Kate's Accomplishment

" Eeally, Kate, you havo succeeded very well. Where my daughters are so ;ruly accomplislied I dare not draw coinparisons ; but I say to you tbat I consider our education perfect." And thus speakng, Mrs. Lanark, a woman of fivo and 'ortv, and the inother of three grown-up daughters, lay biick in her easy chair. Kate, the youngest of the three, had ust urisen from the pianoforte, where he hud improved upon her course. She was ninoteen years of age, and her form was of the pure feraale type - not robust, nor yet fairy-like. She had certainly u good-lookiiig fuce - to cali such a face jretty would sound tame and flat. Mrs. Lanark thought Isabel and Bortha were joth prettier than Kate, while the father was of a different opinión. However, on one point there was no dispute. The Judge would qften say - "Well, my little Kate looks good anyhow." And nobody ïad ever disputed him. Isabel and Bertha, the other two, wero older than Kate, being aged respectively ;wenty-onc and twenty-threo. They had graduated at a vory fashionable school, ind were deemed very highly accomilished ; and, moreover, they were called enutiful. Judge Lanark was the father of these irls. He was a man of means, though ïot of large wealth. Ho had been a sucleesfal lawer, and was now npon tbc ïench, and his social position was of the ('iv highest. Governors had been among lis olitnts, and Senators lookcd to him br counsel and assistance. The Judge ïad reared two sons and sent them off in tctivo, usel'ul lift ; but his daughters he ïad let't to his wife. "Of courso," Mrs. Lanark oontinued, 'ou do not play as well as your sisters, jut it will come to you by praotioe, 1 hink I may safely say that your list of neeessary accomplishments is full." "Not quite," Raid Kate, with ft nod and a smile. " There is one more accom dishment to add to my list. I longed for t many a time when I was at school, and am led to long for it at many places I am forced to visit. I must learn to cook." " To what V" cried Mrs. Lanark. " To cook !" ezclaimed Isabel and Berha in concert. " Aye," added Kate, " I will not consider my woraaii's accomplishnients com)lete until I can, with my own hands, nake a loaf of wheaten bread fit to eet efore my father." The Judge caught his Kate by the arm and cried : " Good, good for Kate !" Isabel and Bertha gmiled derisively. Thoir looks plainly showed that they considered the thing ridiculous. Mrs. Lanark looked up in surprise and dcjirecation. It seemed a reflection upon ïer educational care of her daughters. iate saw the look and answered : " I do not mean a loaf of such 6Oggy stuff as some of our friends"inako with creum of tartar and saleratus, nor yet a of of the puffy stuff that comes to us 'roin the baker's, but I mean a loaf of such bread as ïny own inother used to }ako when I was a wee child." Mrs. Lanark was mollified but not converted. " Ah, Kate, times have changed since I was young." " For the worse," muttpred the Judge, 3ut his wife did not notice him. She went on : , " You had betterMeavo the niaking of iread to the help in the kitchen. If over you have a home of your own I trust you will have enough else to occupy your ;ime without doing the work of your servan ts." " If ever I have a home of my own," aid Kate, with mild decisión, " I am de ennined that I will bo able to superinend every part of it. My Rervants sliall not be my mistresses. 1 will not be the lave nor the victim of my cook." " Good," again cried the Judge. " Go it, Kate, and I will furnish the material. Waste a dozen barrels of nour, if necessary - only bring me a grand loaf of bread of y our own making and baking in the end." Mrs. Lanark thought it very foolish, and Isabel and Bertha characterized it as very childisii and whimsical. They fancied that it smacked of tho nursery and playroom. Uut Ka te was in earnest; and as lier 'ather backed lier up, she carrierl the day and gained the freodom of the kitchen, where the servants soon camo to lovo her. The following winter Isabel and Bertha spent in the city. Kate remained at homo, because her mother could not spare th(;m all. During their visit to the metropolis the eider sisters made their friends, and formed a few pleasant asso ■ ciations. Among others, they met with Roland Archworth, a young banker whose fathor had been