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

His rival! Only think of that! Louis
Alan rival of Grahaml The thought
had often amused her, but now it al
most shocked her. For when it harm
lessly amused her to smile at Grahams s
overwrought dislike to Mr.. Alan she did
not know then what Mrs. Cameron had
just told her. Now she knew, and fancy
her lover, Graham Welwyn, thinking
that there could ever have been any RI
valry in her heart between him and Louis
Alan!
What crime had Louis Alan commit
ted? Not much of a crime after all. He
had got into a romantic hyperbolical
Irritation with aesthetic Mrs Cameron,
and they had written to each other va
rious unharmful intensities in which
there was a good deal of vanity and
nonsense on both sides and no serious
thought Of love on either. In truth Mrs
Cameron was very fond of her husband
who was successful queens counsel
and hardly ever had time to talk with
her. She used to say that she would be
very glad if her hostesses at London
dinner parties would allow her husband
to take her in to dinner, for then she
would be secure of at least an hours
talk with him. But her husband was
too busy and had absolute faith in her,
and she got into this ridiculous high
flown sentimental correspondence with
Mr.. Alan, and they wrote of themselves
as congenial souls-and other such stuff
and then she misdirected the letter,
and Alan got the formal invitation to
/ dinner which was meant for Graham
Welwyn.
Katherine did not want to take too
much Of it. She believed every word
Mrs. Cameron had told her, and she was
right. She did not think much harm of
! Louis Alan. Still, there was the fact
that at the very time when he was
pressing her to marry him-well, not
| unduly pressing, but certainly trying
quietly to induce her to marry him-he
was all the time carrying on an aesthetic
Irritation with Mrs. Cameron. This was
what Miss Katherine very naturally did
not like, and she was anxious in conse-
quence to give pretty sharp rebuke to
Mr. Alan.
| But how to do it-how to manage it
there was the question. Mrs. Gamer
on's story had been told Of course in the
strictest confidence, and only for the
purpose of obtaining Katherine's some-
what extensive influence over Graham
Welwyn. She could not make any allu-
sion to that. Yet she meant to hit him a
little hard if she could.
This was what she wrote to Alan:
'It will be of no use trying to see me
tomorrow or any other day. l write this
without affectation of great compassion
for you. You will find some woman
more suited to your tastes and temper
than I desire to be. -
"That will do" she said to herself
Then she put the letter little apart ON
the blotting pad and left it to dry, while
she wrote her few lines to Graham.
"Come tomorrow at IL shall take
care to be alone until luncheon time
and shall give you a welcome.
That, toe, would do, she thought,
and then she began thinking about the
two letters that lay open and drying side
by side. She had no pity for Alan, al
though like kind hearted girl as she
was she would in the ordinary course of
things have felt infinite pity for man
whose offer of marriage she had to re-
ject. But she had no pity for Alan. For
Graham-for Graham-for dear, darling
Graham, what infinite love and trust
and longing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
if it were only tomorrow
"Haven't you finished your letters
yet, Katherine?" Mrs Shirley asked,
almost sharply, as she hustled into the
room, "lt is close on post time, and
James is waiting to take the letters to
the pillar box, and you will have to
dress yet, and you'll be quite late for
dinner, and these formal, tiresome peo-
pie comingr' p
"I'm all right, =" Katherine exclaimed
in great good spirits. 81 have only to
seal up two letters" Here she breath
lessly inclosed and sealed them. "Where
is James? Oh, yes! Thank you, shall
be dressed in no time"
| l heard a story-and believe it was
quite truo--of a once celebrated English
tenor who is long since dead. He was
playing the principal part in the opera
of 'The Rose of CASTLE" He had in
one scene to come abruptly on to the
stage and sing a song beginning with
the line, "When the king of CASTLE
pledged his world" His pleasant COM
rades, men aud women, kept playfully
admonishing him every time he was in
the part that he must be sure not to say,
"When the king of CASTLE pledged his
watch ~ The repeated admonition SEEM
ed to have got upon his nerves at last,
and one night he electrified the house
by singing in his most thrilling tone,
"When tho king of CASTLE pledged his
watchn' This story may seem little
irrelevant. Wait, and you shall Judge.
| katherine was waiting next day for
the coming of Graham. Their usual
trysting time was l O'Clock, but as it
sometimes had 10 vary she had thought
1t prudent always to write to him and
say exactly whether it was on any par
| ticular day to be fixed or movable
festivity. Of course it would have been
easy to form standing agreement that
Graham was to come at l every day un-
less warned by her to the contrary, and
this would undoubtedly have saved some
letter writing. But the man who be.
lieves that lovers like to be saved the
| trouble of writing to each other is
man who never can have been in love
himself, and with whom any self re-
specting woman would be ashamed to
I be in love.