The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-03-06

My Arabella has actually lost her senses,
and gone head over heels in love with
young Pillkins-know him?"
Intimately"
Poorer than church mouse, prouder
than Lucifer, and a demned Democrat
in politics! By the Lord Harry! Ara
bella needn't think for a minute that
she can foist young Pillkins on her old
dad as his s~on-in-law. No, Stree. |
hate his poverty. Ihate his pride. l
hate his demnition politics. l hate his
very name-Pnlkins-pah!"
Pillkins was a lawyer, and nee upon
a time had been n rival of my own. He
was proud; he was poor and, moreover,
he was my sworn enemy. If [ could
spoil his prospects of marriage with the
majors heiress, / determined to do so.
Here was my revenge, and revenge is
sweet. That is, those whe have had
an opportunity to know say it is, and l
believe them.
"Pillkins knows what l think of his
trying to marry my daughter. I've told
him. Not only have / told him in plain
words that he is fortune-huuter, but
I enforced it by kicking him off the
front piazza no longer ago than this
morning" went ON the major.
"And what did he say to that?"
Say, roared Philpot, prancing ang-
riIy about the room. GOOD Lord! He
Just got up, bowed politely, lifted his
hat, if you'll believe me! the inpudent
dog and, says he, Since you adopt
heroic treatment, my deah major
1 feel obliged to follow your ex-
ample and prosecute this courtship
in a heroic mannah. I'll have your
daughter, or III die trying to win her.
Rememter that. But he's mistaken no
Pillkins will ever wed Philpot-perish
the thought. l overheard them pan
ming an ~elopenent, and l intercepted a
note from him not two hours ago, in
which he gave her the details, and set
the time, even to the hour. It is to
take place tonight. We give a grand
party, you know, and she is to slip away
after supper, when the carriages are
drawn up in line before the pavement
and the guests are taking their depar-
ture. She is to put on a long dark
wrap, and carry a tuberose In her hand,
by which he is to recognize her. There
is to be a carriage handy. She is to n
ter it, and the driver is to go to the
devil. But, unknown to Mr.. Pillkins,
Arabella's old dad is to put in his ap-
pearance just at this opportune time
and stop the performance, and Arabel-
la herself is to be yanked upstairs and
sent to bed"
"And what am / to do?"
"You areto come to the ball as a guest.
/ will introduce you to my daughter,
and you must shadow her during the
whole evening. She must not be al
lowed to eyade Us. I would go home
o and lock her up and have an end
to it all but for the party. 1t would
never do for her to be absent when our
guests arrive. I've spent a small for
tune on this party, and / want it to be
a success, and l am determined not to
give up the entertainment, nor to allow
Pillkins to run away with Arabella."
I'll be there early" said /, eagerly.
do. I'll give you a hundred dollars
to help me outwit the rascally Pillkins.
He's entirely too smart in his own esti-
nation. And if he thinks he will ever
feather his nest-fguratively speaking,
of course-with Arabelia's 500, 900, why,
then, he'll do it through old Philpot's
mIstake-that's ALL"
"You can depend upon me, and /
never expect to earn q hundred dollars
more easily than / will tonight, my
dear major. Let me see: tuberoses-
dark wraps-waiting carriages at about
3 o'clock in the morning. / give You
my word Mai. Philpot, that if Pillkins
gets at Arabella tonight You may use
my head for a football"
Good. I'll expect you early" and
with that he tore himself away.
y
hired an elaborate evening suit and
took my way to the Philpot mansion.
The major lived in elegant style in a
big stone-house on Schuyler avenue.
He had given me a card, which I sent
up by q servant. Instantly the major
came into the study where the servant
had conducted me TO wait a moment.
"Gadl" says he, ayou look like a
dandy
II am a dandy says I, for tonight,
any way, How goes it,,
Lovely. Arabella suspects nothing.
She is rather more affectionate than
common, but, in view of her intended
fight, perhaps not more SO than is nat
ural.D
& heavy velvet curtain that concealed
q doorway trembled slightly and caught
my attention for q moment. What if
somebody should overhear MS but no
that was impossible. / stepped toward
the curtain, but at that moment the
beautiful Arabella herself appeared in
the farther recess.
my daughter, this is MI. Sidesing-
err, Of Columbus. Miss Philpot, Mr..
S~idesinger," says the major, introduc-
ing us.