Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-01-27

"You may" says the younger Miss Beres.
ford, who has awakened from the dim dusk
Of ''faerie lands forlorn" to the clearer light
of earth. "You may" witherngly, "feet
like it, but you certainly don't look like it,"
II am not complete, L know that" says
Mr.. Desmond, still full OF unholy enjoy
ment. II lack bright Apollo's lutte strung
with his hair; but If you will wait a alnomeni
l will run back to Coole and get the nearest
| thing to it,
He turns as if to fulfill his words but Kit
stops him,
Don't GO" she says, laughing gayly, now
herself. Even the very original lutte would
not transform you into goo. Stay IL you
want to, After all, now am again In my
senses, dare say you are as good to talk TO
| as a heather deity"
! "Oh, no." says Mr.. Desmond, humbly,
"They always Numbered when they spoke |
so think how imposing and convincing their
arguments must have beeni'
"Horrid, should think" says Kit. "And
how tell me what brought you hereP''
This Is abrupt, but, taking her In her own
mood, Desmond answers, bluntly,-
Monica"
''She told you to Gomez"
mo. But want to see her."
"She has gone to her ROOM"
make her leave 1t again. Tell her can.
not rest until see her; tell her anything; /;
only bring her to me for even one short mos
ment"
but II is some time since left her; pefs
haps she Is in bed.'
But not asleep yet, surely. She loves
you, Kilt induce her, then to come to her
window, that may even catch glimpse Of
her, If may not speak with her. But she
cannot be in bed 1t is so early" says Mr.
Desmond, desperately.
'Well," says Kit, relenting, and striving
TO forget the blank occasOned by the substi-
tuition of an ordinary Desmond for an eX-
haordinary deity, "rll see what can be
DONE"
"You will" eagerly, "really?"
YES really. j will stand your friend"
says Kit, solemnly feeling now that, even
II the old gods have denied her an intimate
acquaintance with them, still they have de-
voted her to the service of Cupid, and have
secretly commanded her toh help on the mach
nations Of his naughty little highness.
Then will you tell her want to see her
here nOt0-for only a bare second il she
so wills II? Will YOU tell her this from me?
Dear Kit Sloeet Kit, entreat you to do
this"
''Oh how sweet / am when You want me
TO do something for you!' says she. with
little smile. "There can see through you
rs clearly as though You were crystal; but 1
like you all the same, You must have some
good in you TO fall in love with my Monica
"Others can fall in love with her, too" re-
turns he with moody jealousy
"Ah, yesl saw that" says Kit, lifting
her hands eXcitedly.
"Who could fail to see it? Who could fail
to love her?' says Desmond, sadly. Then,
being in such very poor ease, and looking
sorrowfully for comfort from any source,
however small, he says nervcusly,-
Kit, answer me truthfully-you have
sworn to be my friend; tell me, then, which
do you count the better man,-him, or me?'
But that a nse Of honor forbids him to
pry into his loves secret thoughts he would
have asked whom she counted the better
man.
"You," says Kit, calmly. 81 have no
doubt about it. hate fat men, and so does
Monica. have Leard her say so, over and
over again"
'Oh, Kit! what dear little girl you are!"
says Mr.. Desmond, with grateful feryOr.
'Well, I'm glad yon like me-" says Kit,
"because" frankly like you. It was
very good of you to lend that gun to Terry;
l haven't forgotten that, though, goodness
knows, l only hope he won't do himself to
death with it, (she delights In old-world
phrases such as this) "and | like you, too,
for loving Monica. Isn't She" laying her
hand upon his arm, and looking trustfully
into his eyes, ,-"isn't she prttty?'
''Shc is like an angel" says Desmond,
feeling all his heart go out to the fragile,
ethereal-looking child before him, as he
listens to her praises of her sister.
Or a saint perhaps, Monica is sanity
name. Was she not the mother of st. Au-
gustine?' says Kit, quickly. After the old
gods, passion for the saints, and their lilies
AMI roses ami fiery trials, animates h child
ish bosom. 'Oh! and that reminds me-" she
says; "she told me to bring her in lily,
fresh with dew,-one of those lilies over
there in that dark corner DO you see them,
tall and white?"
II see Let me pick one for her. Here,
take it to her, and" laying his lips upon it,
'this with IT,"
81 will. And now let me run in and try
my utmost TO persuade her to come out here.
But" doubtfully, as she remembers how
Monica refused with studied coldness to
h'NNo h'o p"iNihS 6IhiiSc tiio ~
few hours ago, 'dO not be too sure of her
coming. She maj refuse, you know. She
IS peculiar in many ways, and she thinks
herself bound in honor to Aunt Priscilla not
to look at you. But stay here, just In this
spot, and think all the time that am doing
my very best for YOU"
Her little face Is so earnest as she says all
this, so fearful that he may have to endure
disappointment, that he is greatly touched.
Pushing back her hair from her forehead
with both hands, he lays light but loving
kiss upon her brow.
go, my best friend. trust all to you,"
he says, after which the slender sprite
springs away from him, and, entering the
shadows beyond, is soon lost to him.
Reaching the house, she mounts the stairs
with swift but silent footsteps, and, after
nervous hesitation before the door of her
aunt Priscillas room, finds herself once
again face to face with Monica. That pref
ty cause of all this plotting is not i'm bed, as
Kit had predicted might be the case She Is
not even undressed She has only exchanged
her azure gown for a loose white morning
robe, long and trailing and lavishly trim
med at the throat and wrist with some rare
old Mechlin lace that Aunt Penelope had
given her week ago, glad in the thought
that 1t may perchance add apother charm to
the hearty of her darling