Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1896-05-02 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

WHAT.  CHAPTER XIII. AT BUS!! CREEK. She clenchect her hands, as if to hold Her soul's great agony— Have I renounced my womanhood For wifehood unto thee ? And is this tha last, last look of thine That ever I shall see ? Yet God thee save, and mayst thou have A lady to an. mind And God me take with Him to dwell, For Him I cannot love too well, As I have loved my kind." —E. B. BROWNING/. Now we must proceed to Bush Creek and relate what took place there. On the same evening of Lionne's visit to River-view, Kate Kyte sat in her bare and dilapidated front-parlour, which was also the common sitting-room and eating-room of the family, awaiting the return of her guest. In the adjoining back parlour, which served as the kitchen, old Lucy was preparing supper. Odours of fragrant coffee, corn-bread and broiled fowl came in through the open door, and still farther stimulated Kate's keen appetite.  But notwithstanding her hunger. and the uncertainty of her guest's return. Kate felt bound in common courtesy to wait some time for her appearance. To help to pass the interval, Kate got up and drew out into the middle of the floor an oldfashioned, black walnut table, put up its two broad leaves, and pulling out its end-drawer, took thence an old, threadbare, but clean damask cloth, with which she covered its top. Then going to the quaint corner cupboard to the left of the fire• place, she took thence cups, saucers, and plates of tine, old-fashioned, but mismatched china, and arranged them upon the table. Lastly, from the same repository she brought a tarnished silver coffee-pot, a relic of better days, and with some , pride placed it upon the table. I She had scarcely completed thee arrangements when the door opened, and her brother Hubert entered, exclaiming impatiently— "l say, Kate, when will supper be ready? 1 am almost starved to death!"  _ "So am I! and supper is ready now We are only waiting for Lionne." "And there's no telling when she'll be hack I say, Bate, she's a beautiful gal; but it's my belief she's got a grudge against someone at Riverview. I know it by her looks !" said Hubert, with the look of a sage. "Don't be a fool, Hubert!"  "Well, fool or no fool, I had rather it be +hey than me that she has a grudge against; for I say, Kate, she looks as dangerous as—as—as de muzzle of a blunderbuss at halfeock I"  "Take care, then, that you don't get into the line of the gun's mouth !"  "On the 'Contrary, I want to put something into my own mouth. I say, Kate, I'm famished!" "Boys always are. You must wait !" "Kate, I can't; I'm going on a coon-hunt to. night." "Well, then, go into the kitchen, and tell Aunt Lucy to give you your supper there," said his sister, not sorry to be rid of the boy for the evening, so as to have a long tete-a-tete with Liortoe, in case that eccentric girl should return and choose to satisfy her curiosity.. _  Hubeit gladly obeied, and in twenty rninntes' assiduous application so appeso 1 the craving. of his appetite as to be able to prepare himself and issue forth for a night's sport. The bo— had been gone half an hour. and "the shades of night were falling fast," when Kate, looking up through the uncurtained front window, saw Lionne, weary and exhausted, slowly riding across the bridge. _ .  "Put the supper on the table. Bring in the coffee first, so that I can have it all ready poured out and ready to drink, for my stomach has gone to my back-bone from sheer emptiness," called Kate through the kitchen door. She was so promptly obeyed that she had time to fill the cups before Lionne reached the door, and dropped. rather than alighted, from her hozse, and entered the room. "Well, how do you do? I am very glad you have come back," said Kate, placing chairs at the table. . . _  Murmuring some faint, inaudible words of thanks, Lionne staggered towards the table, seized a cup of coffee, quaffed it with feverish haste, and then went and fell exhauste4 upon the oldfashioned settle to the right of the fireplace. "You look very tired," said Kate, going to her, with interest.  _ "Hush don't speak to me yet," faltered Lionne. -  "Well, I won't; but do have some supper—it will refresh you." "I cannot. Eat yourself." "Eat myself! Well, lam just hungry enough to do it, if it were possible; in which case, should I be a, cannibal or a suicide, or both I wonder! There's a question of moral philosophy! Lionne, famished as I am, I decline to commit the barbarism of eating myself, unless you will keep me in countenance by eating yourself 1" "Girl, girl. I cannot !" exclaimed Lionne, impatiently rolling her dark head. Well, to tell the truth, I doubt whether I can; but there is nothing like trying, especially as I am famished. Which end of me ought Ito begin at—my toes or my nose?" uhild, cease your folly. Leave me in peace for an hour, and then I will tell you all. And, in the meantime, if you are famished—why, feed, feed." "Well, I will follow your advice, especially as the hunger of my stomach is much keener then [ the appetite of my curiosity, which can wait.