The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-12-13

great deal. but al he really said was that the
thing ought to be simple enough; the girl was
good looking, % all allowed; and he gave her
At last it became evident that the actual
marking of the quarry was beyond tue Full
Jordan imagination, and there was q general
call upon an old Lady Wall-a woman who IN
her day had looked husbanda for three piaiDish
Miss Walls with much cleverness-to take up
the word.
s'Well, she said, II can'tsee tho difficulty. |,
SO much superiority provoked murmar Of
surprised approval There was silence. Then
Mr.. Fulford said:
mo, really; can't your"
SHAVE you ever hoard" pursued her lady
ship, "of Hoist with his own petardY y"
No; the Fulfords only know Shakespeare
from going occasionally to the Lyceum theater,
and IS they seldom listsn-talking . good deal,
and looking more At the people than the stage
their knowledge Of our greatest bard is of the
most limited kind
''Well, then, Caught in his own trap?'"
asked Lady Wall, bridging down her language
to the meanest capacity with ill-disguised con-
tempt:
fords, quite proudly:
councillor. 'Whst do you say to my plan?"
No. not Fulford understood her. She very
nearly swOre
"De.r, dear" she burst forth, ':you are all
very stupid"
They took this for good joke, and laughed
quite pleasantly.
'eDon't you see that the very man-stag, as
you call him-who is waiting to be stalked, is
no other than this same noble viscount, Lord
Bangs HIMSELF" climaxed her ladyship:
So bold an idea was such bombshell to the
Fulford brain that it very nearly burst it
Thnro ,ovv 1;kf1o TINA IN ho 1oSt for -
was already the end OF June. The fuss, the
hurry, the want Of all delicacy and disguise,
which would have proved fatal in so many
cases, were just what favored the Fulfords in
the pursuit OF mani beg his pardon, q
lord--who was knocking under simply. as he
friend Howard, to escape for life from the
clatter, the row, the untiring and transparent
stratagems Of q venery whore the hunters
know neither pause nor discouragement ig-
more alike both fatigue, as concerns them
selves, or pity foE the poor creatures they
pursue.
Within three weeks the marriage was ar
ranged. One spectator of this strange yet COM
mon chase-our friend, Allan Cameron-loOked
on in the innocence OF his soul, at first with
inoredulitv. then with amazement, at last with
alarm. He had not been enough in the first
society to have lost his sense of right and
wrong.
When he finally realized the position. he re-
solved, as any brave young fellow would. not
to see his life wrecked, and. what to him came
far before that, not to suffer tamely that the
girl he loved should be sold like Greek slave
to the highest bidder, without making one bold
effort to set matters right-to keep what he
had won. He sought and obtained, without
opposition from any quarter, an interview with
Millicent alone.
under his breath, with deperate effort to stick
to the resolution he had made that he would
be quiet and gentle throughout They were
quite far from one another, parted by almost
the entire breadth of the room.
'.I'm very sorry. very sorry indeed, Allan,
but it can't be helped" she began.
Sorry! you say you are sorry-you still call
me by the old name, and yetyou say it can't be
helped"
ooh, am sorry you insisted on seeing me,
it can do no good" said she.
"But am in the dark, do you hear? You
Il do. There. I tell you 20 honestly"
'Then why, by all that's sacred, are you
marrying another MANI"
':Lsten to me-" and she told him, as we'll as
she could, how she must get out of the way Of
her two sisters-she was not preferring rich
match without love to poor Que with it; but
that her marriage with Lord Bangs was by
sacrificing her own feelings to duty, at least
possible, whereas union with Allan was i'm
possible-at all events for very many years.
sob, don't mistake me-" she continued. IF
had only my own happiness to consult"
IF You told me your feelings for me had
changed"
''They never can"
s:And does Lord Bangs know thisl"
Il told him was very fond Of you, and
could not pretend was in love with him."
s:And what did he say?"
she laughed, and said every nymph had her
shepherd, of course, that real love only came
to women after marriage, and that he was
neither jealous nor sentimental; and oh, Allan,
what Go you think he ended WITH"
sHeaven knows!"
"Why, he said might be quite easy for that,
though he wished to marry me, he wasn't ro-
mantically in love himself"
ssrhe mans BRUTE" burst forth the young
Scotchman. 1T is because you have hear,
and have given it forever to me, that i! will
move heaven and earth to save your happiness,
and my own too. for that purpose Oh, re-
peat, il you had changed. il you cared for this
rich lord, nv pride would bid me depart in
silence I know not what would become of me,
but I would trouble you no more. But,
you are true-and oh, whatever befall, I bless
you for those words again and again. Know
ing, I say, that you are true, let me beseech-
implore-nav, have I not right to order you
to pause at tho brink Of the precpice and draw
back while there is yet timer"
"But, Allan, my parents have arranged
settled everything. am powerless in their
hands. They leave me no choice; they prove
to me that 1t must be. Do not urge mo to Gin
full rebellion"
'And is it no Elm, pray. to love one man and
we'd another? To perjure yourself at the altar
of God?"
''That's just what said to papa, and he told
me that all these things are Conventional: that
every one knows the marriage service is put
into our mouths, and that We have no choice
as to the exact expressions. He said If the
contracting parties mean to be faithful and
kind to each other, nothing more is required OF
them. either spiritually or socially. On, We
had quite long talk about it, assure YOU"
During this speech Cameron had gradually
drawn quite close to her, and was now looking
hard into her eyes to see If she was dealing
with him frankly.
Yes, there could be no doubt, the girl, it
blinded by sophistries, was yet without guile.
During all this co'loquy ne had never called
her by name, though she addressed him as
Allan as simply as it their relations had never
changed.
Perhaps he waited to see if she deserved it.
or did he keep the power that is inherent in
such terms to try last appeal
He made it now. Taking her unresisting
hand in both his own, he said:
did not know you 80 we'll should think
you were acting part Milly!-my own
Milly! it were better Il better far in the
sight Of heaven, believe me-that you should
fly with me this night than fulfil this cursed
engagement. do not say shall urge that
I will think. deliberate. pray. Only tell me,
Milly, that you will never wed Lord BaA2s."
sob. cannot. You should not urge me,
indeed you should not have promised papa
and mamma"
And she began to try ana twist her manu-
away from him, and her whole aspect became
one OF perplexity and alarm.
For moment the young man thought he
should lose his senses.
What was to be done with such girl? She
owned she had for him what she called love,
yet was that love which would not submit to
either guidance or coercion?
The solution lay in word, but it was quite
beyond Allan Cameron.
She was Fulford!
How long the painful conference might have
lasted am unable to say, but at this point
steps and voices we're heard approaching, aud
in another moment Mr.. Fulford and Lady Wall
entered the room.
"Ah, Cameron, how are you? Won't you
stay and lunch? This is queer news Of the
house of lords"
Such was tho perfectly easy greeting Of
Milly's father to the man whose wreck he had
succeeded in accomplishing.
Lady Wallis was very different
Kissing MiIlicent with eflusion, she bestowed
IN inclination Of tho head upon her lover much
ruder that any cut direct.
The fact Is, her ladvship had made war for
80 many years Of her life upon "detrimentals, y
that che continued after all her daughters had
married to hate them from habit
Poor Allan had but one distinct feeling at
the moment A longing to escape from them
all, and to be alone Muttering few words Of
excuse and farewell, he rushed into the street,