Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-28

FIJI girl 1 ever saw in my life,'' he
answered Ozark, tallish, with masses
of hair and the biggest black eyes you
can imagine. She will simply take the place by
storm There won t be such another beauty within
fifty miles of us.
Kitty shrank back in her chair, seeming suddenly
smaller and slighter and paler even than her won't
The freight blazed up and showed her the exact
opposte of the girl Sir Christopher speak
ing Of H.. Nov mat b. - son+houn
ton - he was continuing and the wind was bit
ter cold, but she looked radiant. She looked
radiant too, when we got here; but she said she
was tired and so she is lying down for while -
"Your cousin, said Kitty, slowly, after min
ute I" How strange it seems A cousin from the
bushl Oh Chris, are you sure-are you sure it can
be true9"
"He looked at her little startled. ''Why, of
course, he replied. "There is every proof. We
knew Jack Thornton had been in Australia ami
that he had married there and died at Walla, but
we always thought his child had died, too. He
never made any claim for her. WE'LL no claim has
been made now; but, of course, it is only right
since we have found her that she should have tho
money belonging to her father. 1t will have to
come out of my estate, of course, but we can stand
it well enough. -
"But-but, Chris, it seems so strange. Why
haven't they claimed for her beforef Why didn t
her father leave word behind him about hera'
Sir Christopher Thornton shrugged his shoulders.
He did, - he replied But the farmer and his
wife where he died grew fond of her they didn
want to part with her; and it is only by accident
that we have discovered her now They hated the
thought of losing her, and young Ford says they
hated him for finding out about her. But lawyers
noses scent all sorts of secrets, and he had to
take the voyage to Australia for his health, his
father thought he might as well go up to Walla
and see the place where his old friend and client
died. That is how it came about. He saw the girl
there and recognized her likeness to Jack, my
father s cousin. -
Kitty drew a deep sigh ''Oh, it seems if
everything has gone wrong since l went
away" she said, "and it is only six
months
"Gone wrongl" Sir Christopher echoed.
"Why, you goose, how9"
She had risen to her feet and stood looking
down at him. 81 don't know, Chris she
SAID "but this girl-this horrid girl will upset
things. 1 know she will. We three-you and
your mother and I-have been happy all
these years, and nothing has come to spoil It
till now.
''And why should Meta spoil things nowi"
he asked
He rose to his feet as he spoke, and stood
looking down into her little pale face. Her
eyes seemed too big and too bright for it. He
found himself thinking for perhaps the first
time that she almost pretty girl, and
that, after all, she was not his sister.
Twelve years ago, when she had been a child
of six, he had saved her life. He had been q
boy of fourteen then, and he had never forgot
ten the sight of the little half-starved thing in
her mothers arms as she slipped and fell in
the muddy roadway. Almost instantly ne mad
rushed forward He had been too late to save
the mother-she was killed instantly-but the
little half-starved child chung to him then with
her small thin arms as though she would never
let him go.
He had saved her life, and ever SINCE then
she had lived with him and his mother, adoring |
him passionately, worshiping him, feeling al
ways that she belonged to him more than to
anybody else in the world
Now, in spite of herself, against her will, the
sick pain was gnawing at her heart Sir Chris
topher had had relatives all these years.
There had been nothing to come between her
and him. Now-he had found cousin-a
long-lost, never-s suspected cousin-a girl from
the bush. And she had come between them.
Kitty knew it instinctively, surely, with tho
pain growing and growing.
'Oh, Christi She threw out her arms to
him. "Oh Chris, don't let her turn me QUE,
will you2"