The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-07-15
BEAUTY'S SECRET
BY ALAN MUIR.
Author of vanity Hardware" Golden
Girls" E.e.
BY ALAN MUIR.
CHAPTER V.

bDeH uOneyIlOOllS dDOuJ lue ntilllc llllle, olDyl
looking naughty and discontented, but Caro-
line cheerful and well pleased. As to the
bridegrooms, we could see no trace of change
for better or worse in Goldmore, but Eyer
ton was decidedly stouter, in excellent spirits.
AMI, from an accession of confidence, more
apt to make fool of himself in company
tLan ever.
The sisters soon met, and Sophia could not
complain of any lack of sympathy ON the part
of her elders They were both at first in
clined to take prudent mammals view; but
when Sophia told them of her love and his
constancy they were touched. The world
had not yet got complete mastery over them,
and they commended Sophia, kissed her. com
forted her, and said some day she would be
happy
Commander-in-chief Mrs. Barbara Temple
took care to have an interview with young
Brent. She was kind and sympathetic, but
she said it was her maternal duty to point out
TO him that-whatever Sophia might say-he
was injuring her prospects if he kept up any
understanding with her Engagement, of
course" the little woman said, "is not to be
thought Of But even an arrangement-a
promise that each will secretly wait for
each--would be a pernicious snare, full of
danger to Sophias prospects.
"Not," added Mrs. Worldly Wisewoman,
"that these promises are euer kept. Facts are
too much even for lovers. l have seen fifty
of these understandings made in perfect good
faith, and from motives that were quite
pretty but none ever came to anything.
Still, object to arrangements"
@Your daughter is as free as if she never
saw me-" Percival said. II have made her
promise that she will consider that there is
not a shred to bind her to me. She is to feel
that she may engage herself and marry, and
never think that there is any intimation to
be sent to me, except through the news
paper"
"And may ask-don't think me rude, Mr.
Brent, l am simply doing my duty-if you
are as free ON your side? If you marry,
shall she hear Of it through the newspaper
tool"
She looked at him sharply, almost humor-
ously, as she put this penetrating question.
o, we must pay a tribute to our little
mother who had a tact that in wider fields of
action might have smoothed the feelings of
ruffled empires.
ayes, am quite as free as she" he an.
swered 1--WE promised each other that we
should feel So"
It was quite true. They had promised ex-
actly in these terms only the four lips that
exchanged the treaty were Immediately after
ward engaged together sealing quite another
sort of bond Was this what Shakespeare
meant by "plain and holy innocence" won
derl And yet possibly Mrs. Barbara Temple
guessed the true state of the case, but she was
satisfied. There being no engagement she
felt sure that time, fickleness, and her great
ally, this present world, would do all she
wanted.
"1regret whathas happened, she said grace
fully, "and regret it not alone on your ac-
count, but on my own l should have been
pleased with the connection. I hope you will
prosper and be happy, for l am sure you de-
serve it."
Egerton Doolittle, having, after careful in
tellectual filtration, so to speak, got the facts
of the Brents' case fairly deposited in his
mind, expressed great commiseration for the
two men, as he called them. He told Car
that 1--WE ought all to give our minds to the
thing" and see what can be done, And after
long period of cogitation he informed his
wife that he had hit on plan which would
restore the fortunes of the Brents, and-of
this he made a great point-without their
undertaking anything that could not be done
"with clean hands"
"A gentleman under no circumstances should
soil his hands" Egerton said; "and the great
merit of what propose is that it can be done
with clean hands"
Car at first thought that this implied that
the pursuit Egerton had in his mind was one
morally defensible, or not felonious; but ii
appeared that he referred only to nristocratic
notions and traditions.
"lIyplan is this" Egerton said, after three
quarters of an hour of preamble which had
nearly fidgeted his wife into q. fit. 81 heal
there is new joint stock opera company
goi Y to be started Let them take shares il
IL Will be a gentlemanly, musical KIND
Of thing, and the great point is it can be done
with clean hands"
Caroline, not being able to see the practica
value of this suggestion, Egerton resolved tx
open his scheme to his great brother-in-law
Goldmore That elephantine millionaire wa
forced, for courtesy's sake, to listen while
Doolittle. in a speech of extraordinary length
and maddening circumlocution, brought OH
his preface; but, vexed as he was, he coulc
not restrain his laughter when the young
man wound up with the recommendation
that Brent senior and junior should taxi
shares in the forthcoming Italian Operl
Joint Stock company.
GMy great point is, Goldmore," said Eyer
ton, @that it is a gentlemanly musical sort o
thing, and one that can be carried Oh
with clean hands l think a gentleman
should never soil his hands, Goldmore, dom
you"
"The difficulty is" replied the grea
man, overlooking this question, where ar
the poor men to get money to buy thet
sharesp
GGet whats" Egerton asked.
"Money to buy their shares" repeated
Goldmore. "Shares are not given away; yol
have to pay for them in hard cash. Now il
the present case the difficulty is that there i
no cash at all.
"Then suppose you don't approve Of m!
schemep answered Egerton, with some irri
tation "very well. Ose can only suggest
Withdraw the proposition Still, | repeat
Goldmore, it is not every day of the weel
you can find gentlemanly musical under
taking that can be carried out with cleal
hands"
So he took his leave. But his visit haG
some result, after all; for that Afternoon
Archibald Godmore called upon young
Br, Mt, and asked for a little private conver
sation with him. Goldmore was very kind
inquired what his young friend was going t.
do, nodded his head approvingly over tn
details of the Australian scheme, and marke,
the young fellow out as a man that woul
rise.
"Let me say one thing to you, Mr. Brent,
he said, as he rose to 60 "I am in most re
spscts self-made man. know the Difficult
ties which even industrious and clever younI
fellows have to face who start without capi
tai Now, from what my wife tells me, yo
have gained the affections of my sster-in-law
and may add that from what have seen o
you am not surprised at it. As a membe
Of the family, | take an interest in all tina
concerns them. Now, Brent, If few hun