St. Landry democrat., 1888-09-01
Engaged! is hep" echoed a dozen

Yes; going to marry her in q few
weeks, if all | hear be true.n
"Suppose he'll retire on his wife's
income" observed Oofington. But |
say, you Johnnies, | wish we could
have a spree with him before he's
spliced."
A dozen voices assented to this pro-
posal; and various modes of hacking
"the fossil were at once suggested.
Whilst this conversation was in
progress, Captain Fluker sat in the
cosy little d~rawing-room at Yew Cot
tage. He had negotiated a recherche
dinner just to his taste and was now
alone with his fancee. Prudence
Grimes was by no means a giddy
young thing. She wore dresses Of
brocaded silk; and her hair was
dressed in long corkscrew curls upon
each side of her face. But before mar
riage, a multitude of faults are hid
den, and Hugh Fluker considered
her the only woman in the
world that he could make his wife.
Their courtship was always of the
most formal character, and as they
We're sitting together she was SAYING:
II vowed | would never marry for,
until | met you, Hugh, dear, | never
saw a man whom | could trust"
And you trust me, Prudence?" he
said.
Yes" she answered. ut is because
trust you that l accepted your offer
of marriage. But | wish to speak
more seriously, more privately to you.
You have told me that you possess no
income beyond your pay, have you
not?"
THAT is true, alas.n he said.
"Well," said she, hesitatingly. "my
income is a good one; the expenses
attending our marriage will be great,
and therefore | want you to accept a
small sum from me-
He looked at her in establishment,
wondering what she could mean.
YES" she continued; Il am a
woman of business, you know. Now,
| want you to take Holly Lodge, fur
nish it properly, and have a wedding
which can not be sneezed at all over
the town. This, of course, can not be
done for nothing; Sc | have paid in
one Thousand pounds to a London bank
in your name.'
"What!" he exclaimed. "a thou
sand pounds for me?"
yes" she replied, walking over to
her davenport Here's the pass-book
and eheque-book. You can, if you
like, for convenience, transfer the
money to the Bla4kford Bank And
she handed him the books.
"Well, really, Prudence, this is in
deed very thoughtful of you," replied
the Captain. II hardly like to accept
the money, for
"But you must. I insist upon it. l
want a costly and fashionable wedding,
and I'll have it."
"Why a not 1 pay for it?"
81 will pay myself, because I do not
wish to cripple your resources" said
she, smiling pleasantly as she added,
''of course you will not be offended"
"No, no; not in the least, Prudence.
1t is awfully good of you, though, yet
I suppose it will be ali the same after
we are married"
Captain Hugh Fluker went to the
bank on the following day, and nego-
tiated the matter as Miss Prudence had
suggested.
It is needless for us to dilate upon
the manner in which his brother
officers greeted the news of his ap-
preaching marriage, how they chaffed
him, or how good-humoredly he took
it all. OF course the financial matter
was a secret, though he told them he
had taken Holly Lodge and was about
to furnish it.
Preparations for the marriage were
proceeding apace, and a month had al
ready passed, when a very pretty dam
sci arrived in Blankford and took up
her duties as assistant to the local
postmaster. Ethel Ellsworth was de-
cidedly handsome; and within a week
of her arrival, the golden youth, both
military and civil, had lost their hearts
to her. Never before was the post
Office so well ~patronized, for during
Office hours the place was filled with
the masher element, who bought
stamps and postal orders, sent tele-
grams, or required letters weighed, as
an excuse for basking a few seconds in
the winning smiles Of the siren behind
the brass network. Chief amongst the
worshipers at this shrine was young
BERTHE Oofington, of the Slopshire, for
he visited the post-office not less than
a dozen times aday.
As may be imagined, this idolatry of
a common post-office clerk caused the
noses Of many Of the young ladies in
the higher walks of life to be consider
ably elevated, as they waxed exceed
ingly wrath that their attractions
should be 10 totally eclipsed. At the
officers mess of the Slopshire she
was the chief topic of %conversa-
ton, and the subs one and
all were exerting every effort
to Guido each other in gaining her af-
Showers of presents in the
form of fans, perfuaees, flowers, and
other tribes theJ&no11T,S1 in unon her