The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1900-03-17
met" replied Kitty. with roguish

~AS' AOk0O0 AAAetys wan q ave- AAo~s
smile.
Then you have ALL"
Then hope he does refuse, I'm
surer' Kitty said, with thought Of
the handsome face she had missed
SO sorely. But never knew l had
an uncle. maman," she resumed ;
lat least not living" she added.
Then her mother told her about
the quarrel, as set forth already.
II have been wrong and wicked, "
she said as she wiped the tears from
her eyes, "but have been punished
for it." she added.
Presently che handed Kitty let
ter which had been inclosed with the
one she had read containing the an
nouncement of her daughters for
tune. 1T is from your cousin, dear.
Read it and see what he has to say"
But Kitty was not to be go put of
concerning the matter of her uncle
and cross questioned her mother
why II was she had never told her
about him.
well, dear, was afraid you
might grow discontinued II you
knew and would want to leave ma
Then, as time went on and I never
heard from your uncle, ! was nerv-
ous Of approaching a reconciliation,
for I feared he might wish you to go
and see him and so separate US"
Kitty, who had left her chair and
placed her arms round her mothers
neck, kissed her and said:
Never mind, dear. We have been
very happy together, haven't wei
Uncle was bad, naughty man to
quarrel with you, you old darlingr'
The next day Kitty, who did not
look SO bright and happy as on the
previous morning, startled her
mother by saying:
"Maman, let US go away from
here for time. Let us 60 and live
somewhere near Holt, and then we
can see my cousin there. lido not
want to zee him here"
Her mother glanced at her sharp
~, for the last thing in the world
she would have dreamed of doing
would have been to go away from
Monkwood. But Kitty had her way
in spite OF her mothers protesta-
tons. She had had 1t from her baby
hood and upward. and it would have
been something strange to her If she
had not had it then. So it came to
pass that she and her mother left
the home which had sheltered them
for years and took little villa at
Highcliffe. a small seaside town
about 40 miles from Holt From
there Kitty wrote to her cousin, tell
ing him her mother and herself
would be pleased to see him when
ever he liked to run down and make
their acquaintance
When John Holt received his cou-
sin 8 letter. he lost no time in setting
forth on the journey to the little
seaside town, filled with q deter
mination to WOO and win the girl
upon whose answer depended mat
ter Of some e10, 900 year extra for
him to get rid Of. As the train rush.
ed through the autumn landscape
he tried to imagine what the un-
known would be like, and the types
he pictured were varied.
Blind, lame, red haired and FREQ
killed., cross eyed and cantan kerous-
such were some of the to him hard
ly pleasant visions his imagination
conjured up.
When he alighted at the dreary,
drafty station, he found a grumpy
porter to carry his portmanteau to
rickety cab, drawn by knock
kneed animal whose only qualifca-
ton emitting 1t to a belief in its
worthiness was the too palpable fact
that it had plenty Of bone. Tho jehu
presiding over the box seat was as
antique a specimen of the genus
cabby as any one could wish to
meet.
He had perforce to charter the
cab to convey his luggage to the one
redeeming feature of the town, q
good. old fashioned inn, evidently q
place where hospitality in the good
old days. when railroads were not
thought of, was we'll dispensed.
When he had secured his room at
the inn, he set forth on foot to Sea
Gull cottage, where his aunt and
cousin lived. He was not sorry when
neat maidservant, in answer to his
ring, opened the front door, and in
reply to his inquiry for Miss Mark
ham-for that was Kitty's mothers
real name-conducted him into q
tastefully furnished drawing room ;
for Kitty was nothing II not dainty
in her tastes.
"Missus will be with you directly,
sir, was the maids remark as she
left him.
He sat down before the blazing
fire with feeling Of eager antioipa-
&tnv, o,,l ,,.x.1