The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-05-18

her beauty to me, for l can remember
now that on one or two occasions
came very nearly marking three or four
persons off my list of acquaintance
because they had spoken rather slight
ingly of my taste in feminine beauty.
AS have stated, l was 40 and Kitty
was twenty-five years younger, but
what is little thing like time in the
consideration of a matter which lasts
for eternity, as love surely does? Not
that | was in love with Miss Clarke,
but l held her in such lofty esteem
that love itself could not have been a
very great Improvement upon the CON
| dition of my feelings. AS for her
beauty, must confess that masculine
eyes 40 years old are possibly some
what more susceptible TO feminine
beauty aged Is than would be true of
the reverse proposition.
had known Kitty about year, and
being rich, as wealth Is computed in
towns the size of Brandon, and Kitty
being poor, rs poverty is computed al
most anywhere, | was received with
more enthusiasm perhaps than might
have otherwise obtained. Even then
there were times when l have seen
Kitty smile on a nephew of mine. who
was my cashier, In a fashion which
forced me to wonder II she would have
done so had he been 40 and rich, in
stead of % and nearly as poor as she
was. But / did not permit trities of
that sort to worry me long, for | felt
with the sublime faith of man in my
position that when | was ready to ask
Kitty to be mine, Kitty was going to
be ready and waiting to answer affirm
atively.
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?" l chuckled, well
satisfied with myself; and | went about
my affairs whistling with much CON
tent.
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 have minated to
aunt Price that some day life would be
easier for her, all on account of Kitty,
and it was only necessary that she
wait little longer with the same beau
tiful patience which had characterized
her life even when the shadows were
heaviest. Then l felt an overwhelm-
ing desire to put my arms around her
plump and pretty waist and let her rest
her tired head on the bosom of her de-
voted nephew -in-law-to-be, but l al
ways restrained myself, though there
were times when there were tears in
her eyes. and have observed that
when women weep they weep more
satisfactorily If they have manly
bosom to sob their sorrows out upon.
incidentally | might say that Kitty's
chaperon was n dozen or more years
older than her charming niece and
showed very plainly In every line of
her face and graceful curve of her fig
ure where Kitty got her beauty, and
this was a 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
l had an ancestral predisposition to
hereditary traits along the beauty lines,
as it were.
One evening I called upon Kitty
with my mind fully made up that |
would propose to her on that occasion,
as had been growing more and more
! frequent about the Price cottage, and
people would soon begin to talk open
ly, as they had already begun to whis-
per. Dick, my nephew, was there
when arrived, but as he had been there
| many times previously and always
obediently arose and departed when his
uncle came, l gave the matter no
thought and cheerily told the boy he
might take my trap and go driving with
| some of his friends, as | would walk
home. When the front door closed and
shortly thereafter We heard the noise
of wheels dying away down the street
l thought | saw look of pain in Kit
| tvs face. but l did not speak of it.
That trap would be hers in few
months. and then the dear girl would
never have to sit at home for lack of
her own vehicle.
| For an hour or more talked to Kit
ty much as l had done on other even
ings, and then | asked her to be my
wife.