The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1880-02-13
He at once dropped the supplian


must allow, under the circumstance.
Pen Bra lshawe could scarcely be blan.-
ed for not liking the tables turned upon
her in this summary manner.
She persisted that she didn't like
Give one bit. not that way, but she
couIln't give up her heiress-ship and be
a poor sewing-girl like Kitty Bryce, or
music-teacher like Ellen Steele, or, in
short, be poor at all, and SO she told
Give she'd marry him just for that one
reason, and no other. If be had mind
to take her, knowing she didn't love
him, and never expected to, aud that
she thought it shameful piece of bust
ness altogether-a cruel conspiracy
against poor girl who couldn't help
herself--vhy, he could.
For her part, she should be afraid to
marry anybody that felt toward her as
she did toward Clive@ Soularcl, etc
studying to say whatever she Judged
was best calculated to provoke her pros
peciive spouse out OF that sorry noncha-
lance he had only 30 lately assumed.
But Cliye was not to he provoked.
lie assured Pen that it made no sort of
difference her not loving him-the mon-
ey was the main .object-which assur-
ance, strangely enough, did not comfort
| Pen particle, or make her one whit
more resigned to her fate. He utterly
declined withdrawing his claim, either
to the money OF Pen.
The possession OF the former being
conditional upon the latter. How could
he? lie gravely questioned. Pen
thcught. if he were not utterly selfish
instead of forcing her into marrying
man she didn't like, he would refuse to
fulfill the condition Of the will himself,
and SO generously bestow upon her the
property and freedom at The same time
But Give disclaimed all pre,ensions
to unseIfi>hnesS, and candidly told her
il she had st:ch an invincible repugasnce
TO him she had better give up the prop
erty and secure her freedom at the
same time.
He thought it would be rity to mar
ry man size disliked so much as she
seemed TO do. Now with him it was
different. He didn't dislike Fen by any
means he was rather thailktul, OH the
whole, that dear old Un:le ISeese
hadn't thrown Ann Thompson in his
way instead of Pen Bradshawe; he
could think of plenty of worse incum-
brances to a fine property like that than
Pen.
Va>tly consoling this style of talk,
was it not? Was he laughing at her,
or was lie in earnest Had he only
been playing with her all that past
time, when he seemed to live on her
ssniles-when a frown or petulant
word would make him apparently the
most wretched of men or had he (oh
most heart-rending snppositio'i) the
money in view all the time, and only
sought her to secure that?
It looked like it, certainly-tlis sud
den assumption of Indifference to her
pleasure tIis open exultation at the
terms of her uncle's. will. Pen, the
beautiful, the bewitching, the ,antaliz-
ing, was quite nonplused. If she really
thought, if she were positively certain,
that he wasn't doing this to plagne her,
that he didn't care for anything but the
money. she wouldn't have him to save
his life (; she'd 60 off and be a COVER
ness, or take in sewing for a living be-
fore she would marry him.
No, she wouldn't either in that case
she'd have him ont ofspite.
In short, beside having a natural
shrinking from sewing tor a living, Pen,
consciously or otherwise, did not dislike
he. future spouse quite to the extent
she pretended.
Somewhere in her capricious heart
there was soft place for Give Sonlard
all the time.
He was SO handsome, so graceful, all
the ether girls were in love with him If
she were not.
And so the weeks wore away till the
wedding-Aay; Give. Iight-hearted,
careless, laughing, banteringly fympa-
thetic, ten times as handsome and
agreeable as he had ever been, bat not
in the least lover. like-anything but
that Pen, sulky and eaucy by turns.
but really miserable, and secretly, for
a reason she could not confess to herself,
but much less so to Give souIard.
Pen, the invincible, was IN love at