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About Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1899)
< t u im K * < Mfti. " r . KITTY'S HUSBAND 0 By Author of "Hetty , " Etc. . CHAPTER VI. . ( CiMitinncd. ) ' 'kitty. " ' iiu Bald , "I wnnj.you , to listen to 'mo for n llltto whiles , will " > v " you1 ? I cast oho quick , scared , deprecating little glance nt him , and let my eyea fall. My heart was iioatlng In such a wild and foolish way that I could not speak , could not nrcvont him from speaking , could not think. "I did , not mean to say this to you just yetho ? went on gently , in bin quiet , steady , earnest tone. "It seemed scarcely fair to you to say it yet. You are so young life Is nil before you you htivo seen so few people , seen so llttlo of the world , that I feel I maybe bo taking an tinfali' advantage of you an unfair advantage of your youth. I meant to bo patient , Kitty ; I meant to bo patient and wait. But n week or two ago I confided to Mrs , . Corflcld what I meant one day to ask you ; and it has struck mo since then that she must , jiavp told , yon something of what I said to her. That la why I am speak ing to you , dear , so toon. " There < v a a moment's pauficj ' ' ( * Though I'never ralkc'd my oycp , 1 wnH conscious of his gaze , fixed earnestly , intently on 'my frtco nil' the while ho spoke. i ' ' "Kitty , I think -you know 'what I want to toll you , " ho cunUmicd. "I love yo.u. Kitty. , , I want tp , ask you , dear , If you win bo my .wife. " ' He iiati spoko'n verysqulptly , In a very grave and steady way , not IIH though ho were conferring a boon upon mo , yet not with exccss'lvo hu mility. My hands , which ho held In his , were trembling , my. heart was beating fast , I looked across at him , and his eyes neemed to hold mine ; I could not look awny again. Ho was so strong , KO tender , so good , so true ! And I loved him oh , I loved him ! Ho rend my love in my eyes ; I lot him read It,11 could not help It. "Kitty , tell me , " ho pleaded , gently. "Don't lot ua blunder cither of us. I love you , dear , , deavly most' dearly. "Of what yoii mild. You said you wnntod mu. " Ills gray eyes looked at me with n gleam of merry yet tender laughter. "I am qulto sure of that , " ho an- fiwored. "There Is nothing else In the world , Kitty , of which I am so sure. " A mlnuto later nn interr.uptlon came. Uncle Richard , paper In hand , strolled Into the drawing-room. "What's the matter , Kitty what's the matter ? " ho said , an I rose precipi tately to retreat. "Nothing IH the matter , sir , " John Mortimer replied , quietly. "Kitty has been promising to bo my wife. We hope you will not disapprove. " But I fled without hearing Uncle Richard's answer. I fled away to the top of the house to a llttlo dusty gar ret whore not even the girls would think of searching for me ; and there , with my now muslin , costly to the ex tent of two golden guineas , gathered around mo , I sat beneath the skylight on nn old dlisty leather portmanteau of Aunt Jnho'B , and tried to think cajmly of the 'ordeal ' that lay before me when should venture fbrth 'from my hiding place. I could not face Aunt Jane , Undo Richard , the keen , merry eyes of Meg and Dora , until I had thought about things n little , grown more sedately happy , until my cheeks had cooled , my heart had'bcgun to beat more quietly , and my mind had grown ICSH bewildered with happiness. CHAPTER VII. Perhaps a minute , p'erlm'ps ' ' an hour , had passed I do not know how time went by but long before my cheeks had cooled an interruption camo. I had thought myself secure ; but the garret door opened , and Meg's pretty , graceful , nlort figure stood in the door way In the twilight. "Kitty , my dear , John ' is discon solate , " she said. ( If my checks had been cooling , they grow brilliantly red again. My heart beat faster than over as Meg's merry 1 I ; MEQ'S tRETTY 'FIGURE S TOOD IN THE DOORWAY. But don't bo afraid of hurting mo , Kitty. If you toll mo I have no hope , I shall boar itv as one bears most things. What I could not bear , dear , Is that you should sacrifice yourself perhaps regret It. If you feel vhat you have no love to give mo , not enough love , toll mo , Kitty ; toll mo now. " "I can't toll you , " I cried "I can't tell you ; | t Is not truo. " My voice was unlike my own , tense , suppressed. The words came quickly , yet in a la bored way ; and each word' seemed to hurt mo sharply. "I love you,1' I