The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-03-19
In the midst of my perplexity and en-.

In the midst of my perplexity and en-
deayors to reconcile the duty stillo
Georgiana Lomax, for she had tacitly
allowed our engagement to continue,
and the love / felt for the beautiful
young widow, received an cpistle even
more lengthy than usual from Frank
Hardy.
"Imagine my surprise, he said, sat
tumbling suddenly ON old Mother Lomax
again. But You needn't have been so
sly us to keep the secrets from re. I'm
not the man to think the worse of you
for knowing on which side your bread is
buttered. Charlie Masters, whom met
yesterday, tells me Miss Elliston is
charming. He met her abroad some
where, and says she is the daughter of
an old love of Miss Bamford's; 80 that
explains the will. No wonder you des-
crihed Sandfleat with such vivid enthu-
siasm. Nothing like the seaside for love
making. l tried it myself once, but
came to grief. hope the wedding is to
come off Immediately, for Georgie's, her
mother tells me, isarranged to take place
i'll October. and L should like you to be
married first to spite her. always told
you what good-for-nothing, worldly
young woman she was, and you see L
have proved it; for old Trombones is
sixty, if he is a day-a white-headed old
sinner. Ii 1t were not that he is taking
the fair George off your hands, l should
say he ought to he ashamed of himself
taking young wife ut this time of life.
AS it lis, l wish him joy. Please say every
thing proper to Miss Elliston for me. l
hope to make her acquaintance before
long, &c.
Never since the memorable day on
which my godmother's will was opened
have felt more puzzled than did after
purusing Franks cffusion. My first
idea certainly was that he had taken
leave of his senses; my second that some
one had made him the victim of a joke.
making love to Miss Elliston. Why, l
had never seen her; and, what Is more,
never intended to do 80. What could
the fellow mean? Then read the letter
through again, and one point at least
became clearer. was n free man again;
free to offer my heart to Undine, for
Miss George had, on the unquestiona-
bic evidence of her own mother, decid-
edly Tilted me. l must allow that did
feel little piqued at her forgetting me
so soon, and for an old gray-bearl, too;
and perhaps this it was which caused me
to betake myself in such hot haste to
Undine. l found her sitting on the
beach where first saw her, prettier
than ever in her silver gray dress and
long blue vail; and without waiting to
collect myself, went straight to my OBJ
ject, beginning by telling her that a Sc
rious business demanded my imme date
presence in town. She looked up at me,
then with such soft tender eyes that
made the rest very easy.
"Mrs. Campbell" said, "you know
my history, and I have told You my posi-
ton, prospects, everything in fact, ex-
cept. what you have perhaps guessed
already, of my love for you, and my dear
hope one day to call you my wife,"
She blushed, stammered-looked di-
vine, in fact.
"But Miss Elliston," she said-"you
should"
81 hate the name of Elliston," ex-
claimed passionately, 81 only love you. I"
She held cut her hand ut this, and
while l pressed it to my lips she muir
INJURED:
"Oh, Claude, don't you know me? l
am Mary Beatrice Elliston?"
Aud so she was; and l, Claude Elliot
Riversdale, the barrister and the acute
man of the world as l considered myself,
WAS forced to admit that had been out
done by the "young person from North
cumberland"
To this day cannot help fancying but
that Mr.. Frank Hardy had something to
do with my mystiticatiou, though our
friendship continues as tiourishiug as
ever, and have never yet had occasion
to regret "My Godmother's WILL"