The Republican., 1899-04-13
AN UNCLE TO KITTY
By W. j. Hampton

IN MY opinion Kitty Clarke was the
prettiest girl in the town of Bran
don, and Brandon was famous for its
pretty girls. The fact that she was IS
and [ was 40 may have intensified her
beauty to me, for | can remember now
that on one or two occasions | came
very nearly marking three or four per-
sons off my list of acquaintances be-
cause they had spoken rather slight
ingly of my taste in feminine beauty.
As | have stated, was 40 and Kitty
was % years younger, but what is a
little thing like time in the consider
alton of matter which lasts for eter-
nifty. as love surely does? Not that |
was in love with Miss Clarke, but held
her in such lofty esteem that love it.
self could not have been very great
improvement upon the condition of
my feelings. As for her beautysI must
confess that masculine eyes 40 years
old are possibly somewhat more sus-
ceptible to feminine beauty aged IS
than would be true of the reverse prop
osition.
had known Kitty about a year, and
being rich, as wealth is computed in
towns the size of Brandon, and Kitty
being poor, as poverty is computed al
most anywhere, I was received with
more enthusiasm perhaps than might
have otherwise obtained Even then
there were times when [ have seen
Kitty smile on nephew of mine, who
was my cashier, in a fashion which
forced me to wonder if she would have
done so had he been 40 and rich, in
stead of 25 and nearly as poor as she
was. But | did not permit trifies of
that sort to worry me long, for felt
with the sublime faith of a man in my
position that when | was ready to ask
Kitty to be mine Kitty was going to
be ready and waiting to answer af-
firmatively.
There was not another girl in Bran
don who wouldn't have been glad of
Kitty's opportunities. and why not
Kitty?
"Why not, indeed?" I chuckled, well
satisfied with myself; and [ went
about my affairs whistling with much
content.
On such occasions my nephew was
wont to look up from his desk as |
passed along, but he would say moth
ing.
Next after Kitty my most particular
admiration was the Widow Price, her
aunt. with whom she lived and in con-
junction with whom she taught small
private school, whereby they managed
to exc out fairly comfortable exist
ence in a community where existence
came cheaply.
Many is the time l have intimated to
Aunt Price that some day life would
be easier for her, all on account of Kit
ty, and it was only necessary that she
wait a little longer with the same
beautiful patience which had charac-
terized her life even when the shadows
were heaviest. Then l felt an over
whelming desire to put my arms
around her plump and pretty waist
and let her rest her tired head on the
bosom of her devoted nephew-in-law-
to-be, but [ always restrained myself.
though there were times when there
were tears in her eyes, and | have OBJ
served that when women weep they
weep more satisfactorily if they have
a manly bosom to sob their sorrows
out upon
incidentally I might say that Kitty's
chaperon was dozen or more ' ears
older than her charming niece and
showed very plainly on every line of
her face and graceful curve of her fig
ure where Kitty got her beauty, and
this was comfort to me, for | was
fairly possessed of good looks. as had
been my father and mother before me.
and their brothers and sisters so that
] had an ancestral predisposition to
. hereditary traits along the beauty
lines, as it were.
One evening ! called upon Kitty with
my mind fully made up that | would
propose to her on that occasion. as I
had been growing more and more fre-
quent about the Price cottage, and peo
pie would soon begin to talk openly. as
they had already begun to whisper.
Dick, my nephew, was there when [
arrived, but as he had been there many