T'OTHER DEAR CHARMER.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2360, 3 May 1901, Page 6

T'OTHER DEAR CHARMER.

JOULDN'T cough ; yen woulda't have heard me." " Ycu might have suog out." «• Hey ?" Kearney made a trumpet ot lis hands. " Tou might hare sung

oat" " YoaM bare thought it was a hot-box Mjneakinf." " Then waa m necessity whatever for giving warning, captain." " Tfcaaka, Hiaa Kitty. I'm pleased to heei it" " Won't you come and sit down?" Kitty's treble shrilled above the rumbling, rattfing. baaiping of the wheels. The ctptaia boot over her, steadying bimselt by the brake. " No," he screamed, " I'm ar.t the mm to be Dunber three, even on the back platform af a train. But I'm a bringor of bad do wo."

Hiaa Footer gave an effective start which resulted in brio ring bar t my haad fluttering down upon Kearney's shoulder. "Oh ! Wbat ?" she cried.

" Only that your good motl er says I am to tall you that it ia not nice foe little girls to stay out on back platforms at 11 o'clock on a starry tight, and that you must come in." " But it's so hot and smoky in there," she. answered, demurely, folding ber hands and si tiling back against Ihe car. " I caa't possibly stand it; I've a sacst dreadful heidacbe." She closed her eyes sad threw bat k ber bead. The captain and Kearney got the full beuefit of Ihe leocth and curve of her lashes aad ot the curls blew ng across her blow. " Miss Kitty, Miss Kitty, I fear you are a slippeiy ycung eel." " N'e, I'm not Really, my head does icbe Nobody ever believes that I can feel badly or be in earnest." Her reuod eyes rested on the starry sky st an anvTe which allowed Kearney to see that they were filled with teirs. " Ob, come capUm, don't tease tbe child Si e has a headache and the tit's good for her Tell Mrs. Foster tost 111 bnog her in direcily." Captain Uaraa shoe k hie I eid and weat away. " Appleton is looking fierce," ke called back over Lis shoulder. " What did Le say about Lieutenant Appletoa ? " asked Kitty. Krainey repeated tbe captain's words. "Fierce? I wonder wbat

atx ut ? " •' You, porbaps." Miso Foster smiled frankly. " I doo't believe

so," she said.

" Doesn't be still hope ? " " Dear, no ! " aad this time there was a ring af unmistakable truth ia ber tones. " You threw bias over rather suddtn like." " I didn't, he threw ma over—lrulv. It was a ■tupid muddle about—about Mr. Saxe and • rose, and—things." " The 'tl logs ' leaves room for imagination." Mia* Foster ignored this with a smiles and sa! silently looking at tte plain as it unroll, i. befoee them in the night, like a wide bale ol dark olotb. bioeaded with gre asewood bushes. Now aad then tho train rumbled ever a small tiesile, snd the white post numberiag it shot paat. The telegraph pe.Ua wliskeJ by, aad the wires rose and fell like the swells of the ana. Far off across the dark prairie a ligbt gl< amed, at long intervals, in the window of a house'that was iovisibk ; but for them it was always, minute after minute, bour after hour, tte whirling monotony of tbe plain in tbe night, the steady sreh of the grey-blue sky glutei ing with stars. Rumble, thump, rattle, rattle, rumble, thump, and the ground whiiaid and tbe telegraph peats darted by, aad tba cooj wind, heavy with Ihe gressewood i > -or,whistled around them, bat Kilty sat broking straight before ber, aad ber tiny hands were«etill folded on her knees, rhe knew that Kearney was wild over every moment she waa making him waste. At list sbe sighed. It was a mighty sigh, which cost Miss Foster a severe pbyii:sl effort, but she meant it to be heard above tbe rattle aod tbe wind. It wai heard ; and a baud clipping wearily, and carelessly from ber knee touched the lie utenani's palm. Tbe bind wis caught— and held. There wis silence again. Then Misa Foster struggled properly bard to release her fingers, but she failed. " You n>u»tn't hold my hand," she remonstrated. •• Why ?" •* Because." " Is there aoy other good reason V Miss Foster nodded. " Tell me." •' An engaged girl shouldn't let ber hand be held."

Kearney dropped it as if it burned. Kitty took advantage of the noise of tbe wheels to ■peak ber mind aloud—but not so loud tbat it could reach ber companion. " Big chump !" abe breathed. " 1 didn't know jou were engaged or 1 sbouldo't have done it." M'ss Poster, In another aside, said : " Well, I like that !" '• I know you wouldn't,'* she replied, with the voice of a forgiving deity. '• May I ask who it is ?" " Well. I'm not exsctly engaged yet, but I'm afraid I shall be." " That's curious." " Isat it ?' After a lapse of some momenta. Mis* Foster resumed ; " You know whoa Mr. Lowell was down at the post ? Well, he—he liked me a gcod deal. I liked him, too—some ; so be thought it would—would be a good thing if we were engaged. He waa dreadfully cross. Not cross exactly, but—well—stern. He said 1 needed to be bound. Did you ever ? I need to be bound! As though I hadn't a bit of prirciplt Besides, it's easy enough to break an enjagemeot; at laast I should tbiok so, isn t

