Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-01-19

"But, Mrs. May" pleaded Harry, Chow
could you suppose that such thing could bt
avoided How could hlep it ?''
II don't know how you could help it," said
Mrs. May, laughing, though withhalf sob, al
the naivete of the question. II only say that
didn't dream of it. Why, you are nothing but
children, you two 1t seems but yesterday
that I used to see you making sand-forts Oh
the beach together"
II am nearly twenty ty-one," said Harry with
unconscious dignity, land Sophy is nineteen .
$50 you are-and was married at seven
teen. But in her case it seems very different
1 can't help thinking of her as child"
but you can't always think of her as such,
you know" Harry's hand lowered itself from
the sofa-back, and rested persuasively on hel
shoulder. "Dear Mrs. May, don't be hard on
me. You have always seemed like my own
mother. Won't you become so in earnest -
Mrs. May was one of those tender-hearted
women who find it difficult to resist an appeal,
especially when it is made by person of whom
the one appealed to is very fond. She did love
Harry dearly, and it would have been hard now
for her to resist his pleading look and tone.
So she squeezed his hand, said something in
an indistinct tone about being mother to
him always and then burst into tears.
Harry, as he was in duty bound, used every
argument at his command to soothe her, and
prove to her that the arrangement he was so
anxious to effect would be as desirable one
for her as for himself and finally she ceased
weeping, smiled en- him again, and had just
begun to discuss, with something like tranquil
lity, the question of such weight to them both,
when the door opened and DR.. May walked in.
Now Harry stood little in awe of DR.. May.
Not that he feared him, exactly, for he had
never met with anything but kindness at his
hands, and he knew him to be most indul-
gent father. But there was keen, dry hui
NOR, often running in sarcastic vein, that
made the old gentleman's speeches little an
noying sometimes, if the listener happened to
be in sensitive mood. And Harry did not
feel disposed to encounter anything of the sort,
at present. He turned very red when the
Doctor came into the room, and moved away
from Mrs May, in close proximity to whom
he had been sitting, almost as if he had been
caught at something wrong. The Doctor no.
ticed the movement, and noticed, too, that
his wife had been crying. He asked no ques-
tions, but cast inquisitive glances at them both.
Kind Mrs. May probably guessed her young
friends embarrassment, and wanted to help
him out of it for without waiting for him to
enter into fresh explanations, as soon as the
usual greetings had been exchanged between
her husband and herself, she commenced
''Doctor, Harry and have been having a
very important conversation. He has come to
ask our permission to become our son."
'sThe mischief he has, twas the Doctors
cool rejoinder. 81 thought you were up to
something, youtwo."
"And hope, Doctor, you will be as kind to
me as Mrs. May has been," Harry mustered
courage to say.
''The question is, what will he true kindness
in such a case" said the Doctor
's9hat is easy enough to know, sir, replied
Harry.
'sDo you mean to say" pursued DR.. May,
that you two children have entered into any
sort of an agreement with one another %
81 have spoken to Sophy, sir, and she re-
ferred me to you."
"This is question, my young friend, which
cannot be hastily decided" said the Doctor.
81 don't want to discuss it just at present.
Mrs. May, suppose, has received your conf
dence-''
eyes SIR" interrupted Harry, "and as I
said before, she has been very good to me.''
"She is always good," was the Doctors re-
joinder. "But her heart sometimes runs away
with her head She and will talk this mat
ter over, and I'll give you an answer some
time this evening or Tomorrow"