The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-01-24

fortnight, ana mere you cohue W me
with a regular declaration. How a |
have had time to think about my an
swer to such a point-blank question:"
''If you like, Ruby" l answered,
eve can leave it open-for a little; but
it occurs to me you might as well say
yes at once; for if we leave it open,
common sense teaches me that you
probably mean to say yes in the long
rum. And to clench the matter out
right, I thought it best to stoop across
and kiss Ruby just once, by way of
earnest. Ruby took the kiss calmly and
sedately; so then I knew the matter was
practically settled.
"But there's one thing, Mr.. Payne, |
must really insist upon" Ruby said,
very quietly; 'sand that is that l
mustn't be called Mrs. Aikin-Payne. If
l marry you at all, 1 must marry you
as plain Mr.. Payne without any Akin. :
So that's clearly understood between
u.s."
Here was a terrible condition, in
deed 1 reasoned with Ruby, 1 explain
ed to Ruby,I told Ruby that if she posi-
lively insisted upon it, l must go back
to my three hundred a year, and my
paltry schoolmastership, and must give
up my uncle Atkins money. Ruby
would hear of no refusal.
'You have always the alternative of
marrying somebody else, you know,
Mr.. Payne" she said. with her most
provoking and ~bewitching smile, .but
if you really do want to marry me, you
know the conditions"
"But, Ruby, you would never care to
live upon a miserable pittance of three
hundred a year. 1 hate the name as
much as you do, but 1 think L should
try to bear it for the sake of twelve hun
bred a year and perfect comfort"
No, Ruby was memorable. 'fTake
me or leave me-" she said with provok-
ing calmness, ..but if youtake me, give
up your u%ncle's ridiculous suggestion.
Yon can have three days to make your
mind up. Till then. let us hear no
more about the subject" -
H5 w
During those three days I kept up a
brisk fire of kilograms with old Blenk-
insopp in Chancery Lane; and at the
end of them 1 came m%ournfully to the
conclusion thatI must either give up
Ruby or give up the twelve hundred a
year. If I had been a hero of nan
[ should have had no difficulty at all in
deciding the matter; I should have
nobly refused the money off-hand,
counting it as mere dross compared
with the loving heart of a beautiful
maiden. But unfortunately 1 I'm not a
hero of romance; ] am only an ordinary
graduate of an English University.
;. Under these circumstances, it did seem
to me very hard thatI must throw away
twelve hundred a yearfor a mere senti-
mental fancy. And yet on the other
hand, not only did l hate the name my
self, but I couldn't bear to impose it on
Ruby; and as to telling Ruby that l
wouldn't have her, because 1 preferred
the money, that was clearly quite
impossible. The more I looked the
thing in the face, the more certain it
appeared that 1 must ~relinquish my
dream of wealth and go back with
RUBY to my schoolmastering and my
paltry three hundred, After all, lots of
other fellows marry on that sum; and
to say the truth, / positively shrank my
self from going through life under the
ridiculous guise of an A~ikin-Payne.
The upshot of it all was that at the
, end of the three days, L took Ruby a lit
tie walk alone among the olive gardens
behind the shrubbery. ''Ruby," 1 said
to her falteringly, "you're the most fam
+, tdSlIC, oCll-h1llCup lihPCl1ouo LULU PCl-
son L ever met with, and I want to
| make just one more appeal to you.
Won't you reconsider your decision and
| take me in spite of the surnamep"
: Ruby grub1ed up a little weed with
the point of her parasol, and looked
away from me .st~eadfastiy as she an.
swered with her immovable. and annoy
: ing calmness: stNo, Mr.. Payne, Ireally
i, can't reconsider the matter in any way.
) 1t was you who took three days to make
your mind up. Have you made it up
} yet or not. prayP"
81 hare made it up, Ruby"
, "And you mean-p" she said, in
terrogatiyely, with a faint little tremo,
: in her voice which 1 had never before
. noticed, and which thrilled through me
, with the ecstacy of a first discovery.
'And 1 mean" 1 answered, ste
marry you, Ruby, if you will conde'
scend to take me, and let my Uncle
Atkins money go to Halifax. Can you
/ manage, Ruby, to be happy, as a poor
schoolmaster's wife in a very tiny cot.
t tage?"
9 To my Joy and surprise, Ruby sud.
denly seized both my hands in hers,
f kissed me twice of her own accord, and
began to cry as if nothing could STOP
: her. Then you do really and truly
, love me-" she said, through her tears,
holding fast to my hands all the time:
.'then you're really willing to make
: this great sacrifice for mel"
f ssRuby," 1 said, s'my darling, don't
excite yourself so. And, indeed, il
' isn't a very great sacrifice either, for
l hate the name so much hardly know
= whether L could ever have endured to
y bear it."
..You shant bear it." Ruby cried,
eagerly, now laughing and clapping her
i hands above me. "You shant bear it,
and yet you shall have your Uncle
e Atkins money all the same for ali
+ that"
.'Why what on earth do you mean,
+ Ruby?" / asked, in amazement.
.:Surely, my darling, you can't under.
stand how strict the terms of the will
actually are. I'm afraid you have been
V deluding yourself into a belief in some
impossible compromise. But>you must
make your mind up to one thing al
4 once, that unless l call myself Akin.
Payne, you'll have to live the rest Of
a your life as a poor schoolmaster's wife.
e The next-of-kin will be sharp enough in
coming down upon the money"
Ruby looked at me and laughed and
1 clapped her hands again. but what
would you say, Mr.. Payne" she said,
with a smile that dried up all her tears
5 'what would you say if you heard tina
the n~eXt-of-kin was-who doyou think!
d why me, sir, me, Ruby Estcourt?"
l could hardly believe my ears. ''You
e Ruby" l cried, in my establishment
: You! How do you know? Are yor
really sure of it?"
e Ruby put a lawyers letter r into {, my my
q city. 'Read that" she said. simply.
read it through and saw in a momenr
i that what Ruby said wasthe plain truth
of If