The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-12-13

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interposed. 81 ought not to know
"Child, you don't imagine there was
anything improper in it? You couldn't
believe that Of me We are heart friends,
we two, hn and I, just as you and are,
and are in sympathy with each other,
and we console each other and open our
souls to each other, and that day I felt
| I had need of him, and l wrote to him
and told him my soul was troubled for
him. You do believe my word, Kather-
| inc? You must believe it. ="
"Of course I do believe it, Nellie"
Katherine said emphatically.
"And he is so good. Why, it's Louis
Alan, whom you know"
''Louis Alanr' Katherine was little
sstonished. 81 wish you had not told
me-" she said coldly.
ooh, but must tell you all. You are
the friend of my soul too. -
| 'I do wish you wouldn't talk that
kind of stuff, Nellie, at least to me or
about me. Keep it for Mr.. Alan. I
dare say he likes it. [ DON'T" RATHER
inc could not help speaking sharply.
''Now you are angry with me, and
now you won't help me-" poor Nellie
pleaded, her pretty little face all twitch-
ing and wincing with emotion. She was
evidently on the brink of tear torrent
Katherine promptly interposed.
"Of course I will do anything in my
power to help you, she said in sof-
tened and pitying tone. "but what can
do? don't see that there is anything
%I~n% 11,,
in the letter. L wouldn t write that kind
of thing again if I were you, but don't
think there is anything much to be
made about it, y
"But what we want is this, dearest
Katherine"-
"What you want, Nellie" Katherine
said firmly, shutting Mr.. Alan out of
all cooperation in the business.
"What want" Nellie said, meekly
accepting the correction, sis this: I
want you to explain it all to Mr.. We'll
wyn and show him that if he has any
suspicion he is quite wrong, and ask
him not to say anything about it, and
you will know exactly how to put it,
and he will do anything you ask him.
| This is all Iwant. You will do this for
me, Katherine?"
''That will be easily DONE" Katherine
said. "Mr. Welwyn is not suspicious
man OF a man who likes to think badly
of women, and neither does he gossip
about women or send abroad scandals
about them.'' Much of this speech, it
may be said, was an indirect thrust at
| the absent Alan, who certainly had often
i'll Katherine's presence spoken slight
ingly and scornfully of poor Nellie Cam
eron. At the very moment while she was
saying this servant came in with some
| letters for her. Katherine took the let
ters from the tray with an Indifferent
air. She knew there would not be one
from Graham Welwyn, but look of
surprise came over her when she saw
| that one of them was from Mr.. Alan.
She was on the point of saying as much
| to Mrs. Cameron, but prudently re-
| pressed herself. Mrs. Cameron present.
| ly went through an ELUSIVE leave taking
and disappeared.
Then Katherine read Louis Alan S let
ter, with puckering eyebrows and red
dening angry cheeks:,
| MY DEAR Miss SHIRLEY-Can you see me to.
| morrow-and what time? Do pray see me.
| have, as Shakespeare says, "a motion much
| imports good" I want to say something
| to you which have long prayed for the cour-
| age to say, and which must be spoken at last.
| Tell me when / may comc-for pronounce
| ment of happiness a sentence of death. Liv-
| ing or dead, forever yours. LOUIS ALAN.
"Stuff - our angry maiden exclaimed.
Sentimental affectation! Sickening
nonsense! Perhaps he had just been
writing some silly letter to Nellie Cam
eron. 1t is pity he did not put them
into the wrong envelopes and send hers
| to me and mine to her! Oh, do wish
he had sent mine to her 1t would open
the poor silly things eyes" She put
the letter into her pocket, waiting for a
| quiet time to answer it. The other let
| ters that she got were of the ordinary
social and conventional type-invita-
tions and replies to invitations, and so
| forth. More callers came, and her time
frittered away. Her mind was divided
| between two feelings-vexation at
Alan's letter and vexation with herself
because she fancied she had been some-
what harsh to Graham. That, however,
she thought, with pleased and conf
dent smile, could be easily remedied.
There would be no trouble in pacifying
Graham-ifh he needed pacification. Per-
haps he had not noticed anything in her
manner. Oh, yes; he must have noticed
something, but she would explain it all
tomorrow. She would not write any ex-
| planation--she would tell it all to him.
She would tell it to him when he came
tomorrow. In her letter she would only
tell him when to come.
At last she was free to answer her,
letters and to write to Graham. She
longed to see him again-longed as if
weeks had passed since their last meet
ing, as if it were likely that weeks
would pass before their next. She
thought she had been little harsh or
cold torhim, and she was eager to make
him amends. But she would not write
to him until the very, very last. She
world get the mere drudgery of letter
writing done. and then she would write
a'letter to Graham. What an unspeak-
able difference sometimes between let
ter writing and writing letter So
she answered and issued numbers of in
vitations-she conducted most of the
correspondence of the house--and she
wrote to her dressmaker, and after much
work of the kind she came to answer
Louis Alan's unwelcome and trouble
some letter.
| xKr.AS ht,c