said. "I can't help It ; it's truo. " < Holding my hands firmly In his , ho drew mo to the sofa besldo him ; bo put' his arm round mo and drew mo nearer to him and kissed mo. For n mlnuto all doubts had disappeared ; I was supremely , blissfully content. Then the good mlnuto passed. I drew myself away , looked at him doubtfully , ana felt my heart sink. . "It's not not for kindness * sake1' I questioned eagerly , "For kindness' sake , dear ? " bo re peated , in a puzzled tone. "You don't think I'm unhappy , do you ? I'm not. I'm happy enough. I don't mind Aunt Jane , and things are not so horrid as they seem the girls are nice , and Undo Richard's kind. Don't bo sorry for mo ; I couldn't bear it , I should bate it ! It's not that you'ro sorry , is it ? " Ho was looking at mo with the same perplexed expression. "I'm afraid , dear , I don't under stand , " ho said. I found ' it hard to explain. I could not speak with that sojf-contalnod calmness that was necessary to make my meaning plain. "Aro you sure ? " I asked him' , eager ly , "Toll mo again , I want you to say It again , that you're suro.'tqulto suro. " "SureVof .what , dear ? " IJ volco pronounced my lover's name the name by which I had never called him , by which it seemed to mo I should never dare to call him. She stood in the doorway looking In , her blue eyes' ' sparkling with laughter , her pretty lips pretending to bo grave , but not carrying the pretense so far that it shquld docolvo mo. I was discovered ; I rose from ny dusty portmanteau , lot dawn my drcss.about mo , and , followed Mb { ? . out upon the landing. "Como hero , under the window , and lot mo look nt you , " she said , taking possession of mo. "Kitty ! " "Yes. " "Do you know what n a peony Is like , , flear ? " " 0)i ) , Meg , don't tease mo , don't laugh at me } ' lot mo , go ! " "Kitty , , mamma loft off. blushing when she loft { off tybs. and pinafores. With the dlsappeajanco of ypur pina fores , the habit seems"to Havo'grown upon ybu. Now , como , Kitty , i'm your 'earliest 'corifUlanto ' ; como , confide in me. " 1 "I don't want to confldo in you I don't want to confldo in you at nil. " "Did ho go down upon ono knee , Kitty and and did the windows rat- tlp very much ? Oh , Kitty , my dearest Kitty , I'm dying to know what ho said. " "I shall never toll you. " "Oh , yes , you will ! " said Meg with sweet assurance , putting her arm coaxingly - ingly around my shoulders , and bendIng - Ing forward to look Into my face and laugh at me. "You accepted him ; and after your solemn profession to Dora only this evening that nothing on earth would over make you. His argu ments must hnvo been weighty , "Kitty ; but they were sure to bo weighty Jojm IB nothing if not profound. " VI shook off the arm that was em bracing mo. But Meg would not bo ro- pulKcu ; HMO put her pretty llttlo hand hcnrnth my 'iln , looked nt me with mock I'cproacu , then , laughing again , bent forward and kissed me. "Ono might fancy , Kitty , If ono did nc. > uiow the circumstances of the case , ono might fancy Do you know what ono might fancy ? " "No. " "That you wore in love with John. " "And I am , " I declared , my eager tone sounding unconvincing nomchow as I caught the amused , incredulous little twinkles In Meg's clear blue eyes. "I an Meg. You don't bullqvo mo but ItH true. ' "Poor Kitty , " said Meg In a tragic tone , still unconvinced. "When did It happen , dear ? " I turned away. Meg tripped after mo down the dusty garret stairs ; and , as wo reached the floor below , twined her arm caressingly about my waist again. "What does It feel like to fall In love , dear ? IH the fall a shock ? And what does it feel like when you'ro there ? " "Where ? " "In the land of love , the land of Ilmc-llght. In the llmc-llght I sup pose oven John would look romantic ? Hut n romantic figure with a short beard ! Oh , bear with mo , Kitty ! Im agination failB me , I can't picture it ! Now , a long beard a long , big , yellow , Teutonic beard , or a long , thin , taperIng - Ing , pathetic beard I could put up with under protest. But n short beard , speckled brown and gray , with a serv iceable suit of clothes Kitty , I'm so sorry ; I m afraid I can't fall in lovn with John. " "I don't think ho will mind , " .1 said , with a touch of mnllco in my tone. Meg sighed profoundly , her eyes still dancing with merry laughter. "Is his heart all yours ? Poor me , poor world , poor rest of us. " "Oh , Meg , don't bo such a