Year: 1873

y
man, else | should not have this story to
write, but the terrible wilderness of
night, the furious lashing of the rain.
the roar of the angry sea, made her fall
ter for moment upon the threshold be-
fore going out. The wind in that one
moment whirled past her, and blew open
the half shut library door, bringing her
father from the room to see what had
happened.


"Katharine, you are not going out?"
in amazement.


eyes"


There was certainly no hesitation in
her voice, and something in her eyes
made her father careful of his next
words.


"Let me go if it is aneccssary errand.'


'lt is necessary errand, but one
which my father would not wish to at
tend to-" she said, with eyes looking
straight into his. GA messenger broueh'
me word five minutes since that Court
ney Alcott's vessel was upon the rocks
at BAY Stone Point"


"You will do nothing unwomanlv. I
trust" Mr. Forsyth said, in real alarm
now, as he took his rubber coat from the
rack and hastily put it on.


"1ou had better not 90, father if
you are afraid of me-" she said, as quiet
ly as before, though he saw well enough
it was forced quiet, 'for am afraid
of my self tonight. One thing is GER
tain, if Captain Alcott lives to see me
again, he will know that 1--we him, and
that it was no fault of mine that he
thought differently six months ago"


Mr. Forsyth fairly groaned He had
been so sure of her, and so certain, only
this very evening that she would accept
his plans for uniting the houses and the
lands of the Forsyths and the Howorths,
but now this plebian, that he hated as
he hated poison, must come between him
and his most cherished hopes.


There are times when such a thing as
authority in parent is not, and cannot
be thought of This was the time. He
must go with her, and while her face
held that awful look, if he was a wise
man there would be little said.


1t was full mile to the Point, and
they started out, silent and anxious. He
hoped in his heart that the vessel would
go to atoms, though he dared not think
that he hoped so, though as he strobe on
beside his quiet daughter, he had some
doubts whether that event would mend
the matter in the end. Katharine had,
from her young girlhood-she was now
twenty-three-been a most Incompetent
sible person to those who knew her best,
and year back she had reached the eli
max of incomprehcnsibility by accepting,
| tn hp al ln,n IL 4 e
| Captain Alcott, who cared as little for
her aristocratic blood as any man living,
but who would, almost, if not quite have
laid down his life, if need be for this wo-
man.


Katharine's father had managed to
see him alone when he came to make his
last call before sailing, and in reply to
the captains question if he would en-
trust his daughter to his keeping, Mr..
Forsyth had answered that he could not,
because other plans were matured for
her, and Katharine was engaged to-day
would he excuse her?-and had bow
ed him out with all the politeness of an
earl, and the captain had gone out to
sea, cursing the proud father who had
stood between him and the dearest hope
he ever had, and almost cursing the
proud daughter too.


Mr.. Forsyth had told his daughter of
the interview-told every particular
without comment, because he was little
afraid not to let her know it, and she
had received the intelligence with equal
reticence, which the father hoped argu-
ed well, though for the life of him he
could not tell whether it did or whether
it did not.


Tonight he knew for a certainty
where his daughters heart was, and he
knew as we'll he had little to hope for
unless Providence should favor him by
opening the door into the next world for
this suitor of his daughter


AS they emerged from the grove of
pines, which skirted. the beach, the
spray began to cut their faces sharply,
and the whole fury of the storm seemed
TO strike them as it had not done before.


"lt's dreadful night, Katharine, you
had best return.


"Hush!" Her voice was strained! 81
had rather by far drown in this hungry
ocean here, than live to know that he
had gone down."


She did not usually 60 to her father OIL
| aDu ono aIoa S.;th ba,. Lo,...s $500 l..