Kennedy Square | Page 7

blood. But go
on--tell me about the birds. Are they flying high?--and the duck blinds;
have they fixed them up? They were all going to pot when I was there
last."
"Birds out of range, most of them--hard work getting what I did. As to
the blinds, they are still half full of water--got soaking wet trying to use
one. I shot most of mine from the boat just as the day broke," and then
followed a full account of what the party had bagged, with details of
every day's adventures. This done, St. George pushed back his chair
and faced the young man.
"And now you take the witness-stand, sir--look me in the eyes, put your
hand on your fob-pocket and tell me the truth. Todd says you have been
here every day for a week looking as if you had lost your last

fip-penny-bit and wild to see me. What has happened?"
"Todd has a vivid imagination." He turned in his seat, stretched out his
hand, and catching one of the dogs by the nose rubbed his head
vigorously.
"Go on--all of it--no dodging the king's counsellor. What's the matter?"
The young man glanced furtively at Todd, grabbed another dog, rubbed
their two ears together in play, and in a lowered voice, through which a
tinge of sadness was only too apparent, murmured:
"Miss Kate--we've had a falling out."
St. George lowered his head suddenly and gave a low whistle:--"Falling
out?--what about?"
Again young Rutter glanced at Todd, whose back was turned, but
whose ears were stretched to splitting point. His host nodded
understandingly.
"There, Todd--that will do; now go down and get your breakfast. No
more waffles, tell Aunt Jemima. Bring the pipes over here and throw on
another log ... that's right." A great sputtering of sparks followed--a
spider-legged, mahogany table was wheeled into place, and the
dejected darky left the room for the regions below.
"So you two have had a quarrel! Oh, Harry!--when will you learn to
think twice before you speak? Whose fault was it?" sighed St. George,
filling the bowl of his pipe with his slender fingers, slowly tucking in
each shred and grain.
"Mine."
"What did you say?" (Puff-puff.)
"Nothing--I couldn't. She came in and saw it all." The boy had his
elbows on the table now, his cheeks sunk in his hands.

St. George looked up: "Drunk, were you?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"At Mrs. Cheston's ball last week."
"Have you seen her since?"
"No--she won't let me come near her. Mr. Seymour passed me
yesterday and hardly spoke to me."
St. George canted his chair and zigzagged it toward the blazing hearth;
then he said thoughtfully, without looking at the young man:
"Well, this is a pretty kettle of fish! Have you told your father?"
"No--he wouldn't understand."
"And I know you didn't tell your mother." This came with the tone of
positive conviction.
"No--and don't you. Mother is daft on the subject. If she had her way,
father would never put a drop of wine on the table. She says it is
ruining the county--but that's mother's way."
St. George stooped over, fondled one of the dogs for a moment--two
had followed Todd out of the room--settled back in his chair again, and
still looking into the fire, said slowly:
"Bad business--bad business, Harry! Kate is as proud as Lucifer and
dislikes nothing on earth so much as being made conspicuous. Tell me
exactly what happened."
"Well, there isn't anything to tell," replied the young fellow, raising his
head and leaning back in his chair, his face the picture of despair. "We
were all in the library and the place was boiling-hot, and they had two
big bowls, one full of eggnog and the other full of apple-toddy: and the

next thing I knew I was out in the hall and met Kate on the stairs. She
gave a little smothered scream, and moaned--'Oh, Harry!--and you
promised me!'--and then she put her hands to her face, as if to shut me
out of her sight. That sobered me somewhat, and after I got out on the
porch into the night air and had pulled myself together, I tried to find
her and apologize, but she had gone home, although the ball wasn't half
over.
"Then this was not the first time?" He was still at the hot coals, both
hands outfanned, to screen his face from the blaze.
"No--I'm sorry to say it wasn't. I told her I would never fail her again,
and she forgave me, but I don't know what she'll do now. She never
forgives anybody who breaks his word--she's very queer about it. That's
what I came to see you about. I haven't slept much nights, thinking it
over, and so I had the mare saddled, as soon as