Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-07-15

v
ness that no old man could resist, she in
quired after his health, his crops, and
whatever other subject seemed Of i'm
portance to him.
In fact, she quite won the old bach.
elor's heart. 1t was great grief to him
that he could not hope TO wed her for
himself; and he halfdisEked his nephew
for his chances But at any rate he de-
termined that such nice girl-and such
rich girl-should not 90 out of the
family; and he soon let Harry know that
the prospects of inheriting the Lake
estate rested very much upon his mar
riage with Margery.
But suppose the young lady will not
have me, unclep"
"You are not to suppose failure, sir,
in ANYTHING. You have no rivals here
but me" the old man grumbled, not very
pleasantly.
Harry was in a adilemma, and he sat
thinking long over it that night. But
he was endowed with nature singu-
larly honest, and at this juncture it
helped him better than intrigue. He
simply wrote little note to Margery.
asking permission to see her next day at
noon. He received, as he. expected, a
cordial assent; ana so, putting Dion's
confidently over to Haywood Park.
1t was very pleasant meeting, but
Harry was determined not to let their
conversation drift into generalities.
Miss Haywood" he said, g / am going
to ask from you very singular favor.
II want you. In short, | want you to
refuse to marry me. eM.M
Margery could not help a smile at
Harry's awkwardness. She readily di-
vinedS that he had something important
to say to her, and that he had, in his
eagerness to be perfectly plain about it,
begun at the end instead of the begin
ming. So she said. II shall certainly
refuse you-when you ask me, Mr..
Laken
"Oh, that of course! No fellow like
me expects to get hearing, after poor
Dion could not succeed. But the truth
is just this: my uncle admires you so
much that he threatens to leave me moth
ing unless | marry you"
And you prefer to be disinherited, of
coursep'
"No, no, no; but, Miss Haywood, l
am dead in love with the dearest little
girl, and | am over mead and ears in
debt also; and If | vex uncle, he will
give me no money-and don't you sec
how the thing is?"
mot exactly. Now what am / to do?
Tell me plainly"
"Well, | shall write you letter to-
morrow-a real. old fashioned Sir
Charles Grandson letter-and ask your
permission, ETC., ETC., to pay my devoted
duty. ETC., etc, to you. And | shall
show this letter to uncle, and get his
suggestions and appreciation"
T TO
"To answer it, just in your loftiest
style, Miss Haywood. If you say a few
words a little down on the Lakes, don't
mind it at all, and it will finish the mat
ter. OF course shall be cut up and all
I that. If my poor Dion was here he
would find some clever way out of the
scrape; but | can never think of any
thing butjust going to headquarters. as
[ have come to YOU"
sit is the best way. A straight line
is Just as good in love as in geometry. :"
Then the affair was talked over, and
Margery brought all her woman's tact
and delicacy to its arrangement. Things
were planned so as to proceed more
leisurely; for the climax, instead of
coming the next day, as Harry pro-
posed, was indefinitely put off. But
Margery thought herself well paid for
her complaisance; for in very short
time Harry knew as well as possible the
true state of her heart, and many u pre-
cious bit of news he brought her con-
cerning Dion, and one day he managed
to forget photograph of him and never
afterward to remember its loss.
So, with this fresh interest in life, time
did not seem so heavy to poor Margery
She had Dion's pictured face, and every
now and then few words of informa-
ton about him, or else long talk with
Harry concerning the manifold perfec-
tions of one so dear to both
But though the final letter was de-
layed as long as possible, Uncle Lake at
last got impatient. '' Harry had spent
part of every day at Haywood for four
months; if boys and girls did not know
their own minds in that time, they never
would" So the old gentleman wrote
the proposal himself, stated frankly
what lands and money he intended to
give Harry, and solicited for the young
man the hand of his fair neighbor.
The answer had been carefully pre-
pared by the two young people. 1t was
exquisitely polite, but yet it contrived to
hit delicately several points on which
Uncle Lake was very sensitive; and, in
fine, it absolutely declined any alliance
with his house.
The effect was better than they had
dared to hope. Uncle Lake was greatly
offended, and for Margery' sake recalled
the very worst of the stereotyped filings
ut women and women's ways so gener-
| ally familiar to bachelors young and old.
I" However, he was sorry for me.
Margery." said Harry, one day, week
afterward, and he has shown it in a
way that | thoroughly appreciate"
"a checkpn
Yes, for ten thousand dollars"
Did you pine much, Harryp"
"No, could not manage it; and, do
you know, that pleased uncle. He
praised my spirited behavior, and said
that was just the way he took saucy
woman's No thirty years ago; and then
he gave me the check, and told me to go
to Paris for season.
" And you go, supposed"
Just as soon as the dearest little girl
is ready to 60 with me. y
"Will you have enough. after paying
your debts?n
I" | shall naturally consider my wife's
| comfort before my creditors'.n
"Oh, Harry! Harry"
"Well, Margery, / never could keep
out of debt and out of love. The men
trade with and the girl | love always
have lien on me-"
After Harry left letters were long de-
! layed Addresses were lost or changed.
and week after week and month after
month passed without hrinping anv