River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-03-25
PEN BRADSHAWE.

"Yes, air-yes, Mr.. Give Soulard,
Eve made up my mind. If you are
bent on marrying a woman who doesn't
care one fix for you, you're at liberty to
do So"
Every well, PEN"
Mr.. Give S0ulard spoke very quietly,
and bent his handsome eyes on the girl
with an expression Of mingled non
chalance ana amusement.
81 don't consider 1t very we'll, Mr..
Soulard." she went on, nettled by his
quietude, sit may be well for you, who
marry me for my money, and so get
all that you want. It's bad, and wicked
add cruel, and you know it."
"Ahl indeed, Pen, was not aware
that the advantages OF this arrangement
were not mutual. ! am sure / consid-
cred it purely business matter on both
sides"
ITO be sure; but you have every
thing to gain, and everything to lose"
The shadow of a flush rose in Give
Soulard's cheeks, but it was gone be-
fore Penelope Bradshawe saw it, and
he answered in the light, careless tone
he had used all along:
Al va AiiCtAI ~ gam wat give tAD
poverty for wealth, the miseries of
bachelOrhOOd for married blessedness, |
don't know but you're right as to that,
but even then what do | gain that you
don't? You can't have the money with
out me more than | can have the mon
ely without you; and really, Pen, if you
are as lovely as a Peri, think | may
lay some claims to the good looks OF
Antinous-eh Pen?' running his slen-
der white fingers through the halo of
bronze brown curl5 that covered his
handsome head. and sending a laugh
ing glance into the mirror opposite,
that reelected face beautiful almost as
woman's.
"Tush," said Pen, coloring with i'm
patience, 81 don't think this is any
time to talk nonsense and make fun"
Perhaps not" he replied with a
hopelessly comical sigh. "but l can't
help being Jolly, dear; it isn't every
day one gets fortune and a wife in
breath, and without the trouble of ask
ing for her either"
lyon haven't got the wife yet, Give
Soulard, and if you were a man
you would't take her on such condi-
TORS"
Conditions | didn't know there
were any. It's the money is condition
al, not the wife"
Poor Pen was ready to cry with vexa-
ton. TEE handsome, provoking fell
low only laughed at her, whatever she
said.
She might protest as much as she
liked against the match which her uncle
mad planned so arbitrarily. making
the inheritance of his money condi-
ti0nal on these two marrying. Give
Soulard only laughed at her and made
testing responses to all her appeals.
Penelope Bradshawe had been
brought up as the adopted child and
heiress Of her uncle, Reese Bradshawe.
A yeal before this her uncle had died.
leaving Il will which was not to be
opened till he had been dead twelve
months.
That will, being read at the appointed
time, prove to contain the somewhat
arbitrary dic,um that his beloved niece
should not have his money without
she married his beloved cousin, Give
Soulard, the said Give Soulard being
still single at the opening of the will.
Pen Bradshawe was an exceedingly
pretty girl, but contrary, captious and
selfwllled, as pretty girls are apt to be,
and she frowned in the most decided
manner upon the unexpected tenor of
her uncle's will. If he had given half
the property she wouldn't have minded,
but to force her to make her choice De
tween poverty and Clive-to obige a
saucy little flrt like her to marry any
bOdV-Was abCminable.
She forgot, even in her own mind, to
add to the sum of her grievances on the
subject the fact that the provoking will
cut short the most delightful Irritation
Miss Pen had ever INDUCED in.
she had known Give All her lite; in
deed, they were distant cousins, and
Give had spent good share of his boy
hood and most Of mis- vacations, during
school and college days, at Uncle Brad
shawe's house. where pretty Pen alter
nately petted and plagued the life out
of him.
1t was bad enough to be snubbed and
by so pretty girl as Pen while he was
in jackets and She in pinafores, but 10
have such q state Of things continue
well, it was so highly unpleasant to
Give Sou.ard that he could not conceal
his exultation al the turn which was
necessarily given to sffairs by the terms
of Uncle Reese's will.
He at once dropped tie suppliant air,
and became nonchaiant, careless and at
his ease-provokingly so, one must al
low, under the circumstances. Pen Brad
shave could scarcely be blamed for not
liking the tables turned upon her in this
summary manner.
She persisted that she didn't like
Give one bit, nor in that way, but she
couldn't give up her heiress-shi2 and
be a poor sewing girl ike Kitty Bryce,
or music teacher like Ellen Steele, or,
in short be poor at all, and so she tod
Give she would marry him just for that
one reason and no other. If he had a
mind 10 take her, knowing she didn't
love him, and never expected to, and
that she thought it a shameful piece OF
business altogether-a cruel conspiracy
against a poor girl who couldn't help
herself-why, he could.
For her part, she should be afraid to
marry anybody that felt toward her as
she did toward Give Soulard, etc
studying TO say whatever she Judged
was best calculated to provoke her
prospective spouse cut OF that sorry
nonchalance he had so lately assumed.
But Give was not to be provoked. He
assured Pen that it made no sort of diff
ference, her not loving him the money
was the main object-which assurance