"kitty."

The Idler was hopelessly becalmed off Thomas' Point .. Not a ripjjlo could be secn down the Chesapeake, anti the locnsts and pines along the shore wore shuddering uneomfortably with the heat of a Jiily afternoon, hulden halfway to their tops in the suramer haze. Wliat was ; tobe done? l'ive miles from home in a sloop yacht filled with strangcis from the North, the crew left beliind to be out of the way, and every one thoroughly convinced that his neighborv was Eorriblj bored! Thornton gave the til Ier a vicious shove, as if that would wake tlii yacht '.ip, nnd glarecl forward along the row of parasols protecting fair faces froiu the san and of hats cocked over noses that were screwed np with feelings too dcep for words, and moro intense than those produced by heat, hc thought. By live o'clock we had sung every song that ever was written, and flirtations were becoming desperate. Mollie Brogden, eomfortablylodgedagainstthe mast, was dropping her blue parasol lowcr and lower over one of the New York men as their eonversation grew j more and more intense witli the heat, and Mr?. Brogden was becoming rcally alarmed. The situation was maddening! Nothing on board to eat; soft-shell crabsand ; the best bill of fare of a Southern kifchen ordered at home for seven o'clock; a couple of liddlers coming from " the ! Swamp"' at nine; anti Cousin Snsan, the cook, even tlien promising little Stamp Neal " all de bonyelaba he cu'd stow ef he'd jest friz dis yar cream f o' de new missis." " It is too'provoking for anything!" the new raissis whispered to Thornton, as he stopped by his wife's side for an instant and moved on to consult with some of ñie married men who were smoking in luxuriant oarelessnea forward. Very little consolation he got there. Ellis from Annapolis said he had known calms last two days, and sundry forcib!e remarks were made when it was discovered that the last cigars were Uien in our mouths. This was the last straw. Thornton feltfurious with every one, and mnttered dark wishes that ante-war power might be rentored to him ovor the person of Unele Hrian when we got home- if we ever did - as he reflected that that aneïenl Afriean had guaranteed a breezc. Mollie Brggden smiled lazily at him as Dona'.dson fanued her slowly, and waited until Thornton should pass, so that the talk wiiieli was leading up to the inseriition of a elevcr picceof poetry on her fan mrht be continued. "By the way, Donaldson," as a sudden inspiration seemed to strike Thornton, " did yon ever hear anything more of Kitty after I left yon at Christmas?" The sweetness of that piece of pootry on the fan was never reyualed. The blue parasol went up with a jump, and a look assured Donaldson that certain words had botter have been left unsaid that aftcrnoon if "Kitty" should not be satisfactorily explained. L folt sorry for him, for every one eaught at the idea OÍ something ncw, and the thought of an explanation to the whole of that boat-load, keen for all sorts of b:ulinage. wonld have tempted me overboard, 1 am sure. However, Donaldson smiled Tery eomposedly, and said he believed the familv were still in Texas, although lio had heard nothing more than ïhornton already knew of their history. Wc!l, tliat simply made matters worse; Texas and Kitty were su-restive enough for anything, and I caught a whisper from Misslirogden tliat seunied to Imply tliat she doubU'd whether lio i had rually been so inconsolable for last summer's diversions as he had tried to niake her believe. Thai settled him, for 1 knew he had come down to Tliornton's expressly to see her, and he ' assured lis it was a very stnall story, but if we cared to hear it' perhaps the ■ breeze would come meanwhile, and he ' would try to give the f acts exaclly as they had come to lus knowledfe. " We were a few hours out from Liverpool," he bogan, " and the room of the Kussia was pretty well ' tillod with all sorts of men, none of whom of eourse feit mnch at home vat, but wlio were graduallv being shaken together by the rivili.ing intluence of ' tobáceo and the oecasional lurehes that the cross-chop of the Channel was favoring us with. I was Bitting near the door with a man from BoatoD wlioni I fonnd on board returning from a wedding-trip, and who, I discovcred, liad