Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-04-22
SeleGt Stprp.
MISSING.

Old Mr.. Boone Scarlett sat in his
big arm chair, all wrinkled into gen.
eral knot with age, gout and chronic
i'll temper, while Kenneth Scarlett his
nephew, leaned against the variegatsd
marble pillow of the great circular
entrance hall at Scarlet Court, and
smiled down at the old man in q
dreamy sort of way.
"Why should she not, Uncle ?" said
he.
The old man looked up with a sar-
donic grin which displayed all his
yellow tusks.
"Do you call yourself modern
Adonis p said he.
"Not exactly" laughed young Scar
lett, "but I am not so noticeably ugly
that Miss Dana need shrink from me
as if l were 'Marsyas.'
"Pshaw r. growled old Mr.. Scar
lett las if all the world didn't know
that Marian Dana was head-over. ears
in love with Harry st. John-and
that she would never have looked at
you if her father had not bullied her
into it,"
Gall the world is not always cor
rect reporter" carelessly returned
Kenneth. And then one Of the gar
deners came in with a specimen Of
early Frontignac grapes which were
ripening in tie forcing houses, and
the conversation dropped. Kenneth
remembered it, however, not without
a tribe of unpleasantness.
"Uncls Boone does not mean any
thing" he argued with himself. "Ma-
rian is true as steel"
Uncle Boone Scarlet was one Of
those disagreeable personages who
seem to be sent into the world with
no other mission than to make them.
selves generally obnoxious to their
friends. life in general had been
failure with him-and at seventy he
had settled down to live upon his
wealthy nephew, whose good temper
and generosity he rewarded by an
amiable system of finding fault with
everything.
And when the young mans we'd
ding day came, and Marian Dana
looked SO lovely in the glistening
white satin, antique pearls and heav-
lily scented orange blossoms, Uncle
Boone Scarlett's words flashed across
the mind like the skeleton at the
feast.
He was standing under the blossom
ing magnolias, waiting for Marian to
come out in her travelling dress. The
guests were still drinking healths in
iced-champagae and foaming wines,
his "bsst man" had gone to give a
forgotten message at the telegraph
ofice-and standing there in the
lovely sunset, the soft tones of voices
from the open lstticed apartments
above hoated down to his ear.
marian, Marian II sobbed Eugene,
her bridesmaid. "are you sure you
will bo happy?"
Happy echoed Marian's clear,
sweet voice. "Why should I not be
happyf"
"Can you deny" solemnly ques-
toned Miss Vale, "that you married
this man because he is rich ? Can you
deny that you loved Harry st. John,
the poor disinherited lad whose friends
have deserted him one by oneS An
swer me, yes or no ?"
II cannot deny that I accepted Mr..
Scarlet because my father bade me. "
confessed Marian, after moments
hesitation. II cannot deny that !
loved Mr.. st. John-but"-
Kenneth Scarlet, standing under the
tasseled honeysuokls vines, had grown
as white as marble-nearly as chill al
heart. He fingered to hear no more
but plunged passionately into the
deep green recesses of the shruberiss
Ainging passionately away as he did
: so, the knot of orange blossoms which
was on his coat.
! II am not the man to accept an un
willing bride," said he to himself be-
! tween his teeth. "Sweet Marian
take back your freedom"
r And 80, for miles around the coun
: try, rang the story of the misaine
bridegroom. High and low, neal
and far, they searched for him-bu
!. the years went by and no word wa
ever heard from Kenneth Scarlet
And the most probable conjecture
was that he was drowned in the bot
oal &c 4ba hi aok river whicl