Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-03-23
MY PRINCESS.

only the daughter of her fathers gardener.
When was born, was christened Dorothy,
in honor of the squire's wife; that made
me choose Dorothy for my princess KNEW
that mother was once a very dear friend of
Mrs Kent's-mother told me that herself
and was so proud of the fact that once
the princess mother and my own had
trudged to school together.
And remember so well how loved to
follow father on his route of work, if Just
to play around the home of my princess
and dream of her was always called an
imaginative child, and to me the faraway
Dorothy appeared as Il beautiful princess.
Aad all in white and crowned with flowers
And then, too, in the winter evenings it
was always my greatest delight to have
mother draw her chair up to the cheerful
CRATE fire in our best room, let me rest
my head on her knee, and then tell me over
and over again all she knew about Dorothy
Kent "She has her mothers blue eyes
and yellow curls, my dear, and everybody
loved her-just as they did her mother once,
my poor dead Dora" and then she would
hurriedly give me my good night kiss and
bid me hurry to bed, as if she did not care
to recall the past any longer. And the
next morning | was generally sure to scrib-
BILE on all the available paper stories and
imagined descriptions of my princess.
And one day she came remember how
| grumbled that morning in early June
when mother said must dust the great
queer wooden mantel in the inner ROOM
and ] remember, too, how a little after
heard mother scream and how ran to the
kitchen just in time to see her drop my
pretty little flower vase, her last birthday
gift to me, and rush eXcitedly to the door
way And there, framed in the honey
suckle vines, dressed all in white and carry
ing few sprays of pink and white hya
cinths, was my beautiful princess. For
Auntie May and the other Dorrie," heard
her say, pointing to the flowers But moth
er did not heed her She was just cinging
to her as if she never could leave her, mur
muring incoherently all the while some
thing about her poor Dorrie" over again,
her poor, dear Dorre."
As to me, was jealous, and wondered,
too, that mother should be called "Auntie
May" and why couldn't have such beau.
tiful, big blue eyes as she had But still
think now that that day was the happiest
my childhood knew 1t came about through
Dorrie's influence that | was instructed as
well as she was, and not II day passed that
did not see US together. We loved each
other devotedly, and so the years flew until
one day Dorothy was IS and must resume
her travels In week she was gone | lost
my little princess.
And year later | lost my dear mother
also. Time passed, and | was told that ia
theirs eyes were very weak-so weak that
unless Immediately attended to he would
soon be totally blind My child" said
good old DIR. Caver, your fathers case
needs the attention of some one like DR.
Trowe. | would advise you to go to him
at once" And 20 we did | was 10 now
and could earn nice living by my stories,
so father always had the best of care. 1t
was destiny that babe me go-destiny that
made my father blind.
DR. Richard Trowe was not very young
man any more; indeed his last milestone
was numbered 80. But that was neither
here nor there. He was so noble that every
one loved him, so kind that the poor fairly
worshiped him, and | was no exception
learned to love the obliging, earnest, sym
pathetic doctor with all my heart would
not have let him know it, though, for the
world, and when he came he only saw a
plain little woman in somber gray who
answered his questions in monosyllables
because she dared not trust herself to do
more And then one day letter from
Dorothy came. She was fatherless now
and said that she would like to see the
other Dorrie, who was becoming famous.
like the naughty girl she always was.
OF course the princess came; of course the
doctor was fascinated; of course Dorothy
loved in return. Oh, those bitter months
that followed One day, quite by accident,
she discovered that |, too, loved the doctor,
and instantly she changed; her business af
fairs called her west, she would write and
let me know. The doctor and myself be
came more familiar. | wrote to Dorothy
and begged her to return, telling her how
low my father was and how very kind the
doctor continued to be. Still one can tell
that he pines for YOU" concluded. This
was the letter | received in reply
MY DEAREST DoRoTHY-I feel that the time
has come for the to tell you my secret. "Tis
nothing awful or of the sensational sort. "Tis
this: Dorrie, did you ever know that your
mother and my father were lovers once2 Yes,
your mother WAS the prospective Mrs. Kent
once, but for some unaccountable reason she
broke the engagement. That reason was that
she found that her dearly beloved friend, Dor
othy Dean-my mother loved him also My
mothers father WAS in some great financial
trouble at the time, and his cares would be re-
heved by rich marriage. Dorothy, your
mother knew this and gave up her love for her
friends sake. No one guessed it. She never
mentioned ii to any one but my mother knew
still. Dorrie, you can, you must guess the rest.
cannot find heart to write it.
Even after mother was repentant for accept
ing the sacrifice she begged me over and over
again to be kind TO you, to pay the debt some
way. ] found the truth in some letters given
to me later. | have felt the sorrow of it also
have vowed 10 obey my mother, and you must
let me do it. You love Richard Trowe-so did
l. No matter. He perhaps was pleased with
my yellow curls and blue eyes. But he will
he cannot help but love you when I'm shown in
my true light. | mean by that that he must
acknowledge in the talented little authoress
an intellect far superior to mine, and doctors
care for that. 1t will be easy for me in little
while. Don't fret, for you would not have me
disobey my mother, would your Goodby, good.
by. YOUR "OTHER DoRRIE."
My little princessl We are married now.
Richard and have been married for nearly
five years. Dorothy was with us until last
week; then she went to her mother and
mine Yes, she is in heaven now, my beau
dful sainted princessl- Edna w. Aug.
No. D,t,,