Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-22


rier; the unhappy home is growing more
| and more tangible and unalterable, and my
position as dependent upon Nine Arnot's
freaks of temper, or others just like her,
seems Just as inevitable as before" She
spoke bitterly now; the remembrance of
her aunt's letter loomed up before her, and
all the trials of her lot seemed doubly un-
bearable in the light of this glimpse of
better things, and she dropped her head
upon her hands in detection.
{" No, not inevitable" said Mr.. Falconer,
| slowly; ''there is another life before you
where none of these things can come. /
can offer you a home" she raised her head
with a startled expression, ''where there
| is plenty and peace at least, and through
the medium of which l hope to win your
| love in due time. This home Is with me,
''--' "' -
81 am aware that my proposition is a
strangely startling one," said he, gently, as
Isabel looked at him with clasped hands as
if in a dream; ''but l leave the city to-
morrow, and l wish to take you with me,
and release you at once from the hardening
| influences BY which you are surrounded"
Tomorrow said Isabel, repeating the
words after him, mechanically; release
from all these harassing things tomorrow,
and through such an unlooked-for medium,
no wonder the girl was dazed.
But your family, your friends, what
will they say to your marrying ashOp-girl!'
she said, her mind going back to gentle
Lilly Stanford, irrelevantly, because it
really had so little to do with the matter,
but feeling for the moment as if scorn and
o-i hnY. in, hot Or
face would be more than she could bear;
worse, indeed, than her present ills.
''My familyn' he replied, haughtily; ''fort-
unately am entirely independent of their
fancies, and fully old enough to choose for
myself; besides, they are sensible and kind,
and if 1 am happy, will love you for my
sake, until they can do so for their own.
Take little time, Miss Grant, and think
over the matter calmly before giving me an
answer. can give you undoubted refer
ence as to my character before the mar
rage"
lone question" she SAID, gravely; Il have
seen what love of stimulants can do in a
home whether it be rich or poor, and have
vowed sacredly never to marry man who
INDUCED in them, even in the leastdegree" !"
She looked at him interrogatively.
"Have no fears in that respect" he re-
piled, earnestly. Il despise any thing of
the sort as much as you can do, and honor
you the more for your resolve in regard to
it. never use liquor in any form"
She raised her eyes and looked in his face
long and searchingly; she, too, had fac
ulty for reading faces, or rather her in
stincts read for her, and rarely betrayed
her; she saw in this case an honest manll-
ness in the face before her which inspired
her with confidence, and going to him she
stretched out her hands, saying, with a
fearful smile: ''Mr. Falconer, if you are will
ing TO abide the consequences of this I'M
pulsive act, will accept your offer, and
earnestly strive not to disappoint you"
He rose, and taking her hands in his, said
quietly: 'It shall be the study of my life to
convince you that your informal choice is a
wise and happy one. l leave the osty to-
morrow at 2:15. Shall we fix the ceremony
| at one, in this room!'
''As you please replied Isabel; she was
yet too bewildered to give attention to de-
tails.
''Very well, will call in the morning at
nine, and ask Nine. Arnot for permission tC
use her room"
Isabel Grant, do, for pity's sake, tell US
what Harvey Falconer could wish to see
yOu for" cried Nine. Arnot, who was IN the
work-room when Isabel entered it at last,
with preoccupied, far-away look IN her
eyes.
"We are dying to known said Jennie
Dewey; has he gone into the millinery
business and offered you position as sales
woman?" The idea of Isabel and bonnets
seemed inseparable.
"He has offered me a POSITION" replied
Isabel, dreamily, "not as a saleswoman,
but as his wife"
His loife!" almost screamed Nine. Arnot,
in her surprise; Harvey Falconer, the
millionaire; nonsense, girl, you're joking"
THE miu;Ondire"' 1t was Isabels turn
now to be surprised; she had thought little
of his position in life, and had supposed him
to be comfortable tradesman, or, to come
nearer the truth, she had had no definite
thoughts on the subject except as his words,
"peace and plenty sugs ested home Of
comfortable abundance, and she sank into
chair trembling. "rm not joking" she
said, family, "but had no idea he was a
man OF such wealth when 1 accepted hin" !"
There will be fine humming among his
aristocratic friends when they hear he has
married a shOp-girl," said Nine. Arnot,
scornfully; she had married a canal driver
in her days of poverty, in lieu of better
offer, and through all her years Of prosper
ity he had remained the same, low, vulgar
and illiterate, a creature to be kept out Of
sight of her present circle of friends, so far
as possible, and it CALLED her and filed her
with wrath and jealousy that girl, hitherto
dependent upon her for her daily bread,
should by one stroke of fortune rise so high
above her in the social scale which she
would occupy as Harvey Falconer's wife.
''But there's no dangerl He's fooling you,
girl; he'll neUsr marry your
''hme will tell, was Isabers quiet reply.
It seemed to her now, in the family atmos-
phere of the work room, that it was all a
dream, and that Nine. Arnot's disdainful
words were only too reasonable, but, as she
had said, time would tell and a verv short
time, for Mr.. Falconer's last words had been:
Expect me at nine tomorrow"
TN case of such an absIrdity occurring,
will give you just one year to get behind
ny counter; no good results could possibly
come from such a strange al lance" and
F, Nine. Arnot fiounced out of the room far
| from gracefully, and the girls were left
alone.
''The spiteful old cat ~ said Jennie Dewey,
Indignantly; ''it's no wonder she envles you,
Isabel, in comparing Mr.. Falconer with hor-
rid John Arnot; but do tell US all about il. "
But Isabel could not; she was not a gush-
ing or ELUSIVE girl, and her deeper feelings
especially were inexpressible. Mr.. Fal
coner had touched these in his conversation,
and she could no more have repeated it
than she could have brought out for inspec-
ton the tenderest OF love making.
SIT all seems so unreal she pleaded; cal
l can tell is that he proposed to me and
cepted him"
! ITo BE CoNTISUED.I