The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-13
JERN INGHAM'S
ENGAGEMENT.

GCzTss WAS Ii hdlu fHS
~ only relation she had in the world
SS was distant cousin, and she stood
between him and 200 acres in ring fence
and an amount OF cunsuls that brought in a
clear e1OOo year The Court of Chancery
let the house and the park, and took the
greatest possible care of Kate Harley. 1t
gave Ler capital education and reason
able amount of pocket-money. and when she
reached the age of is the court provided her
with guide, philosopher and friend in the
intensely respectable person of Miss Sophy
Briggs. Sophy'S baptiSmal name was SOpho-
nisia; but she kept that gruesome secret to
herself and always signed herself Sophy.
And Sophy Briggs did her duty. She acted
as fai thful sheep dog and frightened off
tie wolves that dared TO cast their hungry
eyes ON Kitty Harley's pretty face and limp
little figure; for she had a pretty face, with
great clear honest eyes, a healthy COM
pleXion and glorious Chestnut locks with
CLINT of gold in them. Hers was the whole
some, happy beauty of guileless English
girl. She wasn't esthetic and didn't wear
hideous, shapeleSs garments of peacock
blue; her soul didn't hunger for woman's
rights and the divided skirt she wore No. 6
gloves and did her boot-maker credit.
When Kate Harley was 20 the Lord Chan
eelor. whom Kate had come 10 lock upon
by this time as a sort Of gloritied but in
dulgent father. decreed Che Lord Chan
eellor doesn't suggest, he always decrees)
that she should go and live, chaperoned by
the faithful Sophy Briggs, of course, in her
dead fathers old, comfortable Driek-built
mansion, not a hundred miles from West
gate-on-Sea, The young men of the neigh
borhood picked up their ears; their fathers
I'd r,,nfl -aix- ind 10
Everybody called, and lawn tennis, picnics,
dinner parties ami carpet dances were given
in honor of Miss Kate Harley by a great
number OF people, each OF whom invariably
secretly Informed Kitty that they had been
intimate friends of her dear dead father.
Two hundred acres in ring fence. a COM
Portable house. thousand year in consOls,
and pretty, healthy, Innocent young wife
into the bargain, were worth having; and
Kate had plenty OF offers before she had
been six months at home. The curate called,
asked her 10 take class IN his Sunday
school, popped the question to her within
the month, got his answer, and felt that he
would like 10 have communicated Kitty;
and from that day forth, whenever he heard
her name mentioned, he used to shake his
the mothers in the neighborhood agreed
that Mis- Harley was 'fanciiul." And
then the Fuslieers gave their big
ball at the hotel at Wes.gate, 10
WHICH hitty ana MISS BriggS were
invited; and she danced three times with
Captain Jack birmingham, who proposed TO
her within the month and was accepted,
handsome Jack having, as his brother off,
GERS put II, had a walk-over." The fact is
that Captain Jack was considerably smitten
al the FusileeTs' ball with Miss Harley, and
had declared the next morning at breakfast
that she was "a bright little, tight little
craft and when he met her on the Downs
two days afterward, as she was eareering
wildly on her pretty chestnut mare, and saw
her IN her riding habit, tina; finished him at
once, and, as have sad, he proposed to her
within the month.
Kitty was of age; Kitty was her own mis-
tess Jack birmingham was fairly well TO
do; there was nothing against him in the
regiment or ont OF it. He had no enemies,
he was two and thirty, and, altogether, the
proposed marriage was thoroughly unexcep-
iionable, thoroughly satisfactory for both
the hlgh-contraetlng parties. Handsome
Jack wanted to be married at once; he was
very much in love indeed-perfectly willing
to leave the regiment, burning to become the
happiest man in all the world-and if it
hadn't been for old josiah Parklebury of
Lincoln'S Inn, the pair would, doubtless,
have been married at once.
Better for them if they had.
Now, Josiah Parhlebury was Kate Har-
ley's solicitor; he was SO intensely respect
able that one wondered that he had no other
nimbus that his circular fringe of white hair
lie HaDllualiy wore white cn0ker, ana Kate
Harley had the greatest possible respect for
the old gentleman Ever since she had been
a child Josiah Parklebury had Inspected -
her twice year. by order of the Court of
Chancery, and Kate looked upon him as her
oldest and most faithful friend.
My dear" he said. the day he came down
by Miss Harley's desire to the old Manor
House, when she had Informed him, with
many bushes, of her engagement to hand
some Jack birmingham, "its a bad thing
TO do anything in hurry. Settlements will
have TO lie drawn; l shall have TO fight the
Dung gentieman'S legal advisers in your
interest, my dear, and I'd better make few
inquiries"
And then Kitty began to sob and grew in
dignant. But old Mr. Parklebury carried
result was perfectly satisfactory to his client
and himself; and it was finally arranged that
Kitty was to marry her handsome fusileer in
couple of months.
And then, as ill-luck would have it, the
regiment moved to Chelsea Barracks.
Now 1t must not be supposed for single
instant that handsome Captains Jack life
had been altogether devoid Of romance
Five years before, he had been madly in love
with his beautiful but penniless cousin.
Julia Waring; his love had been returned,
but old birmingham, Jacks father, had put
his foot down, with the result that Julia had
married General Currle, c. B., and had ac-
eompanied that wealthy and ill-tempered
Jci 10 lEuld. just ABOUT
the time that Jack birmingham met Kitty
Harley Tor the first time. Julia Currie re-
turned from India, wealthy widow and
the very first thing she heard On her arrival
was that her old friend, Captain Jack, was
going 10 marry a little girl from the country,
Julia Currie looked in the glass, was per
fectly satisfied with what she saw there, and
felt that she was more than match for any
number OF little girls in the country. She
was stopping at Hatchett's Hotel at the
inn and ha oat "A han a,,l
wrote note, Begging dear old Jack to call
upon his broken-hearted Julia that evening
at o'clock. And then she had the manager
ny, and ordered an extremely recherche din
her for two for o'clock.
We shan't drink anything else but cham
payne, she said to the manager; "let it be
Pommery Greno."
Jack was always fond of Pnmmery
GIeno, she thought to herself with sigh.
NOW, Julia Warning had been Handsome
off in the least. l don't say this in extern
uation of his subsequent villainy; he was
but man, after all, you know and we men
are. as rule, but as clay in the hands of
the potter when we come across the Julia
warnings OF this wicked world. What fol-
lowed IS not to be wondered at. Poor, limo.
cent Jack arrived, expecting to find mag
nlhcent wreck, surrounded by howling
beyy of puny children. He was agreeably
disappointed. Julia Currie washandsomer
over him, and then she began to talk of old
times, and those great black eyes of hers
sparkled at him through her crocodile tears.
You'll stay and dine with me, jack"
she said, In piteOuS voice.
Poor fellow! he could not refuse And
alter dinner she sang-that finished him. of
course, and for the moment he forgot all
about the poor little girl in the country.
Now, Julia Curries ideas on marriage
were totally different from those of old Mr..
HETKlRhlTVs m inn Tanl
birmingham. and she meant marrying him
at once; and before forty-eight hours were
over she had him on his knees, and, of
course, he swore that there was nothing he
wouldn't do for his dearest Julia. And
young Mrs. Cnrrie looked very charming,
indeed; she looked exactly like that touch
ing picture outside Messrs. J-'s catalogue,
which. for want of better title, we may
stone.'
,., wei then, jack said Julia Currie. ''as
it's all settled, you'd better 90 and break
with the little girl in the country"