The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1883-12-07
Mr.. Flintshire's Marriage.
BY HENRY LABouCHERE.

Mr.. Fliatshire retired from the Indian
Civil Service at the age of fifty, re-
turned TO England with the fixed men
ton of marrying for money. Being a
bachelor his pension was more than suf-
fcient for his wants, and his savings
amounted to a considerable fortune. But
he was a very careful man, to say at
least, and he had always cherished the
idea of marrying a rich wife who would
keep him. Hitherto he had been I'M
successful, because he had to a limited
extent, allowed sentiment TO interfere
with his choice. But now that his in
come had diminished in consequence of
his retirement, he resolved to be guided
entirely by e~xpediency, and to permit
neither age or any other disqualification
to balk his design.
Ii is hardly surprising that with such
broad views as this he'had comparatively
little difficulty in discovering his oppor-
tunity. He was chatting one day with
his doctor in rather respondent mood,
in consequence of the unsatisfactory
state if his liver, when the medical gen.
tleman, to cheer him, remarked.
"My dear sir, you need not feel UNI
easy. You will be we'll in a menth, and
you will live to be as brisk and lively at
eigbty.fou as old Mrs. Mumblewood."
who is Mrs. M~umblewood?" inquired
Mr.. Flintshire. .e
"a patient Of mine-a wonder full lady.
as / tell you she is eig.Ity-four, and yet
onpono fn oan ~ in IN nponihrru 70 ooya
a cab fare" said the doctor, laughing.
you will hardly believe it when 1 tell
you she is enormously wealthy
"Is she a widow" inquired Mr.. Flint.
shire, pr,cking up his ears.
Eyes. Her husband was old Mum
blewood, the contractor, who died
worth, as they say, a quarter of a mil
lion. The old fellow came from moth
ing, but the widow is a shrewd, clever
Old lady, IS brisk as you or l."
"She can't last mnch longer, / sup
poser" remarked Mr., Flintshire, abb
sently.
"WelI that is a professional secret"
said the doctor laughing again. "Howev-
er, it is safe to predict that she has lived
the best part of her life"
"Ishould like to see her." said Mr..
Flintshire, in quite q hearty tone for him.
The sight of her will do q more good
than q course of medicine"
at will be cheaper, at any rate" said
the doctor, with unconscious irony.
LET me see-I should like to have a
look ut you next week. Now, Tuesday
morning at twelve o'clock is old Mrs.
M~umplewood's hour, and you might ar
range your visit accordingly"
Probable the doctor had 40 other de-
sign in his mind than the wish to secure
another fee, and in this he succeedeI.,
for Mr.. FlintshiTe at once undertook to
call on the day and at the hour men
toned.
1t seems Incredible that any man
should seriously think of paying court
to an old lady of eighty-four. Yet MI.
Flintshire was quite prepared to do SO
if it turned out that Mrs. Mumblewood
was anything like as rich as was sup
posed, and he made the appointment
with the most deliberate attentions
He had no difficulty in learning all
about tile old lady, who resided in
Sloane street and was we'll known In the
neighborhood. The result of his inQui-
ries was highly satisfactory, for though
the deceased contractor had not left
anything like q quarter Of a million, the
widow had inherited a large fortune.
which must have considera-
bly, increased in consequence of
her penurious habits. She lived in q
small house, attended by two old serv
ants who had been, respectively, cook
and butler to her late husband. She
could hardly DO spending e500 year,
to Judge from the stories that we're told
about her, and the natural inference
was that her savings must alone amount
to q fortune.
Under these circumstances Mr.. Flint
shire did not fail to keep his appoint
ment. He considered the widow an ex-
cellent chance, and though her misery
Dropensities rather interfered with his
original design of being supported free
OF expense, this drawback was counter
balanced by the probability other speedy
demise. He therefore quite made up his
mind to marry her, nor did his purpose
waver when he found Mrs. Mumble-
wood an illiterate old lady, with q skin
parchment, 8 face that might have been
carved from q block OF wood, and a
tongue that was constantly saying bitter
things.
The meeting at the doctors house,
which vas their first introduction. soon
ripened into intimacy. Singular " 1t
may appear inan old lady ofeighty-four,
Mrs. Mumblewood was evidently Hat
tered by his attentions, and though she
soon intimltated to him that she suspec'
ted he bad designs on her fortune, she