The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-07-17

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 q great grief to him
that he could not hope TO wed her for
himself; and he halfdisliked his nephew
for his chances. But at any rate he de-
termined that such nice girl-and such
rich girl-should not go 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
hut me-" the old man grumbled, not very
pleasantly.
Harry was in dilemma, and he sat
thinking long over it that night. But
he was endowed with a 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,
cordial assent; ana so, putting Dion's
last letter in his pocket, he went almost
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, 4" I am going
to ask from you very singular favor.
IL want you. In short, l want you to
refuse to marry me-"
Margery could not help smile at
IIarry's awkwardness. She readily di-
vined 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. Il shall certainly
refuse you-when you ask me, Mr..
Lake"
"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 l marry you"
coursep'
"No, no, no; but, Miss Haywood, I
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?"
Not exactly, Now what am I to doP
| Tell me plainly"
"Well, / shall write you a'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"
" Yes; and then am to"
"To answer it, just in your loftiest
style, Miss Haywood. If you say a few
words II little down on the Lakes, l don't
mind it mt all, and it will finish the mat
ter. OF course l shall be cut up and all
that. If my poor Dion was here he
would find some clever way out of the
Scrape; but | can never think of any
thing but just going to headquarters. as
| have come to you"
1T is the best way. A straight line
is lust rs good in love as in geometry
Then the affair was talked over, and
and delicacy to its arrangement. Things
were planned SO rs to proceed more
lcisurely; 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 Il very short
time Harry knew as we'll as possible the
true state of her heart, and many II 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
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 cal efully 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, il
fine, it absolutely declined any alliance
with his house.
The effect was better than they haG
dared to hope. Uncle Lake was greatly
offended, and for Margery's sake recalled
the very worst of the stereotyped fling
at women and women's ways so gener
ally familiar to bachelors young and old
"However, he was sorry for me
Margery," said Harry, one day, weel
afterward, land he has shown it in
way that thoroughly appreciate"
"A check?"
"Yes, for ten thousand dollars"
"Did you pine much, Harry?"
"No, could not manage il; and, d,
you know, that pleased uncle. III
praised my spirited behavior, and saiC
that was Just the way he took sauc,
woman's No thirty years ago; and thei
he gave me the check, and told me to g
, to Paris for a season."
"And you go, suppose"
"Just as soon as the dearest little cir
, is ready to go with me-"
, "Will you have enough. after payin
your debtsP"
Il shall naturally consider my wife
comfort before my creditors"
"Oh, Harry! Harry"
| "Well, Margery, | never could kee
f out of debt and out of love. The men
: trade with and the girl / love alway
have lien on me-"
t After Harry left letters were long de
! layed. Addresses were lost or changed
: and week after week and month afte
month passed without bringing an
word from Dion, about whom he ha
promised to write. In the third summe
+ Margery was so lonely that she deter
e mined to join some friends in Il Europea
) trip: FIR she was sure by this time tha
I Dinn had quite forgotten her.