Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-09-26
Kate's
Coincidence
By IZOLA FORESTER
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas

d 81 think that you ought to tell VII
t, lard before you marry him."
7. Kate did not even turn her head
9 After listening to variations of the
g same advice and opinion for half an
Il hour she felt more than annoyed. She
. was frankly angry and perplexed.
"If you don't some one else will, and
that will only make any subsequent
\ explanation so unpleasant. Men are
1 peculiar, anyway, and in an affair Of
= this kind
? "Imogene Wayne'-Kates face flush
t ed hotly-'T think you put it altogether
too strongly"
at is serious matter" Imogene
bit off the end Of her embroidery linen
deliberately. ''If it were my own af-
fair l should consider 1t matter Of
conscience. Willard Is the sort of man
to take anything of that kind to heart.
. know him we'll"
* don't care bit whether he knows
or notw exclaimed Kate. II suppose
should have told him In the first
place, but he never asked me, and /
didn't consider it necessary. never
thought Bart would"
"No one did," interposed Imogene,
with serene significance. But the
fact remains that Bart has
HAS what? Am l always In trou-
bleT
Lazily, comfortably interested, the
voice sounded from the inner room
whose windows opened on the veran-
da. Kate stood, silent, indignant, her
chin appraised, her lashes downcast
From the cool shadow of the curtained
window seat Bart Holman thought
her sweeter and dearer than ever. And
1t had been nearly two years ago.
"Are you In there, Bart?" Imogene
laughed. "How long have you been
listening-long enough to agree with
me? Whatever made you come home
when everybody wanted you to stay In
JapanT
mot everybody. l came by special
request"
"And went in the first place by spe-
cial request tOoT
Kate flashed one single glance at her
| cousin. She had not known how much
Imogene knew She wondered If Bart
had told her. Against her will she |
looked at Bart He was smiling at
her, and suddenly. vaguely. she felt !
n oil DO
good boy. He had come home the same |
"a tri1e browner, the lines about his |
mouth n bit deeper, the look of his |
eyes steadier. The two years In Japan |
had done him good
when is the wedding, Kitty?
No one ever called her Kitty but |
Bart 1t was such foolish, childish
name for a girl, she thought, for the
kind of girl at least that she prided
herself on being. She was not the
fluffy, childish type. She was tall and
slender with smooth dark hair and
eyes that changed like the sea with her
mood
1--WE are not even engaged yet" she
answered composedly II can hardly
say when the wedding will be-"
Kate Is so cautious about matrl-
mOny this time" Imogene said amused
ly. "She has actually put poor Willard
on probation. If ne Is a good boy for
three months and manages to fulfill her
ideal in that time, then she will consent
to an engagement"
If l were girl I'd put Willard on
probation for life" Bart said cheer
fully. Zone would be perfectly safe.
There would never be any danger Of
foreclosure
Three months is long enough" said
Kate. "a man, who cannot stand
three months test is not worth waiting
a lifetime for"
Don't be vindictive and catty,
Kate" Imogene gathered up her melee | .
of embroidery odds and ends. Every !
body at Viewpoint knows about you and |
Bart, and when you twit him that way ,
1t is simply bad taste. Bart, why on
earth didn't you have sense enough to c
stay awayT
mo one sent me announcement cards I
of the probation" answered Bart |
calmly. Il like Viewpoint. Willard 7
and are old college pals" 9
"Were you really?" Imogene glanced
back over her shoulder to laugh again :
isn't 1t comlcal. though. the whole 4
affair? Well, there is one thing sure,
Bart, you won't be pals IL Kate's con-
science troubles her" q
They were alone several minutes be-
fore the silence was broken. Then
Bart asked:
docs itT'
Trouble me?" Kate lifted her head,
md the anxiety In her eyes startled
him. Eyes, 1t does, Bart. OF course | d
intend to marry Willard. The proba-
ion idea is half Of 1t, Imogene's non 2
'ense. l only asked him to give me s
hree months to make up my mind" n
Il didn't give you three minutes" I,
"And l changed 1t In three weeks" O
he retOrted quickly. 1T is better to n
re sure. But II
"But you haven't told Willard about a
neY n
dded nervously, earnestly; ut isn't Ct
hat he would mind, although l sup is
lose he would too. / know l should b.
mind II he had done such thing and Il
lad not told me. But 1 thought he "
new, Of course. until one day he told IL
ne he didn't believe girl ever loved 1
nore than one man sincerely and al IL
olutely, and he was glad for that rea- 81
on that Ind never been engaged be- Y
ore" g,
Il agree with him." Bart swung al
yer the barrier of the window ledge m
hat separated them. II don't believe la
QUILL ever love any one as you did me, la
litty, will your"
The impersonal frankness of his tone W