taken orders Bince leáving Harvard, where 1 had known hira sllitly as a bookish sort of fellow and not vety agreeable; but as I was alone and his wif(( was quite pretty, I was glad to meet him. "Well, we were running over old times, without paying mnch attention to the guide-book talk that was being poured out round us, when somebody laid a hand on my shonlder and one of the most attraetive voices I ever heard asked ' if there was room for :i Btranger from Texas?' This formal announecment of hiniself by a newcomer made a little lull in the converaation, bnl my friend made room for him in our corner, and he quietly enveloped himself in smoki' for the n-si of thé evening. "He was not inattentive, though, to the drift of our talk, for when Hamilton mentioned having heen ai the PanAnglican. and gpoke of the effect rach convontions should produce, the Tean's cigarcanie out of liis mout h and his blue eyes grew deepar in their sockets as he intcrrupti'd us with the romark: The conventiong of all the Bible-men in the world would nol have made La Junta any botter f it had not been for Kitty. You know what Junta was l)efore she carne?' he continuad, geeing us look a little surprised ■' nothiog but Carda and drink, and - worse; und nou" - and he laid his hand on liis hip as if from habit - 'now wë have no trouble tbere any more.' "Theoddneasofi lieexpression 'Biblemen,1 I remember. strnck me at thé time, bat Hamilton madesome Bxplanatftrj1 reply, for the iiiiet force of toe soft volee liada ii iiain persuasivenes8 abput it without the aid of his gestare, although the smoke was solhick that we eould not sec whctherhe carried the instruments of his country or aot. "Standing by the aft whoel-honse, I fonnd thé Texan the oext mornmg tbrowing biscuits to the gulls and garing wistfully seaWard. " 'Your iirst visit to EuropeP I said, steadying myseH by the rail.' "'Yes, but I Would give :ill last year's herdiflhad nerer come, for Kitty is 11. I have traveled night and ] daysinoe the telegram reached me. but j La Junta is so f ar away 1 am af raid I shall be too late.' "I wish 1 could give yon an idea of his nianner: it was more like that of a person who had JuBt learned the lauguage and TM afraid of making mistaken 80 hesitated before caeh word, giving every syllablc its full value. He explaTned this simply enough aftorward - that Kitty had broken him of swearing by making him think before he spoke." "But tou haven' t told us who Kitty was," interrupted the blue parasol. Was sha li-ht or dark?"- "hiswife?" - "he wouldn't have dared!" - "a Tcxan wife?' and Mrs. Broeden looked very grave at the possibilities the flying questions arouscd. "No, she wasn't his wifo; only the Yankee sehoolmistress of La Junta. I never saw her. She must have been an angel, thongh, f rom his description; so I will Ieave the details for your aeqnaintanee hereafter, Miss Brogden;" whieh outrageous flattery was receivcd with contemptuoiis silence. "She lfved at Junta, and would canter over on Saturdays to Trocalara, the Tcxan' s ranch, to teach his herdsmen's families. His partner, Parker, and he had a large catlle-raneh nut far from the Mexiean frontier, aud Kitty eoultl nol have lived on a bed of roses, 1 fancy. Raids, stampedes and other border pleasantriea were constant ly occurrmg. I remember we thought him too gentle at iirst to have really bailed from the Plains; but one night, when Hamilton remonitrated wilh a man who, I believs, lmd allowed himsclf to.get in tliat state dcicribcd by the sailors as 'three sheets in the wind, and the fourth Üuttering," and was met with rather an uncivil reply, the ïexas shut the offender up like a jnck-knife with his heavy grip and the intimation that ' he proposed to seti tle the Uible-man's scores.' "He grew quite intímate with Haniilton and me, and proved a dellgKtfu] companion. He would quote readily from many of the later poets, and knew whole pages of Milton and Shakespeare by heart. Kitty had taught him these. he said, aftcr sho married Parker and came to live with him. "'She made us read history-books first,' he said- 'many, many volumes- but we soon got to liUo thembettertlian anvthing clse. The poetry she read to ', us; and so we never went to the shows in Junta after she came. Kitty has a