Mower County transcript., 1890-03-19
WHICH GIRL?
The Provision in the viii That
Proved q Puzzler.

Louis Worthington sat behind the
closed doors of his newly-acq uired Office
and struggled with his thoughts. How
full of hope seemed this great wealth
that had come to him SO unexpectedly,
after youth of mere competence! And
yet the condition! No one dreamed of a
condition, not even his mother. When
his old uncle had died suddenly, and on
the reading of the will it was discovered
that Louis was sole heir, every one felt
that he must be happy. Here he was in
possession of the great iron mills and
other properties, which every one had
expected would go to charities, since old
MIR. Worthington had always professed
the greatest dislike for his brothers
widow and her son. There was no dis
appointed relative to make Louis life a
burden, and how could he help being
content? But they did not know the
contents of that awful letter the lawyer
had handed him, marked: ''For my heir
to- be opened Immediately after my
DEATH" A few instructions as to the
mill business, deal of advice as to his
general conduct in life, the grimly char
acteristic reason for his magnificent be-
quest, that ''if the last Worthington
could be saved from going to the dogs,
so much the BETTER" and then this dread
full sentence, that seemed to stand out
in letters of fire as Louis gazed on the
blank Office wall:
"And for all this, only one condition.
If within six months you are not en-
gagged to be married. and in one year
are not married, shall expect you, on
your honor as Worthington, to divide
School and Harvard University, for
don't believe man can be successful in
life unless he has smart wife before
he is twenty-six or seven.'
"A smart wifep' And his nephew
thought of the poor little married
woman he dimly remembered as Aunt
Susan. A smart wife! What Yankee
his uncle had been! And was that not
like him too, that he, Connecticut man
born and bred, should leave his money
to Harvard, in case of his nephew's de-
fection? And he had known it would
be doubly bitter for Louis, who had such
innate love for his own Alma Mater.
Yale. But how could he fall in love to
order? He was far too honorable to
think for an instant of marriage with
out love. And yet it would almost
break his mothers heart to give up the
fortune she had so priced for her boy.
And being healthy-minded American
young man, he had no special desire to
give it up, himself.
At least he need not tell her yet, and
he must try to find some girl he could
care for. So, sitting at his uncle's old
desk, he thought over all the girls he
could remember in his boyish days,
mechanically writing their names on a
great sheet of business-paper. After
his college life he had travelled two
years abroad as a Observation-Disclosures he
always called it, in college phrase-of a
Western youth. He had enjoyed these
years, for the boy was bright, but now
the latter had come home for college,
and just as Louis was looking for an
other position his uncle had died. So he
could have only childish recollections
Of Trainville, where he had seldom
spent college vacation, and finally his
list narrowed down to three:
Virginia Black.
Mary Crawford.
Jessie Bancroft.
These he knew to be refined and edu-
Gated girls. He did not think of en-
larging his list by girls outside of Train
vile, for he did not know one who
might fill the place he wished; and why
should he go elsewhere, anyway? One
of these girls would do as we'll as any.
He sat some time longer in thought,
then tore up the sheet OF paper, left the
Office, and walked rapidly home. He
and his mother still occupied the old
house until the larger ore his uncle had
built should be thoroughly reftted and
ready for them. His mother was only
too glad to see him home early, and