am.
81 did not forget 1t in the least, however.
I cultivated myself into seeming as if
did"
"Ah, YOU'RE bent on discouraging mev
'No, Monsieur, only on telling you the
truth
''The truth from people never disappoints
me-"
"Are you sure?" she murmured, . little
vagely, not meeting his look.
He gave slight start 'Not quite sure,
not quite sure in your case. For example
it did disappoint me to learn that you are
unhappy" She would not admit that she
had ever confessed this to him during their
previous talks, and tor good while they
gently battled with one another concerning
what human happiness truly means, until
Clarimond at last said, with an accent of
mild irritation:
''For man or woman of reasonable age
there is but one perfect kind of happiness.
The heart is a mill, whose wheel should
always turn in full stream and grind forth
golden grain. The soul, like wealthy
miller, must be buoyant and gladstone at the
labor performed; the deeper he is covered
with the dust of that delicious industry the
more prosperous he rates himself while he
Looks forth on the world deied by his
hearts consoling thrift
''It is not everybody" smiled Kathleen,
as the speaker paused, "who can be both
king and poet in one short life"
care you now satirical, mademoiselle?"
'No, no! But 1 am skeptical. There are
so few hearts like that-mine, fear, is
an idle mill wheel above an empty stream
bedr
"Yet one whose waters have been dried.
Or, if not dried, cruelty damned"
81 have not said that, monsieur"
''You say more, I find, than you mean to
say"
':And yet you do not think me deceitful;
you have granted as much"
His eyes for an instant seemed to caress
her face. II think you strangely miser-
able" he affirmed. Then, lowering his
voice little, and leaning nearer to her, 'I
can't but wonder if you are incurably So"
81 am not miserable" she said with wist-
full ardor of denial s'It is too bad that you
should think this. You said something of
the same sort yesterday. But you are
wrong-wrong. I still have great deal to
live for"
"StiIll And you say that in the early
glow of maidenhood. Still! 1t is amazing.
Or, no; it isn't amazing at all; it's thor
oughly e1plainable. There is something
you want wonder if I could get it for
you"
She shook her head quickly, and then
stared down at the hands which Law like
two pale curled feathers in her lap. "No,
monsieur" she breathed, enshrining the
words as it were, in sort of long sigh. ''It
is nothing that you could get me-"
He accepted her reply as a surrender.
She was sorrower, after all, and the feints
of her assertion to the contrary had been
admittedly futile.