Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-01
What Fanny Discovered.
BY HELEN FOREST GRAVES.

'Oh, but, Uncle Bob, you really
ought to marry herr cried Fanny
Allen.
PshawP said Mr.. Mallsby. you
young folks seem To think that there's
nothing in the world but marrying
and giving In marriage
so far as / can see, spoke wise lit
tie Fanny, i do think it makes pref
ty good beginning and ending to
things. And she really does like you,
Uncle Bob
How do you know that?'
Il know lots of things, Uncle Bob.
can read peoples eyes and glances.
Uncle Bob smiled and shrugged his
shoulders, after a saturnine fashion.
1t was bright breezy day in June.
The big cinnamon rosebush at the
east end OF the house Was just coming
into bloom; the grass was sprinkled
with yellow dandelion stars.
1t was just six weeks since old Mrs.
Mallaby had been laid in the village
burying ground by the Ogoochee
river, and the shackles Of her son
Robert were unloosed ct last
For, all his life long, he had been
more or less under the servitude of
his mothers strong will, and filial
duty had made him willing votary.
Now, at the age of forty, he was
freed from all these restraints, and
strange sensation he found it.
you see, added Fanny, you'll
need someone to keep house for you;
and what better housekeeper can you
have than Miriam Bolton2 There
isn't nicer farm anywhere than this
Old Red Court, and everybody knows
what perfect order things are in, and
you yourself, Uncle Bob, are the
handsomest man In Ogoochee.'
'Handsomer than John Jeffries, chi?
said Uncle Bob, with humorous
twinkle of the eyes.
Don't talk nonsense' retorted Fan
ny, blushlng very red. Jack isn't an
Apollo, but, oh, he's SO awfully good!
Come, Uncle Bob, get yourself en-
gagged to somebody or other, and we
can have q double wedding. For I
positively protest won't keep house
for you any longer.
Trying to intimldate me, are you?
said Mr.. Mallaby. I'll tell you what,
my girl, you'll find it isn't so easy as
you think to drive an old bachelor In
to matrimony.
But Miss Boulton is so pretty
4 don't deny that
And SO very, very nice.
Yes
tAnd you do like her, Uncle Bob
GOMEZ said this special pleader, spring
ing upon the arm of Uncle Bosb'
chair, and busily braiding three crisp
brown curls into one There's no use
denying it. Ten-ffteen years ago, I
was quite old enough to hear and un-
derstand the current gossip, and you
were Miriam Bottoms sweetheart in
those days.
'And was a great fool for my
pains, Miss Impertinence. Since I've
said as much as this,-as she looked
at him with prettily archcd eyebrows
Of surprise-I may as well tell you
the whole story.
'You darling old Uncle Bobp
and let you know how idiotic
man can be. | did love her. / wrote
to her, asking her to be my WIFE
'Oh, Uncle Bob!'
iAnd she didn't even take the pains
to answer my letter Colonel Laselle,
the young southern officer, was in
Ogoochee about that time, and she
was all absorbed by him. A few
weeks later, when it transpired that
he had wife living in Richmond and
lot of unpaid debts In every quarter
of the globe, the bubble burst. But
it was too late for Miss Miriam to
whistle me back. Now you under
stand it all.
Fanny Allen looked very serious.
4 could not have believed it of
Miss Bolton, said she. 'l've seen her
look so wishfully at you sometimes
when she went by. I understand now
why your mother always disliked her
so intensely. Oh, what dreadful
thing it is to be a coquette! There
comes old Doctor Billings. Now you
are in for an hour of steady boredom.
And Fanny speedily effected her
escape as the doctors whip handle
sounded an alarm on the outside
panels of the door.
Il shall just have time to clear out
poor Grandma Mallaby's old desk,
she thought, before dinner is ready
Grandma Mallaby's old cherrywood
desk was curious general repository
for a compound of receipts, bills, vel
low letters of no possible Importance,
scraps of newspapers scissored out,
physic bottles, apron patterns, but
tons that matched nothing, and rolls
Of calico and linen whose correspond
ing garments had been worn out q
quarter of q century ago.
Screws were there, nails, broken
pieces OF china put there to be mended
q. -.