The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-11-06

and be engaged to him." Another great
sigh escaped her.
''But surely, Miss Kitty, if you don't
care for him, you won't promise to
marry him."
81 don't know"
"Do you love him?"
T-I guess so.''
"Don't you know?"
81 suppose not; I suppose I don't
know"
Kearney waxed exceedingly wroth
at a man who would bully trusting
child into an engagement. 'Why are
you permitting yourself to be brow
beaten into this?" he asked, angrily.
"Oh! please don't be cross, please"
She was on the verge of tears.
He took her hand again. She was not
engaged yet. "Answer me, Kitty"
"It wouldn't be right not to, would
it?"
Then Kearney went boldly to work to
prove that it certainly would be right
not to.
But he loves me-" protested Miss
Foster.
80 do-what if he does? You don't
love him.
"But ought to; maybe SHALL" And
| that was all that could be done with
Kitty.
Her mother came to the door of the
car. "Kitty, you must come in right
away. II your head aches, you can go
| to bed.''
"My heads better now," she said, ris-
ing. "Can't stay up until we get to Will
cox? I think maybe Carrie, or perhaps
Mr.. Lowell will be down there"
| They went back into the sleeper, where
| the officers and their wives sat talking
and trying to keep awake one-half hour
| longer until Wilcox should be reached.
| The companies from Grant were ex-
pected to be waiting there for the next
train east, and many pleasant meetings
might be crowded into the short delay
at the station.
Miss Foster gotta pillow and curled up
on a seat. "If 1 fall asleep, Mr.. Apple
ton, will you waken me at Wilcox?' she
requested.
Certainly. Miss Foster" he answered.
| Kitty closed her big, dark-blue eyes
and thought. She thought how funny
it is when a man who has called you
"Kitty," and has been awfully in love
with you, says Miss Foster" and pre-
| tends he is mrre acquaintance. She
thought that Appleton was nicer than
Ferris, or SAKE, or Lowell. But he
wasn't as nice as Mr.. Kearney-not
quite. She thought she had done very
well with Mr.. Kearney. She distin-
guished in the matter of condolences,
did Kitty. She knew that nothing
reduces promising situation to mere
friendship so quickly and successfully
as an open, frank, whole-souled confess
sion. Such thing was clumsy; and
Kitty loathed clumsiness in these mat
ters. She had withheld enough of her
plant to turn it cleverly to account.
She had made Kearney sorry for her,
and had refused his advice with pros
trated grace.
Then Miss Foster fell asleep and
dreamed rosy dreams until Appleton
touched her arm with a book he had
been reading. "We are at Wilcox, Miss
Foster"
"Oh! dear What did you hit me with
that hard thing for?" she cried, jump
ing up. "It hurt" Her lips trembled
and her eyes filled.
"Kitty, child, didn't mean to hurt
you. That is-really, beg your par
don, Miss Foster"
"Certainly, Fr-Mr. Appleton she re-
piled, rubbing her arm, with chuckle
which passed for a sob suppressed.
They drew up at the station, where
lights twinkled from the blackness all
about them. There was no one on the
platform, there were none of the shouts
of welcome expected.
Kearney rushed into the car. "Say,
what do you think? They've left-every
last one of them-on the train ahead.
They've got big start of u.s.
Miss Foster cried: "Oh!" and beamed
with delight. She began to believe that
Heaven cares for its own.
'We've only three minutes here"
Kearney called back over his shoulder.
as he rushed out again.
The train had begun to move when
Kearney reappeared. He brought with
him a can of oysters whereof the top
had been hacked open. "They're all
had time to get, Miss Kitty" he eX-
planned, as he set them before her on
the window-sill.
Suddenly Kearney's face fell: "Dy
Jove! I've no fork or spoon"
"We might use pencil, if you'd
sharpen it," suggested Miss Foster.
''Or a hatpin."
mo. / like the pencil idea better"
Then Miss Foster took the pencil and
the can, and went to spearing the BIZ
valves.
"They were nice, but they've made
my head ache again." murmured Miss
Foster. 'It's so close in here"
"Perhaps another break of fresh air
would do it good" Kearney suggested.
"Maybe," assented she, and they
slipped unnoticed out on the back plat
form once more.
Kitty drew in the night air with de-
light; she trilled bar of song. "Ohl
I'm 5000 happy" said she.
$50 am T." said Kearney, as he held
her steady, with his arm half about her.
"Why?" queried Miss Foster, fitting
back her head to look innocently into
his eyes. The little fluffy head was so
near, the parted lips were so childish,
the round eyes were SO tender. Kear-
ney bent over her.
"Why, do you think, Kitty?"
"Oh! Mr.. Kearney, you mustn't" she