River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-10-22

/ the case both startled and embarrassed
/ him, and he felt inclined to put him
self out OF the way of temptation by in
/ venting plausible excuse for his inn
mediate return to London. He was
! not vain enough to imagine that after
/ so short an acquaintance he had sue
/ ceeded in producing favorable i'm
l preston, and had no fancy for being
I rejected a second time. Thus, inclin-
/ alton pointing one way and by no
means pleasant experience the other,
| he resembled a traveller between two
I crossroads. uncertain which to take,
and looking in vain for finger-post to
/ Indicate the right one.
| A solution of the difficulty, however,
was at hand, and coming from totally
unexpected quarter.
/ One evening, -Harcourt, and
1 Stansbury the other two guests, had
I retired early to rest after hard day 5
| deer-stalking---he and Fred were enjoy
ing final pipe together the latter with
apparent unconcern asked his friend
what his plans were on leaving Scot
land.
Nothing fixed" replied Egerton;
haven't thought of them yet.
"Ah, said Fred, its lucky that
some one has thought of them for you
Shall | tell you what you are going to
do? You are going to marry Annie. :"
Annie echoed Torrens, staring at
the speaker as if in doubt whether he
had heard Alright. Miss Thornton
Miss Thornton, if you prefer it, -"
coolly retortcd his companion. ''Do
you suppose | have no eyes,
II don understand. p" stammered out
Egerton.
Yes you do. Now, let us be logical
What do people generally come to the
moors for? Sport. How many times
have you been out with us since we
| came? Three or four at most. Ergo,
you have found metal more attractive
elsewhere. Is that clear or not?"
Il assure you | have never said a
word
That's your own fault, interrupted
Fred. LAS this doesn't happen to be
leap year, you couldn't expect her to
say it for you, could you? Joking
apart, he continued, in a more earnest
| tone, II have set my heart on having
my old chum for a brother-in-law, and
for two very good reasons: First,
because | have a strong suspicion that
you like Annie, and secondly, because
am certain Annie likes you.
did she tell you SOP eagerly in
CURED Egerton.
Never mind. Perhaps she will tell
YOU if YOU ask her, and, between our
selves, shouldn t be in the least sur
prised if YOU did so tomorrow.
Nor, T. said TOrrens. heartily; and
with a cordial shake of the hand the
friends separated for the night.
That the result of the projected IN
terview proved entirely satisfactory to
both parties concerned may be inferred
from our heroes departure at the end
of the week for his fathers seat in
Cheshire, by way of personally
announcing his intended marriage.
"A mere matter of FORM he said to
Fred. Beyond making me younger
son 5 allowance of five hundred year,
the governor troubles himself very
little about my concerns. Whether |
take to myself a wife or remain single,
il is perfectly Indifferent to him. If
were my brother Augustus and heir to
SOmerton, any such step on my part
would be an aff,aire d 'etat; but as it is,
if, like Lord Privilege in Peter Simple,
he holds out two fingers instead of one,
| shall consider myself highly
honored."
Things, however, turned out far
better than Egerton had anticipated.
On hearing that the tiancee was the
daughter of his old acquaintance,
Admiral Thornton, Mr.. Torrens senior
designed to express his approval of the
match, and moreover graciously signi-
fled his intention of increa,ing his son 5
allowance to a thousand year; which,
thought the latter, together with
Annie modest portion, wonld enable
them to set up housekeeping pretty
comfortably. He betook himself.
therefore, after a stay of several days,
to town in high spirits
The train from Scotland by which
his bride-elect and her brother were
travelling not being yet due, he strolled
into his club, where the first person he
met was the inevitable Tommy Gabble-
ton, who fastened on him like leech.
you have heard the news?" he
gasped in a tremor of excitement.
What news?'' asked Torrens,
smiling at the little mans agitation
"Anything fresh from Zululand?"
Bother Zululandn' retorted Tom
my, Indignantly. "Gerestein has
bOltedr'
"Bolted! What on earth do you
mean?"
Given his editors g. i, you
like it better pursued Tommy. The
most complete smash the city has
known for years Offices closed and
not shilling in the shape of assetst'
You do astonish me-" said Eyer
ton. ''Gcrestein the millionaire?'
millionaire. pooh! a sham. sir,
most iniquitous sham. How he man
aged to keep afloat so long is a puzzle
to every one; but now the bubbles
burst, the house in Park lane in the
market, and not stick of furniture
paid for
And Gertrude-Miss Trevelyan-
how does she bear it?''
"Ab, rather a come-down for her.
isn't it?" chuckled Gabbeton, malic-
iously. "Match broken off, of course,
and Mrs. Mortimer poky drawing
room in BryanstOn street instead of
boudoir looking on the park. But |
wouldn't pity her if l were you.
She 5 not Calypso, qul ne pouvait Sc
consider, You know. Tommy was
proud of his French, which he spoke
with an accent atrociously savoring of
home manufacture. "Quite the re-
verse, | should say. Depend upon it,
she has substitute in her eye already
and heaven help him, whoever he is!
Return to her first love, perhaps, he
added, with a side glance at Torrens.
Wiz IS hich reflection the little man
hustled away in search of fresh listen
ers, Will, Iorrens beguiled the monot-
ony of solitary dinner by bordering
over the strange news he had just
heard, and counting the hours which
still separated him from Annie.
Some four months later q party of six
j were assembled at dinner in one of the
prettiest detached villas of South Ken
sington. the residence of the widowed
Mrs Thornton. 1t was their first fami-
/ " gathering since the coming home of
+ Egerton and his bride from their honey
/ moon trip, and included, in addition to
/ the hostess, the young couple and Fred,
! Capt. Augustus Torrens, of the Blues,
/ who had officiated as best man at the
wedding, and Annies bosom friend,
! Carrie Wetherell, lively little brunette
4 who had also figured on that suspicious
occasion in the character of bridesmaid.
4 With such congeDial elements it is
needless to say that the conversation
/ never tagged for an instant. The cap
\