Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-12-04

London was no longer bearable to him;
and as there was no other place but
Croker Hall to which he could take
himself with any prospect of meeting
friends who would know anything OF
his ways of life, he did go down on the
following day. One consequence of
this was that Mary had received from
her lover the letter which he had writ
ten almost as soon as he had received
Mr.. Whittlestaff s permission to write.
The letter was as follows:
DEAR MARY-I do not know whether you
are surprised by what MIR. WhittiestaR has
done: but am--so much SO that I hardly
viii think of il, have never written to you,
and have never been in position in which
writing seemed to be possible. Nor do l
know as yet whether you are aware OF rbe
business which has brought Mr.. Whittlestan
II suppose am to take it for granted that
AL he tells me is true; though when think
what 1t is that have to accepe-aud that on
the word of man VINO Is not your father.
and who is perfect stranger to melt does
seem as though were assuming great deal.
And yet il is no more than asked him 10 do
for me when saw him at his own house.
IL had no time then to ask for your permits
sion: nor, had asked for it. would you have
granted 1t to me. You had pledged yourself.
and would not have broken your pledge. III
| asked for your hand at ALL it was from him
that / had to ask. How will it be with me
If you shall refuse to come to me at his bid
ding?
II have never told you that I Lowell you.
nor have you expressed your willingness t !,
receive my love. Dear Mary, how shall it be?
No DOUBT | do count upon you in my very
heart as being my own. After this week of
troubles it seems as though l can look back
upon former time in which you and had
talked to another as though we had been low
ers. May not think that it was soy May
it not be so5 May not call you my Nary
would say, only that you are not a man, have
not right to assume that il is SO! told
he did not contradict me. And now be has
been the most indiscreet OF men, and has al
breast al H s has told me that YOU love me. and
has babe me do as seems good to me in speak
ing to you of my love.
''IuI, Mary why should there be any mock
modesty or pretense between us? When a
man and woman mean to become husband
and wife they shou d at any rate be earnest in
you, and of my earnest longing to make you
my wife. Tell mean not right in counting
upon you for wishing the r same tn thing
Whittlestaf! But he contrives to do SO in
such way that 1 can take it only as the ex-
to be standing in his way. HIS devotion to
you is the most beautiful expression of self
a nothng is done for bu, IS ony
that J may understand how much more is
done for you NEXT to me.yes Mary next t
y
human beings. am jealous already, almost
jealous of his goodness. Would that could
LOOK forward to life in which would be re-
garded as his friend.
LET me have q line from you to say that it
is as would wish it, and name a day in which
l may come to visit you. shall now remain
in London only to obey your behests. As for
my future lie. can settle nothing til can
discuss it with you, as it will be your lite also
God bless you. my own one.
' sJoHS GORDON.
fields. l have promised Mr.. whittlestafr that
it shall be so.''
Mary, when she received this letter,
retired into her own room to read it.
For, indeed. her life in public-her life,
that is. to which Mrs. Baggett has &C
cess-had been in some degree dis
turbed since the departure of the mas
ter of the house. Mrs. Baggett GER
tainly proved herself to be q most un-
reasonable old woman. She praised
Mary Lawrie up to the sky as being the
only woman fitted to be her master
wife, at the same time abusing Mary
for driving her out of the house were
the marriage to take place: and then
abusing her also because Mr.. Whittle-
staff had gone to town to look up an
other lover on Mary's behalf. lit isn't
my fault; / did not send him. said
Mary.
"You could make his going of no ac-
count. You needn't have the young
man when he comes back. He has
come here, disturbing us all with his
diamonds, in a most Objectionable
manner"
"You would be able to remain here,
and not have to go away with that
dreadfully drunken old man." This
Mary had said because there had been
rather j violent scene with the one
legged hero in the stable.
.'What's that to do with it? Baggett
amt the worst man in the world by any
means. III he was little cross last
night, he amt SO always. You'd be
cross yourself, miss, if you didn't get
straw enough under you to take off the
hardness of the stones"
'.But you would go and live with
him."
''Ain't he my husband Why
shouldn't woman live with her hus-
band? And what does it matter where
I live, or how. You amt going to
marry John Gordon, / know, to save
me from Timothy Baggett!'' Then the
letter had come-the letter from Mary's
room to read it. The letter she thought
was perfect, but not so perfect as was
Mr.. Whittlcstaff. When she had read
the letter, although she had pressed it
to her bosom and kissed it a score of
it was the letter of one who was from
head to foot a man, still there was
room for that jealousy of which John
Gordon had spoken. When Mary had
said to herself that he was of all human
beings surely the best, it was to Mr..
Whittlestaff and not to John Gordon
that she made allusion.
CHAPTER XIII.
AGAIN AT CRoKER's HALL.
About three o'clock on that day Mr..
Whittlestaff came home. The pony
carriage had gone to meet him, but
Mary remained purposely out of the
way. She could not rush out to greet
him, rs she would have done had his
absence been occasioned by any other
cause. But he had no sooner taken his
place in the library than he sent for
her. He had been thinking about it all
the way down from London. and had in
some sort prepared his words. During
the next half-hour he did promise him.
self some pleasure; after that his life
was to be altogether blank to him.
He would go. To that only he had
made up his mind. He would tell
Mary that she should be happy. He
would make Mrs. Baggett understand
that for the sake of his property she
must remain at Cookers Hall for some
period to which he would decline to
name an end. And then he would 60.