Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-06-21

y
spirit which the next moment flashed
from them.
"That is my fathers will?"
Yes" Miss Edgerly.
"Do you know the-the man I am
to marry?"
"Yes. Miss EdgerIy.
"Then will you be so kind as to tell
him that will never marry him?
will marry whom 1 please, and-and
live on bread and water |"
az can spare myself that mission, I
think, Miss Edgerly. But I may as
well tell you, first as last; 1 am the
man designated in your fathers will
for you to marry"
Your A moment the blue eyes
widened in amazement, and. then such
a look of scorn crept into them that.
hard man as he was. he inyoluntarily
turned his own away. "And you can
sit there and tell me that ?" she went
on, briskly. "You have no more
shame, no more self-respect than to
come here in this cowardly way-you,
a man, to girl like mel Mr.. Great
orex-"
His face flushed at her words, but,
for the moment, he was so surprised
at himself that he could not interrupt
her. For he sat writhing, not under
her insinuations, but the scorn in her
pretty eyes. Once more a woman
could thus move Philip Greatorex
Listen !" his voice broke in with
sudden fierceness. "I came here to-
night to tell you that do not want to
marry you. wouldn't marry you if
you should fall down on your knees
and beg me. have had nothing to do
with this strange business; I had no
idea of it until l saw the will. 1 never
saw your father but three times in my
life. have always heard he was an
eccentric man, but what his object was
in this strange action I certainly can
not imagine. He calls me steady
man in the paper, but-all this is inn
material /; the will is no fault of mine.
L came here tonight to tell you this, to
clear myself at the outset"
He paused suddenly, for he saw she
did not believe him yea, the scorn was
even deepening in her eyes. 1t was
strange, but somehow he could not
endure it; he looked over at her with
conscious, beseeching look.
"Don't look at me that way-don'tw
he continued, brokenly. "You
wouldn't if you knew what I have
borne from woman. 1t was none of
my work-I swear it. Only speak one
little word that you believe mel p
But she did not, she would not, and
all he could do was to turn away from
her and go out again in the darkness.
He was in strange mood that
night, truly. 1t would pass away be-
fore the morrow, he thought, as he
walked back through the woods to-
ward the railway station. But, to his
surprise, the morrow held it even firm
er yet; he writhed even as greatly
under the scorn of her pretty eyes. 1t
was strange, but he could rot yet en-
dure it. 1t was natural, he could not
blame her for disbe.ieving him; but if
he could only make her see his truth,
only have her to look at him once more
in her first winning fashion,
He was not quite in love with Ma
ron Edgerly yet, but it haunted him
that day and the next, what bright,
winsome child she was what pre-
cious little wife she would make some
man she loved. How blthely she
would come to meet him in the even
ing; twine her soft arms about his
]
neck
1t came to him suddenly with rap
turous might, as he sat thinking that
June afternoon. Why should he not
have such little wife? What a waste
he had made all these years, all be
cause one woman had scorned him :?
What changed life his would be,
/ if
If she would marry him Stranger
I things had happened, and-loye is bold,
An hour later Philip Greatorex was
again walking the path leading out
from Edgerly woods.
Meanwhile a strange thing had hap
pened down by the sea. The morrow
after that weird night Arthur Pen
raven had found this nameless line in
his mail:
!" The paper you are seeking is hid
under the hearth in Monnie's hut"
1t was his the day Philip Greatorex
came walking up to the Manor house
trembling amid hope and fear. He
paused at the sound of voices coming
from little arbor around the curve.
at is great mystery, Walter, dear.
But you must take the paper at once
to Mr.. Benham."
g Yes, darling. Though I do hate
to part with the little sheet which has
made us both so happy"
"Oh, but would have married you
just the same, you know"
"But never could have been happy
so, my dear. Ishould always have felt
r