The Press., 1888-03-15

yersation- enthralled him. When Fulton rose to go, Edwards was surprised. Casu- ally he mentioned his errand. He was glad to find that the ladies favored the 'sOnly,o they said, 'you must not expect our Critic. to give up it's name. s'We shall see tomorrow" laughed Ed wards, "after consultation with the chief cook. 'e'
 s'Well,", said Fulton, when they had walked square, 'swhat do you think of them ?'
 Edwards was not smoking. He was quiet and thoughtful. He turned to Full ton and said gravely, sFulton, they are family of angels I've known nice wo- men, but none that compare with these. l see now where their brother ge l is del'- clcy and refined notions. l
 Two hours later Edwards said to his friend, who was half asleep,t Say, Georg !, have you any claim on either of those girls P - ..-
 "No," muttered Fulton, sleepily. ''I'm thinking of pre-empting the younger, though. Go to sleep
 "Well, then, as sure as my name Is Ed wards, John was half solilOquIzing, "hers shall be Edwards, too."
 ''Whose?" energetlcally asked his friend, |, turning over in bed, "the youngest? "No, the other one"
 "Oh, go to sleep, then, and don't bother me with your maunderings.
 If Edwards did go to sleep, it was not until some very decided plans had been formed which, for the time being, drove the newspaper consolidation entirely into the background.
 It was not nine o'clock when he present ed himself at the sanctum the next morn ing. An office-boy was dusting 1t and had the window raised. Edwards smiled as he surveyed it. He walked to the desk on which stood vase of flowers, fresh from the day before. A pile of letter-heads with s'Newtown Weekly Critic, M. W. Irving, editor,' printed at the top, lay on the desk. The very air of the place said, s'No smoking allowed" He was intent on his admiring examination when there was step on the stair, and alady entered with boquet in her hand.
 l ''Ah, Miss Irving!" and Edwards step ped forward to greet her as she sank into a large chair. 'You fill the editorial chail very well. ,"
 ''As to draperies, yes,' she laughed. 1 'sBut when am I to see this elusive M w. Irving, your brother? l have not many hours in this pleasant loitering place."
 Miss Irving looked archly at him. "Have yon not guessed that N. W. Irving is-my self? Mary Washington Irving. They had to get our distinguished relatives name in somewhere" She paused and looked at Edwards. An expression of al
 "But," he gasped, ''your brother, tho editor"
 ''I am the editor" she said, quietly disliking to laugh at him in his embarrass ment. "It was your own mistake, MT
 Edwards, and it was so funny that MT
 Fulton and all of us let it go on. You vii pardon us?"
 But Mir. Edwards had withdrawn with
 hasty bow. He wanted time and air. H'
 finally concluded to wait until the evening
 train, and boy from the hotel bore to tn
 sanctum of the Newtown Critic misslv saying that at three o'clock that afternoon
 Mir. John Edwards would present himsel
 at the Irvlng .mans1on. 1t was sudden but love often is After several hours c
 tete-a-tete, Mir. Edwards and Miss Irvin joined the family group, of whom Fulto , made one.
 "Gentlemen and ladies" and Edward
 led Miss Irving to her mother 'sa conso dation has beeu effected on most favorabl terms" Smiles and congratulations wen around. It seemed to have been undel stood from the beginning.
 'fWhat is it to be, Critic or Journal questioned FulsenS tI bow to Der in that" answered Ec
 wards. "It is the Critic, but she hs 2 promised not to be as tenacious about he . . own name" ''Yes, indeed" chimed in Fultor 'Irving should not be changed exc 4pt fc & one fully as historic. Fulton, for instanc, Didn't fellow named Fulton invent tt v steam engine, or something of the kind Don't worry any more about names, ; said Edwards "Mary Irving Edward l. will look very we'll on our magazine" v Cant you bring in the Washington / It seems pity to. drop your greatest clail
 to distinction. Yes," went on Fulto1 l. ''the newspaper will be big thing. The
 will get soaps, medicine advertisements
 railroad passes and theatre tickets. I te i. you, my friends, it behooves us to stan
 in with the consolidation.
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