good husband, as fine a fellow as ever fassoed a steer, but she is too pure for Junta. Parker loves her, and 1 love her, too, but both of us do not make up for her Kastern comforts. And so last year, as we made a good herd and I there were no raids to speak of, I came to New York to get a few luxuitos for her. She wrotc me theu to go to Paris and sec the Exposition; so I went because I thought she knew best, and that if I had seen the world a little I should be nearer to her, and it would not be quite so hard for her out thcrc. And now she is ïll, and - 1 am here!" "He turned impatiently away to ask the qaartermaster wliat we were doing by the I:i8t log. The speed appeared to satisfyhim, forhe satquietlyüownagain and told us how it was that Kitty had oome to live with them. " 'For two years, you know - assnmingthat we did know - 'she spent Saturdays at Trocalara, teaching ourpeople how to read and write. Thoy were very rough atfirst - we all areoutthere--and did not care much; but she interested i hem, and brought picturc-books for the little ones, and by and by she said she would come out on Snnday and we should have ehurch!' with a triumphant look at Hamiltou and his Pan-Angluun attendance. ' Yes, we liad had a priest there before, but he was shot in a row at Bowler' s Paradise, and no one cared to apply for a new one. " ' Kitty came up to the ranch the flrst Sunday, and asked us to come with her. We rcfused at first, but after a while, when we heard the singing, we went down to the quarters, and found hor sitting under one of the trees with all the young ones clustcred round her; and we waited there and listened untü we began to feel very sorry that we had played so late at Bowle#'s the night before. " 'But Parker had been in luck, and he BWÓre he wohld get her as fine a piano as could be brought from the States (ho was a half-Mexieau by birth) if she would sing like that for us at the ranch. " 'She stood up then, with all the young ones look ing on in amazenient, ; the light and shade playing over her through thecool, darkleaves, and, turning her large gray eyes f uil on Parker' s fatee, said she would if we would promise neyer to go to Bowler' a again. " ' I think Parker expected her to refuse to come altogether, beeause we liad no women there, and we luid hearti the people in Junta talking_pf lier quiet, modest ways. Hut no, she nwver thought oí herself: she only thought oí the nights at Bowler's. and wantod to save lis trom the end she hadseen of ten enough in two years in Junta. At any rate, tbe piano eame, and Parker had it sent as a sort of halfway measure to lier house in Junta, where she and her mothcr lived, and we were as weleome as the light there always. " ' You have no idea of her music. They told me at concerts in Paris that I was hearing the tinest musicians in Europa, bnt they were not like Kitty. They played foronr moncy - Kitty ptayed tor our pleasure: it makes so mucti difference,' he added, as his lingera drummed an aeeonipaniment to the air he whistled. " ' Onenight Parkerand I were sitting in a corner at Bowler's f'hcn we heard aGreaser aMexican, you know - that l'arker had refused to play poker with the niglit before ask who the señorita was that had taken the spirit out of Parker. " ' We both starled forward instantly, but as the man was evidently ignorant of our presence, Parker checked me with a tiercé look in his eyes that showed that the spirit of his former days would be very apt to pul a different ending on the eonversation if it contiuued in that ' tone. Kitty," oame the reply, as if that settled tlie matter. "'"Kitty? Ah, your American naincs are SO Stranfffl! Kitty! lint. she is beautiful, is thia Kitty! I mei her in the Gulch road tliis afternoon this side of Trocalara. Caramba! how she can ride! The Parker lias good tivste; 1 drink tomy future acqnalntance with her." ' 'As he raised the glass to his lips Parker Btood behind his t-hair and whisperedi " If yon drink that liquor, it will be the la( drop that shall ever pass your lips!'' "'Thenext morning they sold the Mexican's horse and traps to pay for burying hini and lor the daraago ilone, and l'arker lay n bed at Kitty's with that in his sido yon would not have aared to see. " ' Kitty nflver knew why he