The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1906-08-30
Kate's
Conscience
By IZoLA FORESTER
Copyright, 1905. by Ruby Douglas
By IzoLA FORESTER

lara DeIore you marry ulIl.
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.
/ .If you don't some one else will, and
that will only make any subsequent
explanation SO unpleasant. Men are
peculiar, anyway, and in an affair of
this kind
"Imogene Wayne Hates face flush
ed hotly-'I think you put it altogether
too strongly"
at is a serious matter" Imogene
bit off the end of her embroidery linen
deliberately. IF it were my own af-
| fair / should consider it a matter of
conscience. Willard is the sort of man
to take anything of that kind to heart.
l know him Well"
81 don't care a bit whether he knows
or notv' exclaimed Kate. 81 suppose
/ should have told him in the first
place. but he never asked me, and
didn't consider it necessary. / never
| thought Bart would"
mo 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
it 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
JapanY
Not everybody. l came by special
request"
"And went in the first place by spe-
cal request too?"
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
more at ease After all Bart was a
good boy. He had come home the same
"a trifle browner, the lines about his
mouth a 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 a foolish, childish
name for girl, she thought, for the
kind of girl at least that she prided
herself on being. She was not he
| fluffy, childish type. She was tall Hnd
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. 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 / 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 a
three months test is not worth waiting
lifetime for"
Don't be vindictive and catty.
Kate" Tmogene 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?"
of the probation" answered Bart
| calmly. Il like Viewpoint. Willard
and are old college pals"
Were you really?" Imogene glanced
back over her shoulder to laugh again.
isn't it comical, though, the whole
affair? Well, there is one thing sure,
Bart you won't be pals if Hates con-
science troubles her.
They were alone several minutes be-
fore the silence was broken. Then
Bart asked:
Does it?"
Trouble me?" Kate lifted her head,
and the anxiety in her eyes startled
him. Eyes, it does, Bart. OF course
intend to marry Willard. The proba-
ton idea Is half of it, Infogene's non
sense. 1 only asked him to give me
three months to make up nay mind"
Il didn't give you three minutes
"And / changed it in three weeks,
she retorted quickly. 1T is better to
be sure. But
But you haven't told Willard about
me"
Not yet. She hesitated and Their
added nervously, earnestly: 1T ISM
that he would mind although sup
pose he would too. ] know | should
mind If he had done such thing and
had NOT told me But | thought he