geese ! " "I'm trying 10 bo serious , like you. An engagement. Kitty , is a most seri ous thing. And the first serious con sideration is the ring diamonds , of course refuse , dear , to have anything to say to anything but diamonds. Now , Kitty , let mo offer you a piece of advice. Bo exacting ; a lever is nothing unless ho brings dally gifts of flowers and fruit and chocolate creams. Keep that well before his mind. Heliotrope and maldon-halr fern and chocolate creams dally ! My spirits are rising. Now and then you can sug gest that chocolate almonds will bo welcome to me for a change. " "But ho Isn't engaged to you , " I said , laughing. "No. Preserve mo ! But lot's bo fair lot's divide things eqiinlly you'ro welcome to John , but lot nio have , the flowers and sweets. . And Dora well , libra shall wear the flow ers when I have done with them. Flowers that I wear always live for a second day. Do you know that'thatts unlucky ? If you'ro to bo lucky in life , and In love , the flowers you wear should wither quickly. Did you over hear of that superstition ? " "Never. " ' "Bo moro sympathetic , Kitty. Don't say 'never' in that flat tone. Please to realize my tragedy. No ono Is com ing to woo mo no ono Is coming to wed. No John will over say he loves mo. By the by , Kitty , did John say ho loved you ? " I flashed ono quick glance nt her , and caught the thought in her mind. "Yes , " I said in n voice that would not bo steady In splto of all my efforts ; "and I wanted to toll you you were nil wrong , you and Dora and Aunt Jano. Ho does care for mo. Ho cares for mo for my own sake for his own sake not for duty in the least. " Meg looked at mo doubtfully for a moment , a llttlo graver than her wont. "That's very nice , " she said , gently ; but there was n note of unreality In her tone ; uiiU I know I had not con vlnced her. ( To bo'continued. ' ) t Encouraging the Wltnos * . The bullying lawyer is unhappily still to bo mot with , and his confusion la always the signal for rejoicing among the spectators. A distinguished cotynlal judge recalls how ho once tried a case in , the supreme court of ono of the British possessions. The learned barrister who appeared for the defendant had an unfortunate habit of bullying his own witnesses. If they did npt answer him precisely as ho jwlshed ho would attack thorn with , "My dear man , do attend to mo , " or with , "If yon can't speak up like a man , T must abandon your case. " In this instance the defendant , whose name was Jonas , wns rather obscure In his answers. Counsel questioned him moro severely , but poor.Jonas onjy grow moro confused. . At length the bar.rlstor became oxasperatejl and shouted : "My good , mnn Jojias , dc come out of that whale's ' holly 01 yours nnd" answer my questions properly. This was too much for the judge , who qould not restrain -Tils amusement , while the witness was so confused that ho refused to answer , and the case was lost. The I'llrrot. Unvo , Him Awny. Victor Chevalier , a clover criminal in Paris , was run down in a shrewd way. Ho was known to bo exceedingly fond of a pet parrot , and the police wore In structed to look for a loquacious bird of this kind. After a few weeks' searcl the talkative parrot was discovered In the Montmartre district. The police kept a close watch on the house , am ; in tlmo the criminal appeared to have an affectionate chat with the bird. True to thn Fumlly'H Traditions. Jane I understand she comes of f very old family. Lily Yes ; you car see the family trait in her very clearly ' Jane What trait ? L'lly Ago. Stra > Stories. THEIR TllUE GENESIS TRUSTS ARE NOT CHILOREN OF THE TARIFF. Jimlnt Allncor.v llliMtrnilnir tlm Iloiilnr- nhln < 'i > ii < ! CticMMM | AUcmlliig Mint In- Iiinrliir.i | from Uonjtic l ( From advance sheets of "The Phil osophy of Trusts , " by Prof. Ernest MUH. ) Grandmother Independence had two boautlful dar.shtirn , both American to tlio core. The cider's name was Agri culture. She was n handsome girl of pure unmixed stock , calm , very labori ous and of bucolic Inclinations. The younger daughter had a little foreign hlool ( In her veins. Her name was In dustry ; a very pretty girl , Indeed , full of life , not averse to flirtation , and of extremely vivacious temperament. Sel dom Indeed have two sisters presented a more striking contrast. To complete her education , the younger daughter , the more promis ing , went abroad. She visited Lanca shire and spent some time In the