Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-06-06

! Jupps nephew the moment set foot on the
pier, adding, with a chuckle. that he knew
me by my Observation-Disclosures this was
complimentary or not did not care to de-
eide.
80 you're here for a wife.'' he began. 81
never beat about the bush, and Tom Jupp
and know each other. I've got one locked
out for you. No time like the present. I'll
call at your 'otel in 'alf an hour and take
you round to Mrs. Clegson's daughters got
10000, and amt so bad-looking by candle
| light"
/ got rid of this impetuous old man as soon
as could, and dined at my hotel; but be-
fore | could settle down to dessert he bolted
ln,wouldn't drink any claret, and said we
could get coffee at Violet Villa So, much
against my will, l accompanied Mr.. Plum to
a pretty house near the sea. The grounds
were very well planted. the house apparent
IL very comfortable As we walked up the
little drive, Mr.. Plum said. soto voce:
Mrs. Clegson's doosid sharp: don't want
Ady TO marry any one under a baronet, and
she's always on the lookout for fellers with
| out cash. But, never you mind-make play
with your good looks. Ady's got will of
her own. And she's seen the world Her
father was Consul at several places in the
Levant, and his brother was in the currant
line there and left his niece his fortune.
Here we are
He rang. and in minute or two a re-
markably neat and pretty servant smilingly
opened the door, as if Mr.. Plum were IA
nliliar visitor. We entered a pretty hall
and then charming drawing-room, where
sat portly lady with keen dark eyes which
looked through very forbidding spectacles.
Mr.. Plum introduced me, and received by
no means gushing reception; but / was OPP
pOslte mirror, and my own reflection con-
sOled me. Then Mr.. Plum began as l
thought, with rather forced bOnhonie, TO
talk to the lady about various local matters,
carefully avoiding any mention of Miss
ClegsOn, who, it seemed, from an allusion
casually made, was out at a garden party
BY and by we left, Mrs. ClegsOn scrutinizing
me in a most particular manner as | wished
her goodbye. Outside, old Plum chuckled
''She guesses what you're after" he said;
''she can smell a rat anywhere-clever
woman"
As we turned corner we met a young
lady attended by hobbledehoy in a cricket
suit. This was, l supposed, Ada Clegson.
So it proved.
"Ah, Miss ADV" roared nv companlon,
Cow are you? Let me Introduce Mr.. Reg
inald Lesterley, the nephew of very old
chum o. mine" She bowed abruptly, |
with my usual graceful ease, and | took a
good look at my future wife Good ewes,
dark and keen, sallow complexion, nose and
lips too coarse, hair fluffy and black; on the
whole not good-looking, even if she were
passable by candlelight. Why can not the
heiresses be pretty girls. This is a problem
worth studying.
We turned and walked back, re-entered
the house on her invitation and found Mrs.
ClegsOn an iceberg. But her daughter was
evidently mistress, and her mamma had TO
tolerate me. could see, for l am expert
enced in such matters, Ada was much i'm
pressed by my looks and manners l mar
rated my London experiences and acquaint-
ancestor the most part truthfully. l
glanced at my foreign tours and adventures
wholly untruthfully. On the whole. l am
of opinion l behaved with much greater
tact than the prejudiced Uncle Jupp would
ever have credited me with For first in
terview l, as Mr.. Plum assured me when we
came out, made play considerably And
l certainly thought deserved well of my
uncle.
The days passed on, and my intimacy at
Violet Villa became great That pretty
servant, who could see was as appreciative
as her young mistress of my good looks
pity the pair couldn't exchange faces-wel-
coined me with smile as if l were an &C
credited inmate of the house. Ada was
always glad to see me. Only Mrs. Clegson
remained Lnthawed. When looked at her
/ always felt she was likely, if any one. to be
responsible for the affair ''being Numbered"
as Uncle Jupp once or twice wrote me brief
notes to beware of. Another thing was,
she had some sort of control, within limits,
though l never could quite tell what, over
her daughters marriage. She took care
never to allow a tete-d-tete between me and
Ada; and she had all the letters taken up to
her room in post-bag in the morning, of
which bag she kept the key, while at all
other hours she always watched for the
postman, so that the opportunities of speak
ing my mind were always difficult.
Well, thus things went on, when there
arrived on vista nephew of Mrs. Clegson,
a clean-shaven, sallow, hawk-eyed man,
who was in some big company as general
and, have no doubt, had made
his pile" out of the shareholders. Anyhow
he had some money, so the old lady liked
him, though believe Ada only treated him
as cousin. He was an ugly dog, with the
worst cut clothes l ever saw, and sharp,
hated. l always did admire the Neapolitan
lazzaroni more than any other class. But,
to come to the point, as Mr.. Jupp is always
bothering me to do, old Plum said he |
thought my chances would be improved by |
Ned Cutely being down at Cowes and ad- |
vised me to strike while the iron was 'ot |
But was it hot! l had never got so far as
the brink of proposal and l was a very |
bad hand at making any formal speech |
whatever. Besides, how could a fellow do |
It when the girls mother always watched |
me like a cat! 1t was all very well for old |
Jupp to write to me (of course old Plum must |
90 and interfere) and bully me for ''daw-
Hing" and adjure me not to make another
Dlunder, but he hadn't to do the business
had. ! went there at all times and always
found Cutely there. ! tried to get the pretty
maid to give note to Ada, but Mrs. Cleg-
son always came into the hall and the maid
was evidently afraid of her, and so hung
about and wondered what was the best
hing to do. Meanwhile it got expensive,
and the hotel bills were diminishing my
money. At last 1 determined to write
70 Ada; l had squeezed her hand the
night before, and she had not seemed
1 think she returned
he pressure-so matters seemed ripe for
myself. / resolved to write, and
1y the aid of 'letter-wrlter," which l
rave shilling for in the town, 1 put most
moving and pathetic declaration together
This done, debated how to get it into Ada's
lands; the post was lmpracticable, the
pretty servant afraid. Just then happy
hought occurred. There was butchers
,oy who rode bay pony in a most furious
whom had frequently met in the
rive, returning from calling for orders.
lie had always touched his forelock to me
md seemed abnormally sharp; he should
g. Il