Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-07-27
MILLICENT's HERO.


Finding himself in a position to mar.
~, and having known Millicent Bruen
more OF less intimately for six months,
Jack Wendover felt that the time had
come for him to express the devotion
which from the first he had entertained
toward that young lady and ask her to
reciprooate it. How he came to know
Miss Bruen, and how in these days OF
limited incomes he was able to contem-
plate matrimony at all, may be told in a
few words.
Seven or eight months before, when
the young man was out of business and
hopelessly, as it seemed, adored Miss
Bruen from afar of, he had conceived the
brilliant idea of the Reciprocal Aid So
ciety-brilliant since it promised to find
him employment and at the same time
to bring him into relations with old Mr..
Bruen, who was Millicent's father and a
heavy holder of uptown real estate. In
itself, too, the idea was good one.
Here were great many people, whom
Jack knew and of whom MIR. Bruen was
one, having investments to offer, and a
great many other people having money
to invest. Jacks notion was to make
the Reciprocal Aid Society an interme-
Vial pCtHCCA thOSO POI eiOo Al ooAiCi
words, to become what Mr.. Edward Ev-
erett Hale felicitously calls ''capital-
izer."
Well, so far Jacks plan had worked
out admirably. The society was organ
lied Jack was made secretary, with a
comfortable salary; Mr.. Bruen willingly
accepted the society's intermediation in
finding purchasers for the first mort
gage bonds on his Boulevard lots, and
took most kindly to Jack, who conducted
the negotiations; while Jack, making
his first call at the Bruen mansion on
business, was soon welcomed as afriend
and made happy in the light of Miss
Millicent's smiles. 1t only remained for
him now to take the final step, which as
I have said, he had quite made up his
mind to do. "She'll never know me
any BETTER" he reasoned, sand I'd
rather have it settled, even against me,
than be in this wretchedly uncertain
state all the time" So one winter even
ing-it was the evening of the day that
the society had paid its first semi-annual
dividend, of which large sum had come
to Mr.. Bruen-Jack set out to meet his
fate.
Minicent he found in the library alone.
She welcomed him with her accustomed
frank cordiality and invited him to
draw up chair before the glowing fire.
If the girl had studied her position with
q view to the effect it could not have
been more artistic. A single argand
burner behind her high-back chair lit
up the room but left her face in the
shadow. On this played the changeful
freight, bringing out its warm hues
in still warmer colors, its delicate tints
still more delicately, and the pretty, not
too regular features, in all their charm
ing irTegularity. Though the spectacle
filled Jack with passionate longing to
call this lovely vision his own, he was
still clear headed enough to remark that
It was cold night. A few desultory
and original observations of this sort
brought out from Millicent the inquiry:
eDont you remember, Mr.. Wendover,
that first night you came hereP"
Jack thought if he lived to be as old
as Methusaleh he should never forget
it. He nodded gravely. ssYou had on
those earrings, Miss Bruen, and the
least bit of lace at your throat, with
that pretty Limoges pin-shall I go
onp.'
Millicent blushed little and looked
ut him with some surprise.
ssBut you came on business.
81 made it part of my business to look
at you"
Mr.. Wendover."
.sWhere 1 am interested, Miss
Bruen.'
She blushed again, and sought to turn
the subject.
.sBut 1 hope the other part of your
business didn't suffer-"
stI think it rather prospered."
She looked q little puzzled, but went
"You mean, Mr.. .Wendover, your af-
fairs are doing wellP don't want to
seem inquisitive, but papa never tells
me ANYTHING, and I'm so dreadfully
afraid of being poor!" emphasizing
each word with a little shake of the
head.
Jack smiled ;ndulgently, but an
swered her explanation rather than her
"What do you call poor, Miss
Bruenp''
She hesitated moment.
"Well, Mr.. Wendover, of course |
there are degrees of poverty. Mrs. Fin
neoan, my washerwoman, is one of the |
poor. She's widow with |
ak children, and lives over in Eighth
street near Avenue C-seven of them in
one room, and a garnet at that.
should. die if L had to live that way.
What mean, though, by being poor, is
not to be able to get what want"
Jack smiled again. He took no credit
10 himself, and yet, had it not been for
him MiIiicent might have been before
now in that very plight.
..Do you always get what you want,
Miss Bruenp" he asked.
stMost always she said, lightly;
sdon't you, Mr.. WendoverP'
He looked her gravely in the face.
81 don't know" he said, slowly. GIVE |