The Dickinson press., 1895-03-09
Katherine BloQnt'S hove.
BY THE DUCHESS.

Archibald Blount. was more than sat.
tsfied with the state of things; affairs
seemed improving, and brighter days
loomed In the misty future. Already
The saw visions and dreamed dreams Of
the time to come when his pockets
should be once more amply filled, and
the old place renovated from garnet to
basement. He thought with exultant
glee of the brilliant prospect in store
for him, when, thanks to his daughters
wealth. he would be for the remain
der Of his days far beyond the reach
that that dread nightmare, Debt, and
enabled to compass many things
necessary to his own individual
comfort, now utterly unattain-
able. So he calculated, and meantime
Sir Mark, with the nervous tlmidity Of
q blushing school boy-despite his twen-
ty-seven years-wAs wondering when
he should dare to lay his fourteen thou.
sand n year at Miss Blount's diminntive
feet, while Blackwood Craven, in the
background of the picture, was quiet
ly eating his heart away In silent, bit.
ter hOpelessness.
Sir Mark, being only too glad Of an
opportunity that brought him to Miss
Blount's side, was In the habit Of COM
ing vel at least four nights In every
week from Warrenne Hall to receive
a cup Of coffee, and watch Katherine's
delicate hands as they moved merrily
here and there among the gilded china,
The summer had been remarkably wet
and cold, SO much so that the following
season, as though ashamed Of its COM
rade's c~hurlishness, had shone out with
unusual splendOr, and, though 1t was
now in the middle of September, the
weather was so warn and bright and
sunny that Il could easily imagine
July to have gone astray from its nat
ural place, and turned up again in the
heart of brOwn-tinged Autumn.
Warrenne-Who had arrived at that
unsatisfactory stage of his love affair
when a man feels restless and generally
uneasy If debarred from a sight Of hie
divinity Tor a whole day-had strolle6
over this evening from his own place,
a walk If about two miles and q half
through the surrounding woods and
intermediate fields, to see Miss Blo,.nt.
At her garden gate he met her lust
setting out for u distant padd .ck to
criticise q certain colt, which she fcnd.
" nope0 might prove after her own
heart"
Now Katherine was at all times
slightly peculiar in the point of dress
"a peculiarly that ut intervals night
almost be called odd, not to saw fan.
tastical-and tonight, about an hour be-
fore Sir Marks arrival. feeling tired
and listlcss with nothing to doeBlack-
wood having gone out after dinner to
a n%eiglboring farm upon some busi-
ness of his u%nclc's-she had gone ND
stairs to an old lumber Dom when.
poking mere and there In a vague, un.
thinking manner, she had come sudden.
ly upon a rich black satin dress of her
mother's-fresh and good certainly, but
extremely OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES had at
once taken her girlish fancy.
She tried it on; it fitted to perfection.
almost us though it had been made ex.
prcssly for her, and, having been orig
inally intended for full dress, leaving
the arms and neck quite bare, seemed
the very thing for such a warm, ener-
waiting evening us the present.
She would go down stairs and see
what Rlackwood would say to her when
he returned, and, passing through the
garden, she stopped to decorate her
hair and neck and belt with some
| nipcnS Of brilliant scarlet pQr0nium.