The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-12-27

"Well, why should they9" asked her hus
band. Isn't he good enough for a soa-in-
iawg"
'Im not sven sure that he aspires 10 that
position" said Mrs. Tramlay.
Aren't youl I'm afraid, then, you'H soon
need to wear glasses, my dear"
Don't joke about it, please; it's a serious
subject"
Eyes" sighed the merchant; zones first
glasses"-
"You know very well don't mean glasses"
said the lady, with some petulance. "This is
Lucia's second season, and desirable young
men are rare. Twould be unfair to her to
have a man dawdling about her, acting fire.
quently as her escort"-
Assisted by her mother"-
THAT doesn't alter the case; it makes it
all the graver in other peoples eyes"
"Well, my dear, see plainly enough that
young Hayn has fixed Intentions; and Pm as
fully satisfies that they are entirely to LUIS
TASTE"
"Thea the question is, should it be allowed
to go ons
"Why not, If they love each other, or
want tor
because we want our first daughter to
mako as good a match as possible, and don't
see that the young mans prospects are very
brilliant. IL tho Improvement company
shouldn't succeed he'll be nothing but your
clerk, with no certainty nor any expecta-
.tions"
II feel entirely easy about the money I've
put into the Improvement company" said
the merchant, land Phil will do as well as 1,
he having an equal number of shares. If
worst comes 10 worst with him from that
speculation, and he and Lu continue to like
Dtn n faIy ,.,tN
That would give him financial standing;
there are plenty Of young men of good fam
lilies who would pay well for such an oppor-
tunity, for iron i, up and to stay"
Mrs. Tramlay tossed her head and replied:
81 didn't ever suppose ii would be necessary
to set a young man upon his feet in order to
get a husband for one of our daughters"
"Quite right; don't suppose so yet, either,
for assure you he is fully earning whatever
it might me necessary to give him. 1 find
that it makes a very favorable impression
upon the class Of people who visit the iron
houses, or whom the iron houses look after
He's already got two or three desirable little
orders, besides being on the track of others"
'But he's only a clerk, after all, +" persisted
Mrs. Tramlay.
"Say but the word and I'll make him my
partner tomorrow" said Tramlay.
Don't be hasty," replied the lady, in some
alarm. HE is not Lucas only chance, you
know.n
Tramlay looked inquiringly; his wife APP
peared embarrassed, and averted her eyes. .
"OE! You mean Marge, supposed Well,
if Lu should really want him l wouldn't like
to make her unhappy by saying no. But
really, my dear"-here the merchant put his
arm around his wife-"really, now, don't
you think that man who was beau of
yours quarter of n century ago is rather
mature to be the husband of an impulsive
grlT"
"Young wives can't live on impulse alone"
said Mrs Tramlay "Mr. Marge has means"
mot to any great extent, that any one has
been able to discover" interrupted the mer-
chant
"And he has social position, which is Of
more Importance in New York than any
thing else" continued the wife. "kIe knows
many prominent people whom we do not, and |
if he were to marry Lucia it would improve
Margie's opportunities. We haven't gone into
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 more than his |
usual earnestness. "Grls like ours-bless
theml-aren't going to mako bad matches"
"Besides," said Mrs. Tramlay, retracing
her thoughts, "IIr. Marge doesn't look the !
least bit old; ho is not tho kind of man to
grow old | can't see that he appears day
older than he did years ago."
"Bless your sentimental hearth" said the
merchant HE doesn't, eha Well, it does
you credit to think so, and it doesn't make
me jealous in the least"
eff the company succeeds" continued Mrs.
Tramlay, "Mr. Marge will be as much the
gamer as you or young Hayn, won't her'
Certainly"
'Then he'll be that much better off than
this young man you're SO fond OFF,
Eyes, il he does nothing foolish in the
mean time; but have my doubts of the
financial stability of any man who can't
Wall street exists solely for the purpose of
absorbing such mems money"
"Mr Marge is no fool" said Mrs. Tramlay.
'He's no wiser than some veterans who
have had to leave their millions in the street
and live on their children forever after"
"The improvements company has only about
forty acres, believe you saidP'
"Just forty"
"And two Thousand an acre is the most you
hope fora"
Eyes"
"That would be eighty thousand dollars;
four into eighty goes twenty times, and"-
"If I'd known you'd such head for bust
ness would have asked you to put n house
keeper in charge of the family, so could
have your services at the office" said Tram
lay.
''Twenty thousand dollars would be very
little for Young man to marry on in New
York--and in our SET"
"Twenty thousand, and salary which l
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 thai his ia
ther should buy options on the continuation
of the ridge-there are several hundred acres
in all, distributed among different farms
and the old fellow has worked it so skillfully
that we have the refusal of it all, for year,
at a trining outlay in money. There's genu-
inc city business capacity in that young
mans head-ehf'
ut appears So" Mrs. Tramlay admitted.
This admission might have been of great
comfort to Phil could he have heard it. but