The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-01-09

from his face and take few sips from
a tumbler beside him. The old major,
for wonder, kept silence, from time to
time shaking his head sorrowfully.
81 suppose that is the first part of the
story" broke in Andy Wears ut is
deuced sad. Hope the little girl got back
to her uncle. y
"UncleW growled Major Poole
Poor child! He didn't want her He
was cruel hearted, mean old scoundrel,
was Peter Donovan. He never treated
the girl right when he had her. "
Cholly nodded his head affirmatiyely
to Major Poole s assertion and continued
his story
"This all happened four years ago.
No one heard anything during that time
of pretty Kate Donovan, for you see, she
wasn't Mrs. Gordon, after all. An aunt
of hers did have the grace to write to
me, making inquiries. She had heard
that Kate was i'll the United States, in
a place called Pennsylvania and would
| make inquiries, as l lived, no doubt,
near therep You know, these old coun-
try people, as they call themselves, think
that the United States are about as large
as an English county"
'Do know it?" interrupted the ma
jor. why, lady in London once asked
me to personally deliver a small parcel
of china to her daughter because lived
in New York, near where her daughter
was settled. took the parcel, thinking
to see the address of some street here.
Where do you think the fair creature
lived?"
'New Jersey?" hazarded Wears
"Maine?" queried another.
"No!o roared the major. "Idahon
"Guess you didn't accept the COM
mission. major, " said Cholly.
"Well, no. 1 relieved my mind by re-
citing sundry words not in Webster s
Dictionary. Go on my boy. Tell us all
you know of pretty Kate Donovan. =
81 came through Canada on my way
from the west few days ago, " contin-
ned Cholly. 1--WE changed cars at a
place not far from Toronto and had
some hours to wait for connection.
Strolling around, | came to a place
where IA circus was in full swing-dou-
BILE tent, side shows, all complete. Con
sulting my watch. l found l lad time
to see the performance. An English
steeplechase was advertised as the chief
attraction. 1t had just commenced when
l took my seat in the first row, close to
the ring. can hardly tell you my feel
ings when I recognized the first lady
rider who entered. 1t was Kate Dono-
van.
GOOD heavensi !" calculated the
major. "Come to that?"
Yes; it was Kate, graceful 1.-THE,
nervy as ever, looking like queen
among those painted judys and rough
men. -
How could you sit there and see it?"
groaned Major Poole.
4 hadn't to sit long recognized
her instantly, and, poor girl, she saw
mol"
Knew you?' gasped the major
Yes; she turned pale under the hor-
rible paint and rouge she was daubed
with. Somehow she seemed to lose her
nerve all of a Sudden. The horse. Il vi
suddenly-major, fellows, | cannot tell
1t, 1t was too horrible.
Kate Donovan to lose her nerve on
horseback? l cannot credit it, " said the
major in an awed tone.
81 was in the ring and by her side in
a moment Cholly continued, not no
ticing the majors interruptions she
knew me, poor girl, when her eyes
opened for the first time. She died with
her hands tightly clasped in mine =
Did she lay anything" asked
Andy Wears did she tell you any
thing?n
If she did, You re not the one I'd re
peat it TIC, " said Cholly fiercely. The
last words of a poor dying girl are hard
ly club talk, not if | know it. -
So saying, Cholly seized his coat and
strobe angrily from the room.
The other men looked at each other
significantly.
He's hit hard" said the major.
Poor fellow If you had seen Kate,
you d not blame him. always thought
he liked her.
And Cholly, as he strobe along the
street homeward, cursed his own folly
in telling the story of pretty Kate to
such an audience AS if they cared. -
he muttered. They were a set of hard
hearted, cold, cynical men, and he
(Cholly) was fool for telling the story.
Somehow he had never realized before
that he had cherished an ideal for the
past four years, and that ideal was the
woman who but few days before had
died in his arms. Tell that idiot Wears
what she said? Cholly smiled grimly as
the thought struck him, for only he
knew what those last words had BEEN
They echoed in his ears even now in the
din and noise of the New York evening
"Cholly, dear-dear Cholly -
If she had only said them four years
ago, he thought misersbly as he showed
his key into the latch of his home door
Vanity.
A Dollars Worth of Information.