Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-04-09


masters daughter, and l have no right
to order you about. l have forgotten
that hitherto. But ! shall never do 1t
again. l have warned you, and I can
do no more. But if you are ever sad
or in trouble, come to me, then you
will see that old Katharine is as fond
of you as mother
" oh, Katharine, don't speak to me
like that, that hurts me- l exclaimed;
say what you like, and I will do it,
For one moment she was silent.
No. she said, then, you are no longer
a child. and you have good heart
You alone must decide in future, what
sou ought to do. 1 shall never force
ny advice upon you again.
And how shall thank you for all
your kindness?' I said, as l wiped
away the fast-coming tears.
"tAh, child, that is not worth speak
ing about. I only wanted to get up a
IitCl surprise for you, but it will keep
and whether you come today or long
time from now, the flowers shall al
WAYS be fresh, and l will keep the cup
for you.
Il gave her my fathers letter. 1t
was not my habit to do this; I usual
Iy only told her what he had written.
d" Keep it and read it, Katharine l
said; 4 will come again tomorrow,
and then I will answer it here, and
you can tell me what l am to say. to
him from YOU
"She nodded her head, and laid the
letter carefully away in her prayer
book on the window seat, with her
great horn spectacles on top Of it so
it should not be blown away.
Just wait a minute before you go,
she said, going out of the room as she
spoke. In little while she came
back with a few beautiful white roses
in her hand.
Here, take them with you, I only
discovered them yesterday morning;
and now go with Col, and keep your
heart strong, so that no foolish
thoughts shall come in. You are stand
ing in slippery places and may easily
fall: look sometimes down at our lit
tie house-you know what 1 mean
Then she pushed me gently to-
ward the door.
Goodbye, you must be in a hurry
Yes, I knew what she meant, and l
thought about it on my way home. 1t
was really very extraordinary of
IN
last evening 1 had been excited by the
music and the conversation; today, I
could scarcely comprehend how 1
could have gazed at the stars so dream
lily last night; and yet, when I thought
of those black eyes, my heart began
to beat faster.
ooh Katharine, don't be anxious, l
shall be on my guard, I will keep my
heart carefully;as for talking and
chatting with him, that need not make
any one unhappy. No, it Was absurd;
Katharine was foolishIy anxious, and
she was half aware of it herself now.
1T was true that when l saw him
again at the table, and when afterward
he sat beside me on horseback, I
scarcely thought any more that there
was a Katharine in the world and
had long forgotten her good advice
it was too delicious to ride slowly
along through the green wood: and
when | looked up l saw his eyes bent
on me, so that I dropped mine in con-
fusion.
What we talked about I can no
longer remember; I am sure the topics
were insignificant enough, and yet l
think I never found any conversation
so interesting. All, Katharine, Katha-
rine, if you had only seen US, and how
he wore one of your white roses IN his
uniform, your humility would have
been scattered to the winds.
Il told him about my father, and
how lonely I should be if 1 had not
found home at the castle.
I too, have no parents-they have
been dead many years. he said, while
his mouth wore a sorrOwful express
sion. But it is not so hard for man
to be alone in the world as it is for a
girl, whose place is in her fathers
house until she married.
" But am going back to my father
said, in a low tone, as soon as he
comes back from his travels. am al
ready looking forward to it, but don't
tell Hannah, for she has no idea of it,
Who knows how long Hannah
will stay at home? he smiled, Look
at little Bergen, how do you like him?'
I was quite shocked at the Connec-
ton between these two questions,
which yet might have been entirely
by chance.
I have not thought about it yet I
replied, looking at the two with wide
open eyes, as they chartered together.
Then I looked at Lieutenant Won Eber-
hardt, but he might already have for
gotten what he had said, for his eyes
were sweeping over the open glade in
which we found ourselves, and he
drew in the resinous odor of the fir
trees in long breaths.
Shall we ride on a little fasteT?'
he inquired. I was quite ready, so We
soon few past Hannah and her COM
panion.
All, those were sweet, happy days,
such as come to every one sometime
in this world; and this period rises out
of the dull sea of my life like a green
sunny isIet.
4 will not describe it, this beauti-
full period of dawning love, for some
times the whole magic charm con-