Judge Lanark's classmate and chum at college. In their letters homo they had informed their father of the fact, and the Judge, remembering the eider Archworth with treisur ed love and esteem, and knowing the son to be the occupant of an exalted position in society, had invited the young man to visit him at his country house. And thus it happoned that whcn sum mer carne, Koland Aichworth camo up to Lanark's pleasant hume. .He was a young man of five and twenty years, and, to us the expression of one who knew him wel ) " every inch a man." He had inherited fortuno frnm his father, and was now a partner in the houso bis father had founded. Thero was no speculation in the business which he followed. With a banking capital fully equal to the greatest possiblo emergency, the house pursued a legitímate course, and its wealth was constantly and surely increasing. Is it a wonder that Mrs. Lanark's heart fluttered wheu the prosrect dawnod upon her that the young banker might possibly seek ono of her daughters for a wifo ? Slio carod not whetber ho cliose Isabel or Bertha. TUoy woro both aeeomplished, and either would ínako a worthy matu for him. And wo do not do the Judge iujustice when we say that even he allowed liiinuelf to hope that the son of his classmate might find it in his heart to lovo 0110 of the girls. He had studicd the young man'g oharacter weü, and hu bclioved it to be one of the purest and best. And Isabel and Bertha. Öf courso thore was rivalry between them, but tliey would alude the issue. If Isabel was seleeted to preside over tho home of the millionaire, Bertha would not complain, and should Bertha prove to be the fortúnate one, Isabel was preparad to yiold. On; thing happened very unfortunately. On the very day of Mr. Arohworth's arrival the eook was taken sick. What was to be dono 'i " Never mind," said Kate, witü a sinile ; " I will take the reins until the cook gets well.'1 "Bnt for mercy's sake," iraplored Isabel, "don't let Mr. Archworth know it. He belongs to a sphere which would be shoeked by such a groas iuiproprity. He would look upon ns as belonging to the canaille." But there was no present help for it, and Kate went into the kitchen and took couiinand of the forees in that quarter. "Will you havo soine ofthis cak", Mr. Archworth ?" asked Mrs. Lanark, lifting the silver basket of froeted niceties. "No," replied the visitor with a smile. " If you will let ine exorcise my own whim you will piense me. This plsin bread i a luxury which I not often moet It takos me baok to my boyhood's days. I have not eaten such sinoe I ate tho bread which my own mother made. If ever I keep house for myself I think I shail ask you to send me your cook." For the lit'e of them they couid not hol]) the betrayal of oraotion. Poor Kate, who sat cxactiy opposite the speaker, blushed until it seemed as though all tho blood in her body were running into hor face - whie Isabel and Bertha tremblod as tlioy would tremblo had they found themselves unexpeetedly upon the verge of a frighti ful precipico. The Judge laughed outriarht. " You get our cook into your house and 'Oii'd find you'd cautil t a tartar, my boy,' aid tho Judge, and tlien, to turn the subect, he added quickly : " I reinember your inother very well, ioland, and I have ofteu eaten her read." And thus the conversntion softened own into the inemory of other days. Touching Roland's asBooiation with jsnark'ti danghters, be seemed to enjoy be society of them all. If ho seemed lore enger to talk with ono than the othr, it Wiis with Kate- not, perhaps, heausa ho had found hor more attractive, ut beeauso sho kept herself hidden away rom him so much During the brief inerviews which had been perinitted him, 10 "had found her not only aocoinplished, )ut he thought he had'detected an underurrent of pla;n common pense, which ïad not appeared in the others. An 1, gain, when he had been speaking of his ïother, he had noticnd K;tte's eyes g ow noist with gympathetio light, while her sters had only smiled in their sweet, leasant way. Ho had fancied that irough thp gathering moisture of those eep blue eyes he had looked down into a warm and tender heart - a heart that was joth tru and roliable. One bright morriing Roland Archworth ose with the sun and walked out into ie garden. By and by he cune around jy tho