Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1895-07-09
FOURTH COUSINS:
BIZ CHARLES ID. WILLARD.
Something had happened!

and on his face such an utter abandon
of joy, that anyone-cven a man
could have guessed the truth.
Fortunately they had chosen the hill
road, the least travelled of all the ways
that lead down from the Montecito
valley into Santa Barbara, and for the
first half-hour after the event they met
no one.
It was what the inha bitants of the
Channel City call genuine Santa
Barbara day." The sun shone warm
and bright, and soft perfumed breeze
came out Of the west. There was June
in the air, although the calendar was
set for midwinter. The birds sang in
the trees above them, the squirrels
chirped from the hillside, and their
horses, wandering at times from the
road. sank to the knee in a waving sea
of flowers.
First of ALL" she said, breaking the
silence of whole minute, you must
tell my father"
'Certainly," said the young man.
''Who's afraid?'
You have never seen papa do the
role of the cruel parent" said the girl;
''he can be quite a dragon. AS you are
a kinsman, however,
"A fifth cousin" cried the young
man, with laugh.
well, fifth cousins are better than
nothing. aren't they?'
Truly; how else should we be here
to-day?" Then the young man added
with peculiar and significant emphafis:
II am inclined to pride myself on that
little scheme"
The girl brought her horse to sud-
den stop and turned her clear Drown
eyes, half opened under their long
lashes, upon her companion.
THAT little scheme" she repeated,
slowly. II don't understand"
The young man laughed uneasily.
"Why, Catherine" said he, you don't
mean that you have believed in the en-
PERTAINING fiction about our great
Observation-Disclosures"
''Old Ebenezer Strong!' exclaimed
the girl. "How dare you call him fic-
titious, when saw his portrait at my
own grandfathers.
LAS your ancestor. my dear one, he
is: an undoubted reality--but as mine,
l regret to say, he is merely Pigment
of your worthy fathers imagination.
In short-I would fain break it to you
as gently us posi- ble-we are not fifth
cousins 1t all, but just plain ordi-
nary"
Not fifth cousins!''
mo, darling; and if you are going
to faint please fall on this side, with
your head right here on 10y shoulder"
II won't! Wretched boy, how could
you deceive poor papa SOP"
Il didn't deceive him. He deceived
himself From the very beginning Of
our acquaintance he seemed deter
mined to locate me somewhere on the
Weston family tree, and you aided and
abetted him in the attempt"
"Eichard Strong, how can your
II have a sweet and gentle DISPOSE
ton, and when he asked me if l was
not descended from Ebenezer Strong,
IF West Brighton Center, and you
looked at 1ne SO appealingly-"
II didn't any such thing!'
'Why shouldn't assent? l have
doubtless had several hundred ances-
tors named Strong, and / took the
chances that some one of them re oiced
in the prenomen of Ebenezer. 1t is
just the sort of a name that my for
bears were given to putting upon them
selves, as an effective and continuous
qualification of the Aesh. A horsehair
shirt, now, would be nothing to it,
"You may laugh, if it pleases you"
said the girl, severely, but if papa
he'd known you were not a relative we
should not be riding alone together.
He generally disapproves Of the cast
ern people who spend the winter at
the hotel"
IF you really feel that l have been
guilty of false pretenses," said che
young man, drawing MS horse little
nearer, Suppose we begin all over
again."
Keep your distance, sir!' exclaimed
the girl, steering to che opposite side
Of the road. If we are to start afresh,
let it be from the very beginning,
three weeks ago."
Nov, as to your father" resumed
che young man, Il think understand
p1CtCy "SeAs oSSoASC NY ODC dAu
only parent, the governor himself, is
constructed on much the same plan.
Wherever he goes he is continually in
search Of the lost tribes of the Strong
genealogy. The last letter had from
him in Colorado, where he is spending
the winter, contained the announce
ment that he had unearthed four or
Eve new cousins-choice specimens.
doubt not, that he will expect me to
meet and embrace on my way home.
"Perhaps it was wrorg,".he contin-
ued, after a moment Of reflection, Ito
play upon that little popularity of
your fathers, to get into bis good
graces, but you must consider the ex-
traordinary provocation, dear. It
seemed like my only chance-are you
sorry took it?" =
She looked her answer, but did not
speak it, and then, avoiding the hand
extended to seize her own, she struck
her horse light blow and dashed
down the road ahead.
A long, even canter in silence fol-
lowed, and they were again we'll into
town before the conversation began
again. Then, fearful of observation,
thcv smoke in commentaries