Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-15
CHAPTER ulCoSr1suEp


Then he returned to his guests, who
were wondering at his absence. He
heard voice whispering in his ears
above the gay strains of the music.
you've lost everything said the
voice; ''you and Kitty are paupersw
But when people asked him whittier he
had gone he made light answers, Snd in
the very teeth OF generally announced
departure he babe the musicians strike
up polka and danced at his merriest
pace with two or three different part
ners.
The farewells now followed, and ex-
-cept for Kathleen, her mother, his sis
ter, Mrs. Van Santvoord, and five or six
other loiterers, the rooms were soon de-
serted.
you're to dine with us this even
ing" Kathleen said to him.
'sNo-I can't"
''You can'ti Why-has anything hap
pened?'
eyes," and he quickly told her of the
suicide of his uncle's partner.
ut will cause great trouble, you IN
derstand-pecuniary trouble. / am
afraid that there is disgrace behind the
suicide. 1t looks as if Chichester had
robbed the firm Of large amounts" He
hated to tell her that her wealth had
vanished into air, though he felt secure
1y certain that she would brim with
compassion and devotion the moment
that she learned the full truth. Had they
not had many sweet confidential talks
together before their engagement and
since? And during such talks had he
not seen straight into her frank, disin-
terested young soul? Long ago, how
ever, he had realized that here mother
NEea IF Ha6
dane ambition. and that she had sane
toned her daughters lietrotha1 from
motives that were III the main sordid
ones.
Don't mention money losses to your
mother, my dearest he said. ST would
rather speak to her on that point my
self" Then, with a meaning pressure
OF her hand, he added: eff don't see
you again this evening 1 shall be
wretched. But must talk with Kitty,
and after that my poor uncle, who is
-half-crazed by the suddenness OF this
blow, will need me at his house. Still,
will try to get to you, but if I fail for
give ne and pity mei'
Very soon afterward Kathleen left
with her mother It CHANGED that
Alonzo noted the parting look which
Mrs. Kennaird swept about those lux
-urious rooms. It seemed to say, that
look of hers: ''My child will soon be
Installed here, mistress of all this grace
and grandeur" And Alonzo, with Sc
.cret catching of the breath, bethought
himself of the dizzy downfall which
this woman's ambition must soon sus-
tain. He pitied her; it was his nature
to Go thai, and yet already he could feel
his spirit stirred against her by forces
of antagonism ard revolt. What
trouble might she not make, in her i'm
periously disappointed way, for the
daughter whose bright nuptial future
would have grown null? but than
Heaven, Kathleen's love was proof
against all suasion of this merely sordid
kind. Against that stanch fortress the
maternal guns might thunder futile
broadsides-
lust as Mrs. Van Santvoord was glid-
ing from the room her brother and she
met face to face. He had been down
stairs, putting the Kennairds into their
rather shabby hired carriage. His eyes
were sparkling little unwontedly, and
he had not the least tint of color.
'Oh, Kitty" he said, Il forgot to tell
You something. wish you'd stay here
about ten minutes or so longer, won't
-you?'
''Stay?" yvhined Mrs. Van Santvoord,
and she looked toward the gentleman
at her side. He was her latest caprice,
and she rarely appeared anywhere
without him. He had an amber mus
tache and babyish blue eyes.
I've promised Mr.. Pettigrew," she
began, ''that-"
you'd walk home with him." fin
Sished Alonzo. Jack will excuse you
this once, I'm sure" And he laid a
Of
who instantly produced a smile that
was a union of fawless teeth and two
highly-developed dimples-
But when her Jack had gone and
she was left alone in the vacated draw
ing-rooms with her brother, Mrs. Van
Santvoord gave long, bored sigh.
Il told them not TO bring the car
rage, Lonz," she fumed, dropping into
a chair Hector said he might turn
up, but he hasn't and you know he never
does any earthly thing that he promises
he'll do. So now you'll have to send
me home in your carriage, for it's freez-
ingly cold outside, let alone being dark
as pitch. And 1 ought to have got
home an age ago. I refused the Bar
tholofnew's dinner because it's q Patri-
arch's ball night. Oh, know you're not
going because for some reason the Ken.
na1ruS haven't Deen ASKED Du1 IudJ :
nothing to me, Lonz, you know, and
I've promised to dance the cotillon with
that dear, lovely Mark Manhattan"
''M-yes," replied Alonzo, musingly.
''Is he the expected successor of Jack
Pettigrew?"
''Lonz! how can your reproached his
sister. ''The word successor is per
fectly insulting. 1 don't know what
you mean by it!''
She was very pretty as she sat there
before her brother, with her trim neat
figure, her clear-cut, supercilious little
blonde face, her Partisan gown and its
harmonious adjunct of n jaunty bonnet
The late dance had given her cheeks g
becoming pink tint; her foes were apt
to say of her that she was too pale, anG
perhaps a few of them said it because
they wanted to tempt her into rouging
which would have been salient peg or
which to hang their slurs. The ''Hec
tor to whom she had just referred was
her husband, whom she had married
when she was only eighteen, clipping
with him for that purpose, and whom