old ancestral manor. While there she made a lot of desirable and undesirable ac quaintances , which were subsequently tii exert n most disastrous Influence on her happiness. This phase of her his tory would fill a good-sized volume. The wayward girl came back home In oostnopolltan attire , affecting a Lon don accent , a free thinker In matters of economy. As she exhibited all the outward signs of unrestrained prodi gality , old Sister Agriculture could iipver get along with her. The original chasm had developed into an abyss. It was not long before Mother Inde pendence's keen eye could detect the dangerous propensities of her prodigal daughter ; so she deemed It wise to ap ply a strong corrective at once , in the shape of a healthy , vigorous husband. Young American Industry needed it very badly. Her mother had beforehand selected a virile companion of athletic frame , and equally well built morally. Ills name was The Tariff. He was not of noble extraction , had not been edu cated for diplomacy ; but-In place of a university diploma or a heraldic coat of arms could on almost every occasion show a lot of hard American common sense , character and individuality. He had been raised at the school of strict est economy , and was sure to be a model of domestic virtues. A mar riage took place on a good day early in November , and the mother at last felt relieved of all anxious cares and re sponsibilities. ' The young wife was at first very fond of her husband , whose kind attentions anticipated her smallest wants and meet capricious desires. She had more pin money than any wife of a suc cessful business man ever dreamed of. This was the beginning of the trouble , as Industry was too versatile to stand , like Sister Agriculture , uninterrupted prosperity and domestic felicity. A most happy event of providential timeliness prevented , or , better said , postponed a family cataclysm. Two lusty sons , twins , were the legitimate fruit of this union. Father and mother decided to call the first one Labor and the second one Enterprise. As they had In their veins the virile blood of the father and the healthy constitution of the mother , both boys were very strong , full of health and appetite , but and very likely owing to the widely different characteristics of the father and mother they were far from being physically and morally alike. Baby Labor was fond of the milk bottle , but , for some reason or other , Baby Enterprise ever managed to have It mqst.of the time in his llttlo mquth. "What a big glutton ! " used to say the mother. "Each baby should have his turn. This Is not fair. " "Never mind. " rejoined the father ; "I shall make one boy a lawyer and the other a mechanic. With such blood In their veins as that of Father Tariff and Mother Industry , both will succeed in their respective callings. " And this was to happen some day ; but we must not anticipate. .Four . years after marriage the tem- perampnf of Industry , for some time under restraint , asserted Itself more vi olently than ever before. All was not harmony under the conjugal roof. To make matters still worse , the two chil dren , Labor and Enterprise , had to be separated , as they were fighting all the time over the milk bottle. Baby Labor , like Aunty Agriculture , was of a happy and conciliatory disposition , never seeking quarrels without mo tives ; but Baby Enterprise had more of his mother's blood , and no amount of milk could stop him from making trouble. The separation of the two boys was easily accomplished by giv ing each baby a nurse , and letting them see each other from time to time when the "spirit of Enterprise" was'In the right mood. But what could not be so easily ac complished was harmony between hus band and wife. The union of Miss In dustry with Mr. Tariff , having been prompted chiefly by considerations of Interest , did not prove altogether a love match. The extravagant wife had at her command yntold thousands ; she wanted untold millions. This her kind husband could not give. A cataclysm was In the air. One day , coming homo after busi ness hours , earlier than usual , Mr. Tar iff found his beautiful wife In the arms of n false friend , a Trust Magnate. He shot the destroyer of his home and rob ber of his affections. The drama ended in a divorce , and the court gave Father Tariff the custody of Labor and Enterprise , his two legitimate boys. The divorced wife , having become again Miss Industry , lost no time in trying