fought, and never even looked a reproach. Il was nol mncli I had seeu him cut mueh worse in the slockj'anl ai liom ■ui omehow he did ""t gei well. The weeki ülipppd hy, and eaeh lime I ralled Kitty vroüld say be v.as a litiU bettei', and a üule bitter, and oh yes ho would bc back next week; but next week nuue so often witho it Parkei that at last, when tho time carne for chaugiug pastures, 1 went with tho herd and left him still at Junta. " 'I would willinsrly have taken his place, lonk you, if I had known the resul!, lmt pciiKips the way was the best, alter au; for now Kitty has two men to serve her,' he added meditotivi'lv. " 'YVhenl got back to Jnnta in October, Parker was quito recovered, lfound out at the ranch, but was in town that evrning, 80 I went quietly into Kitty's ïouse to rarprise tbexn. As I crossed ,he hall I heard Parker's voice. Could i have mistaken the house? was it really lis voice I hcard? Yes: he was telling Kitty how he hail broken the thrce-yearold coltto side saddle, so whenshecame o ïrocalara she raust give up her old jony. I knew then why Kitty had kept ïim there so tong, lic had lost his reason md she witheet to keep me froni knowng it! ' Bot no. I stood still and llstened, ind heard him teil her how he had always loved her, apparently goiug over an old story to her. My Goal I would ns soon havo told tin; Virgin lloved her! And then I hoard her voicc. "When I ara your w So - " she began. " 'It all flaahcd on me in an instant then. 1 sltpped ooisflleSaly out, and if they heanl "üld TrickV gallo)ou tho turf it was not heeause his lioofs lingered too long there. "I caa't iciiKMiibcr how I passed that niglit. The revelation had been so sudden tliat tho words seemed to be written in my hcait and to be carricd tliroutrh overv vein with each beat. '■When 1 am vour wifc - " What would the rosult beP Our Kitty was to be his wifp? ('onld I still slay at the ranohP "When I am your wife- " and I loved ter! " ' The next day I went into Junta and saw tlii'in lioth. I told Parker how tht herd stood, and how the shootmsr had been in the mountains, but I never had tho courage to look at her. " ' Aftor a whik' she went to tho piano and piayed " Home:" then she came and sat down by ma aud said, "I havo tdld Parker I will go home with him: I will try lo be a sister to you." " ' 1 believe I only stared at her, and then wrung Parker' s hand and went out. " ' lie married hor the next month, and - and- Troctósra has been Heaven ever since. " ' I never knew what a Cliristian was bef ore she carne: yon know we have no failli in Texas in things wecan't draw a beid on. Bul when she read rae the story of the. Scribes and Pharisees and ( 'luist I feit ashamed to be like those Klatheads and Rreasers in the New Testament who did not bclieve in Him; and now I foei siire of knowing somo on e in Heaven, for Kitty has promised to find me there.' "I forget a great many of the incidents he told os," Donaldson went on in the qnijet that. was almost equal to the eahn anmnd us; '-and I darc say it wonld bore you to listen. Hut he certainly was the most extraordinary nmnl ever mol.. I can't do único, to bis i'xpri'ssions, forthcy lack his soft voice ana curious hesitation. I wish we had him here, though." "Día yon over Bear of him again?" some one áskéd. "Yes. When we reaolied Xew York I found him ateadin in his old place by the aft wheo.l-house in a dazed sort of way, with appareatly no intention of goinff ashore; so 1 asked him what hoto! he intended to stop at. His only answor was to hand me a letter dated some days before. " 'Junta, Toxas. "'Kltty dled last nlght. It is a boy, and is named af ter you- her lust wish. "'Parker.' That was all the lcttor said, but as I looked at his white face and bnrning eyes I saw it was what ho had fearea. "As I bade him irood-night at the hotel that, evening he askoa me, 'Do yon really feel sure that I eonld iind her - there?' " 'Yes: she said so, did she not?1 I replied. " 'I will try,' he said simply. "The next morning they fonnd him with abullet-hole in his temple. He had gone to find Kitty." "Heads!" saicí Thornton as the boom swung over and the swirl from the Idler's bow told us the wind had come. As I ehanged my place I eaught Miss Brogden's eye, and feit satistied that