The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-04-17

| .o"ss coulo Dr1ng thAt uSel0ouS nuns
the PANT I'd Az matters ina twhhing. What
papas money he vants.it's me, and Wy h
can't say 90 I'd like to know. suppose now il
was his washerwoman's daughter, he'd find q
way to tell me he loved me in very short order
but" e
"Nr. Dusenbury,. announced the servant a
the door.
And not seeming to have heard, Ruby sat still
{snd pretended to Be very sound asleep, indeed.
j gn this wer: Mr.. Du:enbuIy, he must have
for this gentleman could mot havs been more
than twenty-five, and he carried himself with
the handsome grace Of an Apollo. IA the door
closed behind him. he advanced slowly down the
parlor, not seeing the sleeping beauty till he
| came beside her, and pausing then in wrapt ad-
MiEation before 90 charming picture.
It was an admirably counterfeited slumber-
the ietty lashes untremblingly prone upon the
velvety cheek, the breath coming at regular in
| tervals through the rosebud mouth. 1t wasn't
much wonder that Hunt Dusenbury caught his
breath, and murmured 81
II wish dare" ji5HM
The lips Of the fair sleeper moved slightly,
and bending to catch the faint utterance, he
heard something that sounded wonderfully like
his own name with caressingly expressive
prefix. i3iH
Mr.. Hunt Dusenbury rather doubted the evil
dence of his own ears. but he acted quite Al
though he didn't for, slipping an arm under the
curly dressed head, he drew it to his shoulder,
and when Ruby opened her wide bright eyes in
profound astonishment, he kissed them shut
again, murmuring: n
'sOh, Ruby, Ruby. my darling love you y
She flushed like rose under her kisses, but
she couldn't resist the temptation to be tantaliz-
ing. so she said poutingly:
"Well, Hunt, what if you do9 You know
papa has got ever and ever so much money, and
I'm all the girl he's got, and 1 don't know how
you can have the audacity to tell mo that under
the circumstances IS
Hunt looked perplexed a minute, but he
caught the mischievous sparkle of Rubys ro-
guish eyes, and sealed them again with his lips.
"Confess now" he whispered, laughing, ''be
good, Ruby, and own up honestly, as have. If
you don't, I'll tell you what you said in your
sleep just now"
to be-"
: "You-did?" 0
Hunt looked Mortified incredulity, and made
movement to withdraw his arm, and put the
little head back upon the cushion, muttsring
something that sounded like ''the young CO.
Quette " but Ruby, stealing an arm around his
neck, said, half saucy, half earnest:
"Don't scold, now, and I'll confess. You see,
Hunt, you were so lsng in coming to the point,
night"
Somebody else ?"
Ruby laughed.
/, II shan't tell you who; regular old money.
bags, though. from whose clutches wanted You
to rescue me-"
''Ruby, wish ever could tell when you are
making fun of me-"
10 ,fL.,
Money -bags," Ruby called him-and did the
honors for him more bewitchingly than ever.
How entertaining she was, and how delighted
Papa ST. Maur was.
1 And then, in few days, Money-bags came
again. and this time he brought Miss st. Maur
the most magnificent present--a set of rubies,
that made her pretty eyes sparkle with delight
full vivacity. 8
''These, he said Significantly, "are for the fu.
ture Mrs. Dusenbury." .r
q ''Oh Y Ruby said, very inaocently, II thought
they were for me-"
/ "Do you like them?'
II never saw anything half 50 beautiful
ea"Td give you them, and great deal more be. |
sides, II you'd promise to be Mrs. Dusenburyr
Z fRuby played with the sparkling stones and |
looked persistently at her slipper at least two |
minutes Then, lifting to her aged sutton pair |
Of eyes. whose radiance dazzled him 10 that he
didn't know whether he was in his counting.
room, and somebody had thrown brick through |
The window, or thunder storm had came up |
md the lightning was playing ftfully around |
his wrinkled old face. 'sa
"f I'm going to be bribed," she said sweetly. |
ut must be with something more than ruby |
aecklacs." M .S ,f7s8 sgOIfaB gT
Anything in the world, sweet girl, to the
half of MI I possess" H@
"You're not in earnest, NJ. Dusenbury, of |
course not. You gentlemen are a great deal |
f0nder Of making promises than you arc of keep. |
ing them" Ruby said archly.
'cNever was 10 much in earnest in my life (;
yst me = Pen and paper and I'll show you"
Taking him at his word, and tantalizing him |
with rognishly expressed doubts Ruby danced |
away and brought him the required articles He
humoring her whim as he called it, Ioney.bags |
drew up, In regular business form, paper in |
which he obligated himself to bestow on Miss
Ruby Ut. 1aur the half of all he possessed the |
day she became Dusenbury.
Ruby kept up constant fire of jest and laugh.
ter aud general witchery, but took possession of |
the document in triumph and promised Money.
bags that she should claim the fulfillment of the
obligation it contained ut an early day. Both
and Mr.. st. Maur were in ecstasy.
A week dropped slowly away, and Money.
DaSS quite neglected. MS business NJ the count. |
ing-rOom in order to dine with his old friend St.
Maur. He really seemed to be getting human.
lied.
One night Miss st. MAur kept dinner waiting
again till tho two gentlemen grew quite impa.
tient, and Mr.. ST. Maur, summoning a servant,
sent to inquire after her. 4
Before the servant returned, however, Ruby |
herself oame-not in dinner attire, however. nor
alone but with bridal flowers in her hat and |
her little snowly.gloved hand oonAdingly resting