to secure another husband more to her fancy , but she found only tem porary acquaintances.who never would consent to let her bear their names nor share their rank and social posi tion. Illegitimate children were the result of Miss Industry's culpable re lations. They bear the genus name of Trusts , but have no relations whatever to Mr. Tariff , and arc universally os tracized. And what became of Mr. Tariff , the divorced husband ? Why , there Is still another chapter to this sad story , Miss Industry , after four years of abandon and miserable life , bit terly regretted her faults. She re pented , and tearfully asked forgive ness , pledging herself to become a faithful , devoted wife. Mr. Tariff , be ing of kind and generous nature , for gave and welcomed Industry under the conjugal roof. The reunion of the mother with her two legitimate sons , Labor and Enterprise , was one of those events which can be better imagined than described. Father Tariff went so far as to adopt the "little Trusts" chil dren and to look after them , but never consented to legitimize them nor al lowed them to bear his name. When they became of age they were placed In a good school for infant in dustries , and received there a splendid education at Father Tariff's expense. Father Tariff's early prediction as to the future of his two legitimate sons Labor and Enterprise , was to bo fullj realized. Today Baby Enterprise is somebody. He Is a prosperous lawyer and successful politician , often talked of as a possible candidate In some fu ture campaign. As to Baby Labor , he is now a mechanical engineer and in ven'tor of the Edison type , who sets the world to thinking all the time as to what is to come next from him in the way of Inventions. Moral : There is a moral to this story , too , and It Is this : Trusts are the offspring of American industry , but are not and never were the legitimate sons of the tariff. ERNEST MAS. lluylng Hotter Good * . Merchants all over the country are reporting through the medium o : newspaper correspondents that no : only are their customers buying mor < goods but also that they are buying better goods. A St. Paul , Minn , merchant said , for Instance : "Women who last jear were buying 26-cen stuffs for shirt waists and dresses art now getting dollar materials. " It is the buying of higher priced goods which in part swells the volume o traao for 1899 beyond that of 1898. I Is the better quality of goods jvhlch is , represented by these higher prices which in large measure marks the ad vantage which the people of the coun try will have in 1899 beyond tha which they had In 1898. Last year the prosperity which canv in with protection was of sufficient ! } great proportion to give to all the pee pie of the country who were willing to work all the necessities of life , and in many cases to settle up the debts con traded in tariff reform times and to make them square with the world The additional year of prosperity , o increasing prosperity , since then , has meant such an increase of money tha the luxuries of life , in quality as wel as in quantity and variety , have been brought within reach. ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING. "Mr. Tariff , being of kind and generous nature , forgave and welcomed Industry under the conjugal roof. * Father Tariff went so far as to adopt the 'llttlo Trusts' and to look after them , but never consented to legit imize them nor allowed them to bear h is name. " From Advance Sheets of The Philosophy of Trustsby Prof. E rnest Mas. Thu Mnnurd In Two IloinUjthores. Archbishop Ireland , who but a short time since returned froca a prolonged trip abroad , has said a few most slg- ilflcant words In respect to the con- rast between conditions abroad -nnA hose In this country. Ills statement s that : "The contrast between the masses in his country and the masses in the old vorld in and out of the church is more remarkable than over. The American > oor are happier and a hundred per cent more intelligent. Their surround- ngs arc better , their chances are bet- er. Where there Is one case of misery icre there are hundreds abroad , and by abroad I mean England as well as the continent. " The one thing which more than all else Is responsible for the advantage which Americans have over the citi zens of other countries is the protec tive tariff. That it is which keeps wages In this country high ; that it is which makes employment sure for the laborers of this