The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-06-20
CHAPTER XIV.
Continued.

SAiS hoSh SoS ohy PSOPiS' '>
absolutely without any relations"
mo people?"
'No. There is nobody else like her
In the whole world. When 1 was
taken from her she lost the only per-
son in the world who cared for her.
Poor Katharine"
But she must have had parents,
and they must have had cousins"
Most girls have. Mine did not. She
had a father, and his name was Will
loughby Capel."
"Willoughby! That is strange, too.
What was he?"
HE was a gentleman by profession
He was an idle, selfish, luxurious. use
less creature in reality. He had been
in the army. and he lived on some al
lowance or annuity or something, the
nature of which he never told his
daughter. Nor was she told anything
about her relations. Her mother was
an actress, but Katharine was not per-
,mitted to know her name, and she died
in childbirth. There is the whole
story"
"It is only the beginning of one. why
did the man keep his daughter in 1g-
porance of her relationS?"
well, you see, there is one reason
which Immediately suggests itself to
the adult. 1t is based on that adults
experience of the wickedness OF human
nature. The man mus. have doEe
something which cut him off from the
family, or else perhaps all the family
must have done something simultane-
ously. and so cut themselves off frem
him. There are good many actions
which are still recognized as being
dishonorable even in this lax age.
There are so many, in fact, that there
are enough to 60 round very large
family, and very likely it was the
cousins who disgraced themselves with
one consent. But doubt it, SIR"
= .'Tom, it's a very curious thing, and
perhaps it means nothing and is only
q coincidence, but there was a fellow
in my Katharine's family who was
formerly in the army, and turned out
a very bad hat indeed. He had to
send in his papers for something he
did. I never heard what it was, but
the rest. of his family would have
nothing more to do with him. He was
always in debt, I know, for one thing,
and he was pretty unscrupulous as to
getting out Of debt"
thot fhiC QOi0-
BILE person was my katharine's par
ent?"
perhaps it is only q coincidence.
Still, there are other points. This gal
liant officer of ours married an actress.
So did yours. Whether there were any
children or not do not know. Then,
however, come the names. Why
should he call himself Willoughby for
his Christian name? Because it was
his surname? Why should he call
his daughter Katharine Regina? Be-
cause it was a family name? Again,
it was Katharine Regina Willoughby,
my Katharine's great-aunt, who kept
our man going. She used to say moth
ing about it, but it was known in the
family that she did so. Tom, I firmly
believe that your Katharine is my
Katharine's cousin. What sort of a
man was her father to look at?" .
''He was an extremely handsome
man, tall and with regular features,
and was called an aristocratic-look-
ing man."
"All the Willoughbys are tall and
extremely handsome. My Katha-
rine-"
"And mine as WELL" said Tom.
what color was his hair"
"It should have been gray. but he
dyed it. I suppose he kept to the
original color, which was q dark
brown. His eyes were brown"
Good heavens, Tom! This is Won
derful. I have no doubt at all that he
was old Miss Willoughby's favorite
good-for-nothing nephew. What a
strange thing it is that we should
have been lugged about together over
that accursed desert for six months,
and that we should be engaged to two
cousinsp'
"I dare say you are right" said Tom.
"But as my Katharine doesn't know OF
your Katharine. don't see how 1t
helps hec at the present juncture.
Stay. Good heavens! If had known
this six months ago 1 need never have
? come out at all"
.. "Why"
because the fortune to which did
{ not succeed was to so to the heirs of
this very Captain Willoughby, and if
you are right, it is my own Katharine,
after all. who will have it! Old man,
that escape which you planned and
carried'out meant more than our lives,
more than the happiness Of the women
who love us; it meant, only l did not
know it, the restoration of Katharine
to her family and to her fortune
Good heavens! 1t is wonderful. 1t is
truly wonderful.
Here the conversation ought to have
ended; the curtain ought to fall at this
point. What followed was weak
very weak.
"Old man." Tom went on. "if had
known that all this was involved in
our getting safe to this haven of ref
uge, I believe l should never have
pulled through with you. I should
have been too nervous. The sur
would have killed me; I should have
fallen down with heat apoplexy;
should have stepped upon flying ser
pent; should have irritated winged