How Kate Went Home

"Papa is not like himself. He never was harsh to me beiore," murmured poor Kate. "Yet you must not be unmindful that yonr poor father believes he is acting for your bestinterests," was the rather doubtful remonstrance of Mrs. Scott. "Papa is acting entirely under theinfluence of Percy Talbot," the girl asserted excitedly; "if he were not he would uuderstánd howgrevious it would be should I marry a man whom I detest - how utterly impossible it is when my whole heart is given to another. Oh, mamma! surely you oannotblame me?" What could " the gentle wife. the troubled mother, say? She loved her husband, unreasonable as he might be, she idolized her only ohild, and she shrank from holding either blamable. So she remained silent, while two big tears rolled slowly down her fair, faded cheek. "Mamma, my dearest, you do not blame me, do you?" pleaded Kate, crossing the rooiü and throwing hcrsclf on her knees beside her mother. "It would break uiy heart to give up Robert! I love him so dearly- oh, mamma, so very dearly! Yovi like Robert, too, and so did papa, bef ore this Percy Talbot eame here to make nothing but trouble for OS all. And I havefancied sometimos that you distrust him quite as rnuch as I do. You do notreally wish me to marry him, do you?" "Your father is determined that you shall be his v.ife, Kate," said Mrs, Scott, winding a kindly arm about the slim, kneeling figure, and drawing the pretty brown head to her bosom. "I know. And if I disobey him, he declares he will no longer recognize me aa his child," returned Kate with a gasp nf "lm will send me awav f rom him, from my home, andfromyou. Oh, mamma, it is hard! And yet, if you wonld not blamo mo, iL you can trust, tue, I had i-ather go. Aíter a time papa inight relent, and wish me to come back to him." Themother sighed, but she clasped the pretty pleader more closcly to her tender heart, and fondly kissed the sweet, bright face. "I do trust you, Kato,1' she answered with much earnestness. "Always remember, darling, that whereyer you may be, I shall trust my daughter to do the right. If you choose to go rather than become Mr. Talbot's unloving wife, I shall not judge you too harshly; and it may be that sonio time the storm will pass over, and that this trial will end happily for us all." After such a concession the mother oould scarcely refuse to acquiesce with anything her child might decido to be best. And so Kate took her last regretful look of the dear familiar rooms; wit! miii'prinir lins sim kissed her ing mother; and then in the early, quiet morning sho lcft the pleasant house, the doors of which, as it might be, had been closed upon her forever. "She has made her choice," her father said briefly, in grim anger; "and henceforth she is de ad to me." From his home, his heart, his lips, he had banished her; and he forbade the mention of her name in his presence. And for Percy Talbot he began to manifest a singular parüality - a special liking that was frequently sliown by considerable monetaryfavors. Perhaps he faneied that he owed some sort of reparation to the luckless individual who had been so sigually disdained by his handsome and refractory daughter! "It seems strange that a rich man man should borrow such sums, and so often," Mrs. Seottonco ventured to observe. "You know nothing about such mat _ _ . " W _ 1 - J_l_ 1_ ■ ■ . „ i. -i. a . - -- xers, iviaria, was Mie suaip iujuuac. "Talbot can be trustcd with anything. He is a shrewd man too, and if our last gpeculation succeeds, I shall be as rich as he is." "What speculatios, Peter?" his wife inquired uneasily. "I doubt you would understand if I shouldtell you," he answered testily. He had yet to learn that his own understanding of the speculation into which he had been persuaded was somewhat deficiënt, It was the "oft-told tale" of the credulity of one man and the duplicity of auolhcr. And there carne a time when Peter Scott knew that he was beggarod - when he discovered that all his little fortune, earned by years of honest zeal, had. been by some manner of chicanery, transferrod to the possession of Percy Talbot. ' j "Mv dear sir, it is oneof the freaks ot fortune and is neither curious nor uncommoii," Talbot said blandly to his yictim. In my career as a speculator, I, too. have sornetimes lost- even to my last farthing. I have been left with nothing, absolutely nothing but my debts. But I never lost courage; nor must you do so now. Besides, if you will bring baek your pretty, fugitivo daughter and induce her to become my wife, I will make you a free gift of the property that once was yours." "My daughter," at length he enunciated, with a dignity that was majestic, "was wiser than I - she could not be deceived by your pretensions as I have been. I may be a pauper, sir, but I shall still be honored that I have a child who would prefer death to marriage with such as you." He turned away haugntuy ana wem back to the homo that was no longer his. But the shock had been too sudden, too overwhelming; and an.hour later he lav writhing in mortal agony at he very ga'tes of death. In his delirium he raved piteously of his folly, and of the man whom he had so trusted only to be befooled, robbed and insulted. And to his disordered senses his