country ! that It is which prevents the foreign manufac turers who employ the pauper laborers of other countries from sending their products to the United States to enter into free and unrestricted competition with the products of the well-paid la bor of this country. Archbishop Ire land Is a man whose word can be relied upon , and the contrast which ho draws between the situation In this country and that abroad Is worthy of most careful attention. Will Not Ilo Doubtful. A short time since twenty-five buy ers , representing the same number of departments In one of Chicago's de partment stores , arrived in New York city at the same time. It was stated that not only was this the largest num ber of department buyers ever sent to the New York market at one time by this concern , but that it was the larg est number of buyers ever sent to New York for the purchase of goods at the same time by a single firm during the entire history of American retail mer chandising. Apropos of this event , the son of one of the members of the firm represented by these buyers said ill conversation with a reporter : "Every trade condition in Chicago and throughout the West is indicative of a more prosperous fall season than has been experienced for many years. These evidences of prosperity are not . ,1 confined to any single branch of commercial - mercial industry , but seem to cover the entire field. We have enjoyed a period of unprecedented activity this summer Ijij in every department of our establishment - , ' ' i ment , and the statements of business associates in Chicago Indicate that these conditions are well-night univer sal. " It is safe to say that the West will not be "doubtful" territory in the next campaign if the maintenance of the protective tariff is put in the balance , Tin rinto I'rlccs. Every one knows that tin plate has advanced considerably in price within ' the present year. The Democratic the orists claim that the advance in the United States is due incidentally to the tin plate trust and primarily to the tariff , it being their theory that a protective tariff is a promoter of trusts. Now let us look at the prices which the Welsh tin plate manufacturers re ceive. They now obtain $1.45 a box more than they did In January last. This Is a greater advance than has been made in the United States. We respectfully ask our Democratic friends to explain this. If the protec tive tariff and the trust caused the ad vance in the prices of tin plate } n the United States , what caused a greater advance in price In Wales , whore there Is no tariff at all ? We pause for reply Toledo Blade. Will Not Soo. Senator Vest of Missouri will not see or believe that any prosperity has como to the farmer In the past two years. He said in an interview at Toronto , Can ada , on Monday : "Republicans claim prosperity as duo to the tariff policy , but farmers have received no particular benefit from the prosperity , and are as dissatisfied as over. " Facts from all sections of the country , especially the great farming west , disprove the sen tence above uttered by Mr. Vest. Millions - 1 lions of mortgages in Kansas , Nebraska - ka , Missouri , Iowa and the Dakotas were In 1898 paid off by the Increased sale of their products , and millions more will be paid and canceled before Christmas chimes are rung from- the gold the 1899 crops will bring them. Fremont ( Ohio ) Journal. Reason to Uclobrnto. Labor day this year should have had an extra big celebration. It stands for moro than it has stood for for a num- her of years past ; for more , at least , than it has stood for since the free traders got in their knock-down blow at American Industries in 1892 , It is the year's holiday which is especially dedicated - icated to the wage earners , and the wage earners of the country have plen ty of reason to celebrate this year. They have had more work for which to celebrate and moro money with which to pay for their celebration. A Mluhty Nutlun. Oswald Qttendorfer says that this country is .ao longer the Ideal America to Europeans that it was. It must be confessed that It has changed In some of its features. At one time It was the Mecca of the poor of Europe , who mi grated hither because it offered a wel come to the home seekers. Then it was also the market for European products. Now wo are a mighty nation , invading the markets of Europe and growing prosperous at the expense of older countries. Scuttle ( Wash. ) Post-Intel- llijoncer ,