Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-11-14
CHAPTER V
HDEIIy THIS MARRIAGE

"DELAY THIS MARRIAGE"
Mr.. Leworthy went back to Kibblo q
Um~leby'S and asked if Mr.. Umpleby was
on the premises. No, Mr.. Umpleby had
left half all hour ago, To return to the bosom
OF his family in TolEington Park.
Happily for the eager vicar, T~olkington
Park YVES an adjoining suburb, where those
We lto-do citiz III OF GrandcheSter who did
not like the labor OF daily railroad journeys
contentel themselves with n semi urban re-
tiremeut in villas of their OWL building,
amidss Strawberries Of their own planting,
overlooking the towniest AM most formal
of public parks 1t had long Geen a grief to
the female Umplebys that, where other
merchants families of wealth and standing
had gothic mansions or Italian palaces SET
in richly wooded landscapes, remote from
tho SIN ks of tho city, they had only the
Stcreotyuel surroundings Of q thtckly-popu-
lated suburb, and We're in nowise better oil
than their next-dooc n~eighbocs.
a cab with q horse of his own choosing
drove NJ. L9woTthy to the utmost init or
TolkinStou Park in less than half an hour.
He found the Umploby mansion, which was
called Mount Lebanon, although the ground
on which it stood was as fat as q pancake,
and there W q not a cedar within q mile. 1t
was a suLstantill, square house, with bay
windows, n broad fight of steps, grandiose
iron ratings, pain:ol dark blue and sur
mounted with gildel pineapp!e5, and an all
p~ervaIin" glare of pate glass windows.
Tho hall was tesSc!latcl; tE~edrawing room
was brilliant in color, and painfully new.
Here Mr.. Leworthy sat waiting for the mas
ter Il tho house. While a young lady in an
adjacent chamber favored him with n sol
fe-gio exercise. which strain9d to the utter
most n somewhat aCrid vO.ch
81 wonder whether that is the brile sing
ing Spccula;cl the vicar, "and l wonder if
she i, very much attached to my gentleman
Rqthcr hard lines for her if she is fond Of
him, p-or chili!'
At last Mr.. Umpleby appeared, plethoric,
ruLiclnd, IompouS.
"Happy TO have the hOnor of making your
acuuslnysuc,, vicar. " he said. 81 have long
known You by repute."
Every one in Grandches.er does that, " an
swcreI Levorthy, pleasantly. 81 have been
too often in hot water not to be pretty well
known
impossible to please everybody" muir
INJURED Mr.. Umpleby.
"Prec.s,ly, AMI the man who tries it ends
bv pleasing no ona. l nave taken my own
ccur e. and though I've male a good many
| enemies, thank God I've made twice as many
friends. Now, Mr.. Ump,eby, l must ask
YOU 10 receive mo with all good nature, and
TO believe that l mean well by you and
yours, although / have come en- a most I'M
pleasant business"
The merchant lookel uneasy. Another
great firm gone wrong, perhaps; a question
of a big bad debt
as it n business matterl' he faltered.
NO. it is a family matter"
"Oh!' he said, with an dir Of relief, as If
this were of minor Importance.
"You are going to marry your daughter
tomorrow said the vicar.
Il am"
40 your clerk, Mr.. FoyI'
ayes, sir. 1t is not the first tim, that n
merchants daughter has married her
fathers clerk, l believe, though it is out If
the common course of things"
IL am here to beg you to postpone the
marriage"
"On what groundsf'
Before l tell you that, you must give me
your promise to communicate nothing | tel
you to Mr.. Foy."
Mr.. Umpleby heSitated.
Mind, it is vital to you, as o father, to
know what l ave TO tell"
Mr.. Ump,eby gave the required promise.
The vicar told his story, beginning with
the scene at the railway station, ending
with the story he had heard at Parminter.
"Were you aware that Foy had a sister,"
Il never heard him speak OF one"
rs- al.N -, -,,,r FnN,-, ..-. Z. - ~
Mr.. Umpleby sat and stared into space
like a man bewildereI He wiped his large,
bald forehead with the biggest and most ex-
pensive thing in ~bandannaS.
This is a most frightful suspicion he
said; "a Young woman poisoned, for you
seem to think this young woman was poi
soned 1t is an awful position. Every ar
rangement has been made for the wedding,
as you may suppose-gaeSts invited-some
of the best people in GrandcheSter. Ny
wife and daughter have the highest opinion
of young Foy. Imay say they are infatu-
ated about him His conduct in business
has been irreproachable. There must be
some mistake-some ridiculous misunder-
standing
Il got Foy's address at your own office,
| and at tina address l heard Of a sister, Of
whose existence you are absolutely
Do you think that speaks well for your in
tended son-in-lawF
HE may nave had some powerful reason
for concealing her existence. she may be
weak in her intellect She may have gone
wrong. As for your idea Of slow poisoning,
that is too absurd"
And you mean his young man to marry
vour daughter tomorrow morniaS!'
What am l todoi l never cared about
the match. / have been persuaded into Civ
ing my consent Ny girl had a riga; 10 look
higher. But to stop the marriage now would
De-
Simply prudent Investigate tbs clse as
l have put it before you Ii l am deceived
If Foy is not the nan who took tha: dying
girl to the railway s;ation-it Foy'S sister.
or q woman who passed as his sister, is
not lying dead st Mlbaale, l will MAKE the
humblest apology to you and Mr.. Foy for
my baseleSs suspicious You must take your
own coursa I van 20 save your daughter
from sorrow and disgrace Remember you
have been warEel Ii Foy Is the man l take
him to be, the police will be logging his
heels tomorrow morning when he goes into
the church to merry your daughter. Good
afternoon l have given you plain facts,
and l have no time to spare for discussion
Mr.. Umpleby would fam have detained
him, but the vicar was in a hurry. He
drove back to GrandchesSer and to the
headquarters Of the police, to whom he re-
! peated his story. They had been at work
all day, and had done very little. They
had discovered q porter at the station who
remembered the arrival of gentleman and
a sick lady in q plaid shawl They had seen
the woman who took charge Of the ladies'