The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-12

and | agreed upon that fusion of our joint
possessions known among lawyers as
"hotchpot." The expression is happy. 1t
has cheerful, domestic, simmering sound,
as if in happy augury that, come what may,
we should never want dinner Our spirits
rose in proportion. Strong in our genial
hotchpot, we should bid defiance to poverty,
hunger, and all the lesser ills of the unpro-
vided flesh. Into this dainty little dish each
was to dip at pleasure, and to repeat the
process until all was gone, except twenty
pounds, reserved for our marriage trip.
There was sweet and trustful disregard
of business in this arrangement, quite in
keeping with our frame of mind, and it
brought its own reward. If you could have
seen my little blushing Gracies half arch,
half-mournful appeals to the money-box!
1t was sacred shrine, which nothing could
have induced her to approach in my absence.
Could tills be opened in such a bewitching
fashion, and five-and-sixpence be extracted
by such fairy fingers, doubt much if any
! injured roprietor could find it in his heart
to invoke the outraged laws. Wnen 1 dis
covered that all was gone, save the twenty
pounds agreed on, ! could hardly regret that
the preparation of Grace's trouSSeau had left
nothing at all for mine.
Only twenty sovereignsm sighed Grace,
placing those coins on the table long way
apart, and then weighing each individually
| on her rosy tinger-tips, as il in the vague
hope that one or the other, proving to be
above weight, might be persuaded to go fur
| Their
True. That will hardly SUFFICE" 1 re-
marked, studying Bradshaw. by the way,
love, have you determined whittier we are to
| fly from the worlds gaze?"
80 Dolly, not too far. The money, love
you seep'
ITS the money, love, don't see that per-
plexes me-" | replied, gloomily. "Some
quiet little haunt, not, as you say, too far,
| yet far enough to enable us to forget that
there is any world but that we carry with US.
Have you any idea, Miss Fairlocks?"
| Oracle hesitated.
81 thought of &C"
! Cornwall? ?"
Oracle uttered little scream.
"Cornwall-you silly boy! Nonsense.
| Camberwell."
"Camberwell," repeated "by all means;
unless, indeed, your ladyship would prefer
the solitudes of Mapping. No, love, you
have Internationally decided me. We go to
| Cornwall"
But, Dolly, that's the Lands Enid"
ITS its only fault" said, alphabetically.
"The shores are lovely, the living excellent
1t only rains four days week. The Botal-
| lick Mine is worth the journey, and so is a
little white turnip which refuses, am told,
to grow anywhere but at Narration. AS for
the money" l added, recklessly, "pshaw,
| you'll see!'
Experience had taught me that these last
two words, pronounced with authority, exer-
| cised an almost magical influence over my
fair companion.
"Don'tyou think, Adolphus," asked Grace,
presently, "that it would be only kind to
inform your uncle, Mr.. Lewcraft, of our little
| plan?"
"lf by little plan you allude, Miss Fair
locks, to the trit1ing incident of my intended
| I nl.,
that ink is expensive, and, having now to
| consider"
NOW, be serious; how often in the course
of your life have you written to this gentle
man-your sole relation, sir?"
Repeatedly" was my bold reply.
Glow often?'' persisted my cross-exam-
liner.
Hem!-thrice."
What did he answer to the first letter ?"
| Nothing"
"To the second'"
MY sole relation continued mute"
"To the last?'
"Mr. Lewcraft forbore reply"
Adolphus," said Grace, after a little
pause, :" to ohlige me try him once more.''
g 1t won't come" responded, gloomily.
| What won't Gomez"
| "The check, love"
GAS if had been thinking of thatr' said
Oracle, tossing back her glistening locks
| rlngets, bless them! were in fashion then.
I" But write"
| We did write-we-for it was Joint effort
of authorship, Oracle suggesting the matter,
and the stops; result, pretty and catching
composition, finished off with an ingenious
interlacing of those names about to become
one.
Grace felt confident that Mr.. Lewcraft
would incontinently reply, perhaps welcome
us to Fountain Violet, and embrace the earli-
est ODnOrtnpify whom alpna wit ma CT
likely over bottle of fine old port as crusty
as the owner-to say: My dear boy, here's
to you and your sweet little wife. Dolly, we
have been too long estranged. Henceforth
be this your home, and, my dear fellow, re-
gard yourself as my heir"
Without being sanguine, was certain
ly conscious of faint hope that the step he
had announced to me might strike some
longslent chord in the heart of the solitary
man which might serve to unite us more
closely for the future.
An answer did arrive. On the fourth morn
ing | found on my breakfast table letter
sealed with the family arms, and large
enough to have contained marriage settle
ments or, at least drafts of the same.
Could my uncle have heen so generous
Venerable relative-much misunderstood!
The impost demanded by the postal authori-
ties had been two pence, an excess into which
Mr.. Lewcraft must have been betrayed on no
sllght grounds. impatient as l was l de-
termined that Oracle should be the first re-
cipient of the news, and hurried off, break
fastless, to her home. My darling's eyes
sparkled like sapphires as they lit on the i'm
posing seal. With glance of timid triumph
she tore it open. Out dropped neatly-fold-
ed sheet of thick cartridge paper such as is
occasionally used for folding up tobacco.
Blank? Not quite. In the center of page
appeared, in my uncle's grabbed characters,
his nuptial blessing:
More fools youP'
"0ld br-"
A soft hand stopped my mouth.
"Br-other of my mother, was about TO
say" | stammered through the white obsta-
Gle; little do you know, mistaken man,
what niece you have rejected"
Taking Oracle in her first moments of her
disappointment, / managed to convince her
that the best rejoinder we could make to my
uncle's manifesto would be our immediate
espousals. Why, in effect, delay? Our
minds were made up. There were no wills
but our own TO consult By skillful finan-
cial measure, the details of which are not
the concern of the reader, managed to
augment our travelling means to an amount
sufficient for months trip. Thus all was
arranged.
The ceremony was unpretending. The
pew-opeDer, a very motherly person, who
was taking snuff in side aisle when detailed
for parental service, attended my bride to
the altar. The beadle was nv best man. and