Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-11-20

DJ dti tuc. Snlo piIC hHSN, uut
also because somewhere down in
the recesses of hek foolish little
heart there lurkcd a fund of
warm, earnest affection and a
true appreciation of her lovers
intrinsic worth.
1t is only justice to say that
she could have married a much
wealthicr man than Allan, had
she chosen to do so, for every
Ebody knew that Will Sanford
had been over head and ears in
love with her for the last eigh-
teen monthsy and had repeated
lily laid his heart and fortune at
iher feet-said fortune consisting
of u clear half million in his own
right, besides expectations of
nobody could tell how much
more when Sanford, senior
who was in the decline of life
should bid adicu to this mum
dane sphere.
But Meta was proof against
1.-THE half-million and the great
expectations,and people thought
it very much to her credit that
she should accept Allan Grey
instead.
1t has been clearly demon
strated, however, that, had he
been a poor man, she could not
have made up her mind SO 10 do;
nor is it likely that lie would
have given her an opportunity,
for he was far TO proud too run
the risk Of being considered a
fortune-huntcr.
Allan, dearly as he loved his
little fdnce, was not quite blind
to her vanities and weaknesses,
and occasionally took her some
what to task for them, as on the
present occasion, when the dis
play Of her elegant but unncees-
sary purchase had led to a slight
disquisition, on his part, on the
folly and uselessness Of such un-
profitable extravaganza.
Meta, half smiling and half
pouting, listening to his lecture
with q very good grace, partly
because it was 80 novel to her,
and partly because, as she said,
"it was SO funny to hear hlm
scold."
"But, my darling, / am not
dreaming of scolding yon," he
replied. 81 have scarcely a right
to do that yet, and certainly not
in the present case. But l only
want you to acknowledge that
toy, which you will soon get
tired of, was a rather useless
thing to threw away y hundred
dollars on, when you could have
spent the money so much more
wisely in some other way"
"0npoor people doyou moan?"
she asked. '"Papa does all that,
you know; he gives d great deal
i'll charity, though, Of course |
wouldn't speak of it to anybody
but you. And / would not be SO
wicked as to refuse anybody in
distress, if ] knew about them
Il hope you don't think ] would,
AllanT ] am not quite 80 bad
as that"
81 am sure of it, love-" Allan
answered, thinking how charm
ing she looked with the tears
starting into her childiike blue
eyes, and that wistful, half-ag-
grieved expression on her face as
she made the appeal; his little
lecture was over for that evening,
nor did the occasion for it ever
recur again to his mind.
But that night, as he walked
home under the stars, their cons
versation came back to his men,
Ory; and he was conscious of a
vague feeling of dissatisfaction,
a longing for something he was
not quite sure of having obtained.
He had been brought up with
very prudent, sensible ideas in
regard to money, and though he
was the most generous-hearted
man in the world when occasion
required, he never indulged in
Iwillful waste, Or threw away a
dollar simply for the pleasure of
I throwing it away.
| Bat it was not the knowledge
tof the difference of Metals Ideas
Ion the subject, or the though
that she might expect too much
from him when married, that
troubled him now.
lie knew he had ample means
of satisfying her wants. and he
wasn't afraid of giving her cause
to rcproach him for depriving
her of anything to which she had
heretofore been accustomed.
But her answer to his question
"And so you could not marry ;
poor man?" REQUIRED to him per.
, pctually, with a sense of pain
!, for it seemed somehow to lesser
the value of his love for her, anC
to put it aside, as of minor i'm
. portance to his wealth. 1t was
, true, he hadn't asked her," ,"WoulC
, .you have been willing to MARI!
me if i had been n poor man!'
. but would not her answer ia tina
. case have been the same? Wa