The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-04

Joy of favored lover on his face, the
colonel reached a point beyond all care
for offense.
"Dr. Kensall," he said, understand,
that 1 desire your service no longer
| that / do not wish to see you again.
| Good night sir!"
His words were javelins in the doc
| tors heart. There was no answer pos
sible. He bowed, and closed the door
behind him with a singular softness.
1t was as if he had shut it upon some
loved thing, dead. And this noiseless
exit, though without intention, an
noyed the old soldier. He had expect
ed some show of fight, and he felt
sense of defeat. And while he stood
| pondering the situation, Katherine
came swiftly into the room.
What have you said?" she cried.
What have you done? Oh, father!
how could you treat a friend so rude
| ly? What fault has Robert commit
| ted?"
Robert!' What fault has he not
| committed, when you thus make your
self familiar with his name? He has
| come into my house. like a thief in the
night, to steal from me my most pre-
cious treasure"
1T has not been stolen from you. /
| gave it,"
BE maidenly. AT the proper time,
would have brought here for you a
proper. husband"
| And would you have thought 1t Just
and kind, to make me accept a. hus-
| band l did not wish to accept?"
DO you think it just and kind, to
| force me to accept a son-in-law 1 do
not wish to accept? The cases are
| Identical"
81 love Robert Kensall"
| Il hate him: and 1 have as much
right to hate as you have to love.
Choose then between Robert Kensall
| and your father. L am seventy years
old. 1 have no one but you, to comfort
my last days, and close my eyes in
death. But if you prefer this strange
man, shall not oppose your going to
him, whenever you wish; in such case,
| the sooner the better. / do not care to
sit day after day watching my enemy's
| triumph and looking at my own sor-
row. Let me meet it at once, and be
| 81 have no wish to leave you, father
Robert has yet no home for me-"
81 understand"
mo, no; you do not! What shall I
say? My dear. dear father-I will
never leave you!"
| Let 1t be so then. l will resign nv
plan OF marrying you to my cousin s
| son, who is also my natural heir; and
| you must resign your desire to marry
DR.. kensall. 1t is a mutual and neces-
| sary, concession. And the young man
must go away. I shall see to that"
She answered only with rain of
tears. And the colonel saw "to that"
at once. With the celerity and mex
orable decision which had marked his
military plans, he attended to the mat
ter. There We're two interviews be-
tween the colonel and the doctor, and
one interview between Katherine and
her lover. The latter took place-not
with the colonel's sanction, but at least
with is permission-in the lonely des-
olated walk which skirted the garden,
Robert was very wretched, and very
quiet. He was worn out with feeling,
| and Katherine's tears rained upon a
| heart turned into stone by suffering,
For there was to be no comfort Of let
Ter writing. When DR.. Kensall had de-
cided. where, in the wide world, he
would locate himself, he was to notify
the colonel. zone word, the name of
the place, will be sufficient" was the
form of the curt permission; and the
only other concession granted to love
| was a promise to allow the subject to
be reopened, at the end of three years.
From these sorrowful texts, what
vows and plans were made in that last
miserable walk! 1t was a warm misty
night in November The leaves We're
gone, and the singing birds, and of all
the flowers of June none were left but
a few Michaelmas daisies. Without
analyzing their surroundings, they felt
the fitness of them; and there was
even touch of sarcasm in Robert s
grief, as he recalled the sunshine and
music of their bethrothal. 'It has
turned out with my love, as with all
else in my sad life," he said, with a
bitter laugh. Nothing comes to per-
fection; and this garden has been, to
me, very Vale of Maenalus; where
"I pursued a maiden. and clasped a reed:
Gods and men are all deluded thus;
1t breaks in our bosom, and then we
bleed"
Nor did Katherine's tears, and pro-
testations, and pleas for duty, satisfy
him; he could not help but feel that
in some sort, he had been deserted
This slight feeling of dissatisfaction
was evident to the colonel, and he re-
lied upon it. In three years he be-
lleved it would work the whole edi-
nee of love to ruin. 1t certainly af-
iected the parting of the lovers, and
shadowed hope, though Katherine's
Iast Kisses were given with passionate
assurances of devotion and loyalty.
} Then she tried to make her life faI
pack into its old placid groove. She die
: not wish this irreparable loss which
} mad ruined her own happiness 10 make
olhers Wretehed. All the day long
she showed a bright face to her little
world; IL was the night. which cele,
prated the resurrection of her love. In
the day. that remarkable thing called
hespectability forced her to hide what,
ever teeling was not conventional; but
at night, her lovely, tender soul in.
dulged an obstinate longing for that
divine something lost out of her life
yet she did not despair. though no
even the lone word" permitted brok,
the silence which had fallen betweer
her love and herself. "The things o.
the heart are eternal" she Thought
"and tomorrow, perhaps tomorrow
One never knows, what God has re
served for the morrow!" Thus faithful
ly musing, she would fall into forget
fulness; and, at last, sleep come t,
comfort her.
To fear, to wait, to doubt, to be
sin hoping anew, TO say 1T Is i'm
possible" 10 have but one thought. an,
TO turn that thought thousand ways
to feel disappointment cankerinE life
l IN aI all 4.