The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-07-11
CHAPTER u.-CoNrrSuEp.

how sad and dreary he was in bis Desc
late life. He had told himself that it
must be SO for all time to him, when
Catherine Bailey had declared her pur-
pose of marrying the successful young
lawyer. He had made up his mind
that his doom was fixed, and had not
regarded solitude as any deep aggrava-
ton of his sorrow. But he had come
by degrees to find that man should
not give up his life because of tickle
girl, and especially when he found her
to be the mother of ten faxen-haired
infants.
But Mary Lawrie was very different
from Catherine Bailey. The Catherine
he had known had been bright, and
plump. and joyous: with quick, good
natured wit and ripping laughter,
which had robbed him of his heart.
There was no plumpness and no silver
sounding laughter with Mary. She was
somewhat staid in her demeanor, and
not given to putting herself forward in
conversation. But every hour that he
passed in her company he became more
and more sure that if any wife could
now make him happy, this was the
woman who could do so.
Of her manner to himself he doubted
r.uch. She was gratitude itself for
what he was prepared to do for her.
But with her gratitude was mingled re-
spect and almost veneration. She treat
ed MIN at first with none of the famil-
iarity of friend, and hardly with the
reserve OF grown-up child Gradual
" she did drop her reserve, and allowed
81 l. lint - :
always as young person might with
adj modesty converse with her superior.
He struggled hard 10 overcome her ret
icence. and did at last succeed. But still
there was that respect, verging almost
into veneration. which seemed 10 crush
him when be thought that he might be-
gin to nlay the lover.
He had got a pony carriage which
lie insisted that she should drive her.
self. "Bst never have driven" she
had said, taking her place, and doubt
fully assuming the reins, while he sat
beside her. She had at this time been
six months at Cookers Hall.
There must be a beginning TO every
thing, and You shall begin to drive
nov" Then he took great trouble
with her. teaching her how to hold the
reins. and how to use the whip, till at
last something of familiarity was en-
grIiered. And he went out with her.
day after day, showing her all those
pretty haunts which are to be found in
the neighborhoOd of AlreSford.
This did well for time, and Mr..
Whittlestaff thought he was progress
ing. But he had not vet quite made up
his mind that the attempt should be
made at all. If he can be imagined to
have talked to a friend as he talked tS
himself, that friend would have averred
that he spoke more frequently against
marriage-or rather against the 70 nc
lady's marriage-than in favor of it.
There were moments in which he reused
himself to better Lopes when he had
drank his glass of whisky and water,
and was somewhat elate with the con.
sequences. I'm do it" he would Their
have said to his friend; "only | can not
exactly say when" And so it went on,
till at last he became afraid to speak
out and tell her what he wanted
Mr.. Whittlestaff was tall, thin man
not quite six feet. with face which ;
jadge of male beauty would hardly
was impressive and interesting. The
inner traits of his character were diff
ficult to read Even Mrs Baggett haC
hardly read them all correctly. He wa:
.shame-faced TO such degree that Mrs
Baggett could not understand it.
Through his short dark-brown hail
the gray locks were beginning to show
themSelveS-signs of age, but sign:
which were very becoming to him. &
fifty he was much betteI looking maj
than he had been at til .rty--so that tina
foolish, tickle girl. Catherine Bailey
would not have rejected him for tbs
cruelty Sensuous face of Mr.. Compass
h:;d the handsome iTon-gray tinge beer
then given 10 his countenance. He, 4
he looked in the glass, told himself tina
4 gray haired old fool, such as he was
had no right to burden the life OF :
Young girl, simply because he founC
her in bread and meat. That he should
think himself good-looking was to hi:
nature impossible. His eyes were rath
er small. but very bright: the eyebrow:
black and almost bushy: his nose wa!
welcomed and somewhat long, but no
so as to give that peculiar idea Of
length to his face which comes from
great nasal prolongation. His uppe
lip was short, and his mouth large anC
manly. He wore hardly any beard
unless. indeed, a whisker can be calico
a beard. which came down. CLOSELY
shorn. about half an inch below his ear
"A very common sort OF an individual.
he said of himself. as he looked in t..
glass when Mary Lawrie had beer
twelve months in the house; '.but theI
81 ,,aan ought to be common A maj
who Is uncommon is either dandy Of
"A buffoon.'
His clothes were all made after one
pattern and of one color. He had hi!
morning clothes and his evening clothes
Prose for the morning were very nearl
black whereas for the evening the,
were entirely so. He walked in sof
hat such as clerTymen now affect AM
on Sundays he went to church with t6'
old respectable chimney-pot. On sun
DAYS, too, he carried an umbreH Ia
whereas on wee&-davs he always had :
large stick; and il was observed tina
neither the umbrella nor the stick wa
adapted TO the state of the weather.
Such was Mr.. Whittlesia AT of Croker
Hall. small residence which stool
about a mile from AlreSford. He ha,
come into the neighborhood. having
bought a small freehold property with
out the knowledge of any of the Inhab
itants. 1t was just as though he haC
come out OF the sum-" said the oil,
baker. And he had brought Mrs. Bag
gett with him, who had confded to tn.
baker that she had felt herself tina