bonny Kate was everywhere present. He would listen for her gav voice and light footsteps; he seemed" to behold her bright and beautiful image, and he would pathetically entreat her to forgive him for hisharshness and hisgreatmistake. Meanvvhile, Kate was far away, and not altogether unhappy. She feit that somehow, in a blissful time to come, she would providentially bc guidcd back to coatentment witn ner iovuu ones. Oue inorning a visitor was announced, and with much surprise shc turned to stand face to face with her old suitor, Percy Talbot, as ever, sleek, smiling, insignificant. "You wisli to see me?1' she quened, coldly, startled by somothing oddly assured and exuliant in his aspect. "I wish to discuss a matter of business with you," he responded glibly, as with great nonchalance he appropriated a cosy chair. "Will you not be seated, too? Where are the roses of your cheeks, Kate? Are you 111, or has my coming disquieted you?" She was pale with anger at his insolence. at his stare of ardentadmiration; and she trembled with vague alarm before his strange look of triumph; but 3he stood quite stiu anu regarueu mm with calm inquiry. "You may not be aware of wliat has happened at home," he pursued, still with the honeyed voice and hateful smile. "No," was her simple utterance. "My mission "is not a particularly pleasant one," he continued, cautiously; "and yon make it harder for me Kate, you seem so indifferent; and I have only come to serve you. Your father is very 111; he may not recover." Yet she rernained silent, watching him with her scornful, questioning eyes. "And beside," her visitor went on, with a seniblance of the sympathetic, "he has been unfortunate in business, and every thing he possesses will be sold at once if there be no friendly interposition, I alone have power to aid him, and I will do so if you- oh, listen, for I love you, Kate! If you will be my wife, I will stop this sale, and your parents shall still have their home." He had risen and approached her with outstretched arms; but at that instant the door opened to admit one whom he had not anticipated meeting precisely tnen ana inere. "Ah, Mr. Merlo," he articulated with extreme politeness. "This is indeed a surprise." "A mutual surprise," Robert amended, dryly. "My wife and I had scarcely expected a visit from you. ' ' "Yourwife," he stammered, in swift confusión. "With mamma's appro val, Mr. Merlo and I were married the day I left home," Kate explained civilly. "Ah! then I have come only to congratúlate you," he succeeded in saying, even as he recoiled discomfitted before the contemptuous scrutiny of Kate's handsome young husband. But he had no desire to prolong so unsatisfactory an interview, and he speedily departed. "Be comforted, my dearest," Robert enjoined her when the guest had gone. "I have foreseen this day of trouble for your father, and providentially I have been given means to help you. Would you care to be back in the old home, Kate?" Would she care? Had she notlonged cvery hour for months to behold the dear ola place? and the beloved, familiar face? And while the train tliat bore her homeward was rattling across the white, wintrv world, her parents were making ready to leave the house where they had liqed all the years of their wedded life. Everything had been sold. The ominous red flag yet waved over the entrance, about which was a melancholy and suggestive litter. Inside, in the only apartment safe from intrusión, lay the unfortunate man, suincienlly convalescent to realizo that all his gains had been taken from him. "We are not yet so old, Peter - you and I, that we need fear beginning life anew," his wife lovingly reniinded him. "But what will give me back my child?' ■ he asked fretfully. 'What will restore to me her affection, just as fond and just as trusting as it was before I drove her from lier home by my severity?" "Our Kate will never reproach you, Peter," was the soft reply. "And all is well with her. I have hidden somethinff from vou, dear - something that onco would havo angered j-ou, but that now may comfort you instead." Just then a carriage rumbled to the door. The purchaser of the property that had been bought by proxy, had arrived, and directly was admitted to the room. But the sick man was greatly perplexed when he behcld llobert Merle standDg before him. "A little legacy, not altogether unexpeeted, canao to me just in time," explained the generous young gentleman, "and I bought the old place as agiftfor my wife." And then, like a bright spirit, Kate glided in and dropped on her knees beside herfather's couch. "Oh, papa forgive me," she cried, with her sweet face pressed upon the yearning hands that clasped her quiek1iT "Forgive you, dear child?" ejaculated the father, liko one amazed. "lt is I who should beg to be forgiven. But I scarcely understand what it all means. Does it mean that you and ltobert and mamma were all leagvied against me." "I am afraid so," was the roguish confession. "But ftobert had a little secret of his own, though," she added, with a happy glance toward her manly husband. "He kept me quite in the dark about his legacy and his purchase of the oíd place until he had brought me here - brought me baek to the old home that shallstill be yours, papa."