Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-09-20
Kate'S
Conscience
By IZOLA FORESTER
Copyright, 1905, by Ruby Douglas

Kate did not even turn her head
After listening to variations Of the
same advice and opinion for half an
hour she felt more than annoyed. She
was frankly angry and perplexed.
J 'If YOU don't some one else will, and
that will only make any subsequent
explanation SO unpleasant. Men are
peculiar, anyway, and i'll an affair of
this kind
''Imogene Wayne Kate's face flush
/ ed hotly-'I think you put 1t altogether
too strongly"
1T is serious matter" Imogene
bit off the end of her embroidery linen
deliberately "If it were my own af-
| fair | should consider 1t a matter Of
conscience Willard is the sort of man
to take anything of that kind to heart
| | know him we'll"
Il don't care Il bit whether he knows
or not" exclaimed Kate. Il suppose
| should have told him in the first
place bGt he never asked me, and l
! diGn't consider it necessary. l never
thoaeht :;act would"
NO one did" interposed Imogene,
with scGrie significance. But the
fact remains that Bart has
'Ila5 what? Am | always in trou-
ble:"
Laziiy, comfortably interested. the
voice sounded from the inner room
/ whose windows opened on the veran-
/ da Kate stood, silent, indignant, her
chin upraised, her lashes dOwncast
| From the Cocl shadow OF the curtained
/ window seat Bart Holman thought
J her swecter and dearer than ever. And
1t had been nearly two years ago
Are YOU in there, BartW 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
| Japan"
Not 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 kneE. She wondered II Bart
! had told her. Against her Will she
! looked at Bart He was smiling at
/ her, and suddenly, vaguely, she felt
/ more ut ease After all Bart was
/ good boy. He had come home the same
IA trifle browner, the lines about his
mouth a bit deeper, the look Of his
! eyes steadicr. The two years in Japan
had done him good
I "When is the wedding, KittyY
No one ever called her Kitty but
! Bart. 1t was such foolish, childish
name for n 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 Ike the sea with her
! mood.
I'VE are not even engaged yet" she
answered composedly. Il can hardly
say when the wedding will be"
Kate Is SO cautious about matri-
mony this time" Imogene said amused
ly. "She has actually put poor Willard
on probation. If he is a good boy for
three months and manages to fulfill her
ideal in that time, then she will consent
| to an engagement"
IF | We're Il girl Id 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 n
three months test IS not worth waiting
a lifetime for"
Don't be vindictive and catty,
Kate" Imo%ene 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
it is simply bad taste Bart, why on
earth didn't you have sense enough TO
stay away"
mo one sent me announcement cards
of the probation" answered Bart
calmly. Il Ike Viewpoint. Willard
and ! are old college pals"
"Werc you reallyT' Imogene glanced
back over her shoulder to laugh again
isn't 1t comical, though, the whole
affair? Well, there IS one thing sure,
Bart, you won't be pals if Kites con
science troubles her"
They were alone several minutes be
fore the silence was broken. Then
Bart asked:
Does itT'
Trouble meT" Kate lifted her head,
and the anxiety In her eyes startled
him "Yes, 1t does, Bart. OF course
intend to marry Willard. The proba-
ton idea is half Of it, ImOgene's non
sense | only asked him TO give me
three months to make up my mind"
Il didn't give you three inmates"
And | changed it in three weeks,
she retorted quickly. 1t is better to
be sure. But
But you haven't told Willard about
mef'
Not yet" She hesitated and then
added nervously, earnestly: 1T isn't
that he would mind, although | sup
pose he would too. | know | should
mind If he had done such thing anC
had not told me. But l thought h'
knew, of course, until one day he told
me he didn't believe a girl ever loved
more than one man sincerely and alb
solutely, and he was glad for that rea
son that ! had never been engaged be
fore"
II agree with him" Bart swung
over the barrier of the window ledg,
that separated them. Il don't believe
you'll ever love any one as you did me
Kitty, will your
The impcrSonal frankneSs of his tone
, tisarmed her She replied almost gen
, tly:
1T was the newness of it all, that's
what makes it different Why, Bart
do you know you We're the first mar
who ever asked me to be his wife
And it seemed 50 queer. You never
said Il word, do you remember, just
Il remember" said Bart. 1T was