porch and entered the kitohen to sk for a drink of milk, for ho had seen ie gardeuor just bringingin a brimming ail froni the stable. He went in and saw Kate Lanark at ie nioulding board, her white arm bare 0 the shoulders, kneading a snowy pile f dough. Sho did not see him at first, nd ho had a moment for thought - and n that moment tho truth fiashed upon lúa, Here was the cook whom ho had raised - the cook whoni ho doclared he would havo in his own house if he could jet her ! And he could now understand 10 blushing of the maidcnand the laughng rejoinder of the Judge. And he remembered now of having overhcard Mrs. lianarlc speaking to a raemberof thefaray "f the sicknossof the cook, and how nfortunate it was, and so on. With a loar sense and quick comprehension, ided by keen powers of analysis and reann, Itolaud read tho wholo story. He had one too f ir to retreat, so he pu3hed boldy on into the kitchen. " Ah, good morning, Miss Lanark. Pardon my intrusión ; but I saw the milk jifiil come in, and I could not resist the temptation. Oh ! tho old. old days ! I never shtill forget them, and trust I may nevor outlive theui. It was my boyhood's delight to take froni my mother's haud tho cup wurm froni tho milking. ïhis is the first opportunity that has presented itsclf for many long years, nnd I could not rosist the temptation. You will pardon me, Iknow." At first, Kate had been startled terribly ; but she met the suppliant's warm and radiant smile, and the music of tho old home lovo feil upon her ear, and as she saw, as by instinct, that the whole scène was pleasant to him, sho feit her heart bound with gleeful assurance ; and brushing the nakes of dough from her anus, sho went and filled a bowl with the uew milk and brought it to him. " I trust," she said with u beaming smile, "that the dust of toil tipon my hands will not ronder tho offering loss acceptable." No matter what Koland replied, he said something and then drank the milk. He evidently longed to liugor longer in the kitchen, but propiiety forbade, and, with more of his real feolings in his looks than in his speech, he retired. A few days thereafter tho young banker sought the J udge in his study, and said, as he took a seat, that he had soinothing important to say. " I como," he said, " to ask of you that 1 may seek tho haud of your daughtcr." The Judgo was agreeably surprisod. He had fancied that of late the youth had been growing cold towaid his daughters. " My dear boy," said he, " between you and me thero need bo no beatiug about the bush. I should be both proud and happy to wolcome you as my son ; which of the two is it V" " Of the two 'f repeated Boland. " Ah ; is it Isabel or Bertha ?" " Neither, sir. It is Kate I want." 11 Kate !" cried the old man, in blank astonishment. But quickly a glad light danci'd in his oyes. " Yes, Judge, your Kate is the woman I want, if I enn win her." "But, my dear boy, how did you manage to find my pearl, my ruby, among the housohold jcwels V Whore and when have you discovered the priceless worth of that sweet child ?" " I discovered it first in the kitchen. Judge, I first fell irrevocábly and truly in lovo with her whon I found her witli her white arms bare, inaking bread. I have known her better sílice. It is your Kate I want." " God bless you, my boy. Go and win ber, if you can. Aud be aure yoü gain a troasure." Eoland went away, and half an bour afterwards the supernal light thatctancod in his eyoa told bis story of suocess. And Kate, when o.losely questioned, coní'ossod that the tirst flamo of real love whinh burned in her bosom for Roland Archworth was kinilled by tho deep and true element oí' manhood whinh he had displayed ou that early inorning in the kitchen. Of coiirse Mrs. Lianark wm willing, though she wa8 surprised at tbo young maii'b choice. Isabel and Bertha were diaappointud ; but since, at bost, ouly one of them conld have won the prizo, they ooneluded on the whole that it was woll hs it was. Thcy loved their sister, and woro really glad that they woro thus enubled to claim the wealtby banker as a brother-in-law? As for Roland and Kate, their happine8s was complete. Of all the accomplishmouts which his wife possesses, the nu8band is chiefly proud of that which enables her to be in deed, as well as in name, the "mistress of her home."