The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-09
Copyright. 1898. by George R. sims.)

have upset her in the least. But she was a
good gentle-hearted girl, and genuinely in
love with her husband.
Yes. Miss Katie Jones was a young mar
ried lady; but she had been married secretly
and she had given the young gentleman TO
whom she had allowed herself to be united
at the altar her solemn promise that she
would not reveal the secret until he gave
her permission to.
1t was quite a romantic affair, you know
Kate Jones was the daughter of captain in
the army, who had died heavily in debt and
left his wife and little girl to face the world
on the wife's little income of 92OO a year
which was, happily. settled upon her, or 1t
would have gone the way of all the money
that ever came into the gallant but IMPROVE
dent officers possession
Katie had been educated by her mother
who was a clever woman, and when she
was eighteen and her mother had pinched
herself and with the assistance of rela-
tive paid the fees for the girl to become a
student of the Royal Academy of Music.
she developed painful disease which, when
Katie was barely twenty, carried her off.
The GIRL quite alone in the world, had to
ind something to do, and turned to the
;tage, and her voice procured her an en-
sagement in the chorus of travelling COM
pany who were touring the provinces with
Les Cloches de Corneville'
1t was while she was on tour that she met
for the first time at Portsmouth a handsome
but rather tirorous young gentleman who
was very little older than herself. Mr.. Har-
old Hennker was the only son of Admiral
Sir Bruce Henniker, and terribly afraid of
his father, who was a stern martinez of the
old-fashioned type. Harold had been in
mortal terror of his father all his life, al
though father and son, when the family
ship was in smooth waters, were devotedly
attached to each other. But the moment
there was weather" about, the old sea dog
grew so fierce that his son dared not call his
soul his own. Lady Henniker had not
helped matters by always holding the threat
of what his father would say over Harold
when he was a lad and got into boyish
scrapes, and now he had come to mans
estate he still looked upon his sire the
very last person in the world whom 1t would
be wise to irrtate or to oppose.
Harold Henniker fell in love with the
pretty chorus girl at first sight; the first
sight being an introduction on Southsea
Common one fine morning. when Katie was
taking the air with another young lady of
the company, who knew Harolds compan-
ion young lieutenant in a regiment quar-
tered at Portsmouth.
| The young fellow took the sweet COM
plant of love badly, and was present at
the theater everv evening until the COM
| pany left, and having nothing to do, and his
| father being away in the Mediterranean
| with his ship, when the "Cloches" company
went on to another town Harold followed it.,
| and continued to meet Katie daily.
He was so desperately in love with Katie
| that he told her all about himself and his
prospects, and begged her to marry him
| and keep it secret until he could have an
| opportunity of breaking the news to his
father.
OF course it was very foolish of those
young people, but young people are always
doing foolish things, and where would half
the romance of life be if they didn't. But
not having the fear of the future before
their eyes, and knowing only that they
loved each other, they went one fine day to
little church in London-the "Cloches"
company were doing a fortnight's engage
ment at the suburban theaters-and Katie
Jones became Mrs. Harold Henniker. A
week later the young bridegroom was sum-
moned to plymouth, where his father had
| arrived on board his ship and had been sud-
denly taken i'll while staying at the Duke of
| Cornwall Hotel with her ladyship, who had
| gone to meet him.
| The young wife, left alone for an indefi-
| mite period-for Harold did not know when
| he should be permitted to return-having re.
| signed her engagement with the "Cloches,"
| felt miserable and succeeded in obtaining
| another at the - Theater, and then, her
young husband not having at present en-
downed her with vast wealth. he having
l. %T1< 1-orrv
ing room floor at the Fletchers' and became
the bright particular star of Polly Jones's
existence.
She had heard from Harold frequently,
but there didn't seem any particular chance
of his coming back 1t was some kind of
stroke his father had had, and her ladyship
would not hear of her son leaving until the
| doctors could pronounce the admiral to be
quite out of danger.
In his letters the young husband promised
his darling WIFE that directly his father
was we'll he should be brave and tell him
that he had married 1.-The sweetest and best
little girl in the world and then she would
be received by his family and they would
live happily ever afterwards.
TheI admiral got slowly better and his
son wrote that there was chance OF their
returning to town, and then he should see
his dear little wife, God bless her, etc. But,
| alasl he had not been able to break the
news of his marriage to his father, for the
admiral was still very shaky and his medi-
! cal advisers had informed the family that
| the greatest care must be taken to keep ev-
| erythng from him that was likely to upset
| him or put him in a temper. as any sudden
| fit of passion or violent excitement might
cause a second seizure which would prob
| ably be fatal.
You will see, my darling" wrote Miss
| Katie Jones's husband, 'how impossible it
| is for me to tell him of my marriage just
at present. He would be sure to fly into a
| violent rage, as he does not know, darling,
| what a sweet angel you are. and he would
| think that in marrying young lady on the
stage I had made a fool of myself. OF
| course when he knows you and can ex-
plain. he will take a very different view OF
| the matter"
Katie had accepted the inevitable and
| gone on like the brave little girl that she
was, singing and saying And L at the
| theater and keeping the secret of her mar
rage even from her best friend, who
| dressed in the same room.
But this morning Harold's letter had COM
| pletely altered the complexion of affairs.