The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-12-27

with any serious intentions"
"Well, why should theyP asked her hus
band. Isn't he good enough for son-in
lawi"
"rm not even sure that he aspircs % that
position, said Mrs Tramlay.
Aren't your I'm afraid them you'll soor
need 10 wear glasses, my dear"
Don't joke about H. please; it's a serious
subject"
"Yes," sighed the merchant; zones first
glasses"-
"You know very well don't mean glasses,
said the lady, with some petulnnce This Is
Lucia's second season, and desirable young
men are rare 'Twould be unfair 10 her 10
have n man dividing about her, acting fire.
quently as her escort"--
Assisted by her mother"--
THAT doesn't alter the case; IL makes il
nll the grayer in other peoples eyes"
"Well, my dear, / SEQ plainly enough that
young IIayn has fixed intentions; and I'm ns
fully satisfied that they are entirely 10 Lu'.
tasten
"Then the question Is, should It 10 allowed
60 go onr
"Why not, if they love each other, OF
want tor
Because we want our first daughter 10
make as good IA match as possible, and don't
see that the young mans prospects arc very
brilliant. If the Improvement company
shouldn't succeed he'll be nothing but your
clerk, with no certainty nor any o1pectar
tons."
81 feel entirely easy about tho money I've
put into tho Improvement company" said
the merchant, "and Phil will do rs we'll rs /,
he having an equal number Of shares. IL
10 tyit
speculation, and he and In continue TO like
each other, can take him into partnership
That would give him financial standing
there are plenty Of young men Of good fam
lilies who would pay we'll for such an oppor-
tunity, for iron Is up, and TO stay"
Mrs Tramay tossed her head and replied:
81 didn't ever suppose IL would be necessary
10 set young man upon his feet in order TO
get n husband for one Of our daughters"
"Quito right; don't suppose 80 yet, either.
for assure you he is fully earning whatever
il might mo necessary % give him. | find
that IL makes n very favorable impression
upon the class Of people who visit the iron
houses, or whom tho iron houses look after.
He's already got two or three desirable little
orders, besides being on tho track of others.
"But he's only a clerk, after ALL persisted
Mrs. Tramlay.
"Say but tho word and III make him my
partner tomorrow" said Tramlay.
Don't he hasty," replied tho lady, i'm somo
alarm. Gle is not Lucia's only chance, you
know"
Tramlay looked inquiringly; his wife ap.
peared embarrassed and avcrted her eyes
"Ohl You mean Marge, ] supposcl Wen,
If La should really want him | wouldn't like
10 make her unhappy 10y saying no. But
really, my dcarn-hero tho merchant put his
arm around his wife-"really, now, don't
you think that n man who was "A beau Of
yours quarter Of century ago is rather
mature 10 loo the husband of an impulsivc
grlp
"Young wives can't live ON impulse alonc,n
said Mrs. Trnmlay. "Mr Margo has means -
"Not 10 any great extent that any one has
been able TO discover" interrupted tho NOR
chant
"And ho has social position, which Is of
moro Importance In New York than any.
thing else" continued the wife. "llo knows
many prominent people whom we do not, and
If ho were 10 marry Lucia 10 would improve
Margio's opportunities. Wohavcn't gonointo
society as much as we should, and I'm afraid
our daughters will have TO suffer for it,"
Don't trouble your head with any such
fears said the husband, with moro than his
usual carnestness "Girls like ours-bless
theml-arcn't going to make bad matches
"Besides,n said Mrs Tramny, retracng
her thoughts, MIR Marge doesn't look tho
least bit old; ho is not tho kind of mnn 10
grow old | can't see that ho appears n day
older than no did years ago.
"Bless your sentimental hearth said tho
merchant. "llc doesn't, ch' Wen, 1t does
you credit 10 think SO, and it doesn't make
mo jealous in the least"
"lf the company succeeds continued Mrs.
Tramlay, "Alr. Margo will be rs much tho
gamer as you or young llayn, won't he"
"Certainly.n
"Then he'll bo that much better off than
this young man you're 80 fond OFF,
"Hes, If he does nothing foolish i'm the
mean time; but have my doubts Of the
financial stability of any man who can't
pass n stock ticker without looking Mt it,.
Wall street exists solely for the purpose of
absorbing such mems money!
"Mr Marge is no fool ~ said Mrs Tramay.
Hes no wiser than some veterans who
have had 10 leave their millions in tho street
and live ON their children forever aftcr.n
"Thc Improvement company has only about
forty acres, | believe you said"
"Just forty"
"And two thousand an acre is the most YOU
hope for"
yes
"That would be eighty thousand dollars;
four into eighty goes twenty times, aud'--
"If I'd known you'd such head FOR busi-
ness | would have asked you 10 put a house
keeper in charge Of tho family, SO | could
havo your services mt the Office said Tram
lay.
Twenty thousand dollars would be very
little for Il young man to marry on In New
York-ard in our set.n
Twenty thousand, and a salary which
must soon increase in simple Justice, also,
expectations from his fathers estate in the
course of time. don't remember To have
told you, though, that the young man was
long headed enough TO suggest that his IA
ther should buy options on the continuation
of the ridge-therc are several hundred acres
in all, distributed among different farms
and the old fellow has worked it So skilfully
that we have the refusal Of it all, for year,
at a trifling outlay in money. There's gonu-
inc city business capacity i'm that young
mans head-ehp
at appears So" Mrs. Tramay admitted.
This admission might have been of great
comfort TO Phil could he have heard It, but
as he never received any information, eNcept
through his alternating hopes and suspi-
cions, he was obliged 90 remain i'm doubt.
His principal hope aside from that based
on Lucia's willingness to devote any amount
of time TO him, was obtained through the
manner Of the head Of the family. Tramlay
was communicative as wise merchants usu-
ally are TO their employees; he was also con
fdential; evidently he trusted Phil implicit
~, for he told the new clerk all his business