The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1896-07-23
THE FORTUNE TELLER

"Oh papa. pful! how can you;"
The old high hailim of Krohn pushed
away the pretty little hand that his
Oldest daughter sought to place over
his mouth.
No. he said. II will not keep quiet
repeat that the whole custom of send
Ing New Years cards Is n d--n bad
ruc, and il is time TO put an end to IT,.
What are the results of such nonsense?
FIRST. get my mail bag later than
usual. and. sccondly,,it * crammcd 50
full with the stupid stun that ! can
hardly get II OPEN
Vt length the old gentleman's efforts
were rewarded. the bag sprang open,
and hc cmpticd It's contents with i'm
patience on the breakfast table.
ITO Fraulein Katharine Won Krohn,
he read. My God! are they all
for you. Kathinkai"
Don't he SO unbearable, papa, and
please don't call me Kathinka."
The old gentleman replied to his
daughters request with an unintelligi-
bic growl and went on drinking his cof.
fee.
Just look what lot there are for
mc!' cried Katharine, piling the letters
upon the table in front of her and her
face lighting up with pleasure.
Are thev all for voui"
a2- ies, ali. NOW you can see what II Is
to be known as n beauty"
And an holross." added the father
Yes, and an heiress, she repeated,
ihoughtfully.
hut Is there nothing there for my lit.
tie Lilii" asked her father.
/ Katharine shrugged hcr shapcly
shoulders impaticntly.
"Why, of course not. If girl OK.
poets to be shown much attention she
must hc little more pushing and i'm.
portant."
And an Ecircss, too" was the faith.
cr's laconic addition to the sentence.
II really should he very grateful.
father If You would not alludc SO much
to my money" was the rather curt pro.
test.
81 can't help II. Katharine, when see
my little Lii here. as beautiful as the
flower that gave her the name. and -
well she is not an hcircss, do you M.
dcrStand; That's the whole thing"
Katharine made no answer. she
was huSily studying the handwriting
on I'll" envelopes.
\ young girl who had hitherto sat op.
poSitc 10 her IN silence left her seat,
went up to the high bailiif and putting
her fair young arms round his neck.
gave him II kiss.
\ world Of love shone in his eyes as
he looked NJ her with pleasure and
strokcd her soft checks.
Never mind, Lili." he said. slowly,
81 am glad that you don't get such a
pile of letters. I'm grateful. too, that
you're not an hcirosS. Perhaps then
no one will take you away from me-"
Tears came into the girls eyes, for,
though she said no word. vet the
thought that no one had remembered
her or cared enough for her 10 send her
a New Years card made her sad. But
she forced herself not to cry and tried
10 conceal the few tears that would
not hc kept back 10y kissing her father
again lovingly on the eyes and lips.
The high haililf of KrOhn, the father
of these two girls, had married twice.
His first wife, Il lovely, proud, but vain,
woman, died soon after the birth of n
little daughter, and left her the whole
, OF large fortune. His second wife
the daughter of a country clergyman
brought him no wealth but n sweet and
beautiful disposition. When she. too
died after two years married life he
felt overwhelmed and had never since
wholly recovered from the blow
Katharine, the elder of the stepchil.
children, had just finished her TWEEN.
tieth year, and. as she was as proud
pretty, ana just as vain as her mother
had already laughed at many proposals
for her hand-and money. No one had
So far been able To take her fancy.
Lii was in almost every respect the
opposite of h=r sister, Small of figure
quiet and retiring 1t happened that she
was often entirely overlooked. 1t GER
tainly was not right of n father 10 love
one daughter more than another.
Still he did so, and IL was plain "a
everybody that IL was the soft, sweet
patient Lii who was his fayorlte.
1t made Katharine feel annoyed tC
see her father so gentle and affeetionate