Even Joe infatuated Kearney fuUDd this child-like appeal for information overdone, coming from Miss Potter. "Come off, Miss Kitty," be Mid Mim Kitty smi ltd blandly. " Perhap it iin'i, but I thought maybe it was. Is it wrong to break an engagement ? Well, any way. be wanted me to pronise, and I dida't s«e the us» jus l then ; m I told him that I'd not r» ally be exactly engaged until the nelt time we met. 1 thought I'd bate time to think about it by thro. Well, ties, when the order came fer us all lo move he wrote down that he and a lot of tin other* Iron Grant would be waiting fur turn transportation at Wilcax when our tr, in would go by—at leant, he hoped so. He said he'd fee me there at the station whet, we stepped, even if it were only fer a minute, aod that ttuu I mast keep my word sod be engaged to him." Another great sigh eacaptd her. " But surely, Hiss Kitty, if you don't carr for him you won't promise to mtrry him ?*' " I don't know." " Do you love him V " I—l guess so." M Dun't you know ?" " 1 suppose Dot ; I suppose I doa't know." Kearney waxed (xceediugly wroth atam-i who would bully a trusting chi' 1 i D to an tr angemeat. "'Why are y»u permitting yourseli to be bruw-btaten into this ? " be asked angrily "Oh! plta'e don't be cross—please." She til on the verge of tears. He teok her hand again. She was act tafaged yet. " Answer me, Kitty." M It wouldn't be right oat to, would it ? " Then Kearury went boldly to work to prove that it certainly would be right net to. " But be loves m%" pretested Hiss Foster. " So do—but what it he dees ? You don't lore him." " But 1 ought to ; maybe I shall." Aod that wan all tbst could be dene wi h Kitty. Her mother eime to tlie doer of the cat " Kitty, yoa mast come in right away, 1 your head aches, you can go to b»d." "My bead's better now," she said rising " Can't I jutt stsy up until we get to Wile x '- I think maybe Carrie, er perhaps llr. Lon.il. will be down there." They went inta the sleeper, where tl.i effieera an 1 their wivea sat talking and trvie,

to keep iwnkn one h>lf-hoar longer until Wilrox sh' uhl be rescbe i. The companies from Grant w. ro expected lo he waitiuz there tor 111" ne xt train cast, and m:mv pleasant m-i tli g< might be crow.led into the shoit delay at the station. ; Miss Foster got a pillow and curie I up so a ! seat. "If I fall asleep, Mr. Appletoa, will vi u wakeo me at Wilcox r " sbe requestod. ■' Oertainlv, Miss Koater," he auswercd. Kitty closed her big, dark-b'ue eyes mil thought. She thought how fumy it is wben a men who has called you " Kilty," aud his been awfully in lore with you, says " Miss Foster," aud preteadt be is a mere scquaiutunce. She tl.ought that Appleton was Dicer than Ferris, or Saxe, (r Lowell. But he wasn't as tree as Mr. Kesiney—aot quite. She thought she bad done very well with Mr. Keafney. She distinguished iu the matter of confldi uces, did Kitty. She knew that Hfcthiug reduces a promi-ing situation to mere frieud*bip >o quickly and suicesefully us an opes, frank,wboli-eou'ed confession. Such a thing* was olurney ; and Kitty loathed clumsiness in these matters. She had withheld enough of her plaiit to torn it cleverly to sccouit She had made Kearney sorry tor hei and had refused his adrice with prostrated grace. Then Miss Foster Ml asleep md dreamed rosy dre»ms until Appletoa touched her arm with a book he bad been reading. "We are at Wilcox, Miss Foster." " Oh. de»r ! Whit did you bit me with that bard tbiug for ? " she cried, jumping up. "It hurt." Her lips trembled Bnd her ejes filled. "Kitty, child, I didn't me»u to I uit you. That is—reslly, I beg your pardon, Miss Foster." "Certainly, Fr—Mr. Applrton," she replied, rubbing her arm, with a chuckle which passed for a sob suppressed. They drew up at the station, where lights twinkled from the bhekoess all about them. There was ao one ou the platform, there were noae of tte spouts of welcome expected. Kearae* rushed into the car. " Fay, what do you think ? They've left -every last one of them—on the twin ahead. They've got a big start of us." Mi»s Foster cried 'Oh !" and besmed with delight. She begin to believe that Heaven cares for its own." " Wb've only tbree miDates here," Kearney oiled biek over his shoulder, as he rushed cut again. The train had begua to move when Kearney reappeared. Ha brought with him a can of •yiters whf rrof the te.p hid been hocked open '• They're all I had lime to get, Mbs Kitty," be ejploiatd as he set them before her on the window sill. Kitty was a daughter of the plaius and knew the worth of the oyster. Sbe clapped her little bands in high glre. S-idd. nly Kearney's face fell. "By Jove ! I'te »e fork tr spooa." " We might u«e a pencil, if you'd sharpen it," suggested Miss Foster. " Or a bat-pin." '• No, I like the pencil idea better." Thea Miss Foster took tbepeccil mid the can, aad went to speatieg the bivalves. " They were n : ce, but thty've made my head ache igiin." murmured Miss Foster. '' It's so clrse in here." " Perhaps another breath of fresh air would da it good," Kearney suggested. " Maybe." assented she, and thay slipped unnoticed »ut on tbe bsck [ilatform oace more. Kitty drew ia the night air with delight, she trilled a bar of a song. "Oh! I'm so-a-o happy," said sbe. "So am I," said Kearney, aa be held her steady, with his arm half about her. ■' Why r" queried Miss Foster, tilting back ler bead to look innocently iuto bis eyes. The iitle fluffy i ead was so near, t!:e parted lips were so childish the round eyes were so tender. Kearney bent over her. •' Why, do you think, Kitty ?' " (V , Mr. Kearney, you mustn't," she cried, ! ullu-.g away. " Hut you're not engaged,"' be suggested. " That's s.i," answered Kitty, thoughtfully. " Unless yuu will be to me?" He caught iji th ber hands and tried to force her to look at 1 im. " Will you be ?" he insisted. " If you tLink I'd better," said Miss Foster.