The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-10-02

high compliment, think. But there are
ether attractive men in the world be-
sides Mr.. Prime, and am going to ask
you, by and by, to tell me your opinion
IF our new Englishman, who is TO take
you in to dinner. He is only the Honor
able Ernest Ferrol at present, but when
his uncle dies he will be Duke Of Clyde.
my dear, and on dit he is looking for a
wife"
found the Honorable Ernest decided
ly agreeable. He had q fine figure, was
sX0feet high, with blue eyes and a lux
uriant chestnut beard. In his thirty
years he had lived and travelled every
where. reserving the States, as he called
them, for final jaunt preparatory to
settling down. He was making merely
a flying trip through the seaboard cities
after preliminary canter at Newport,
previous to doing California and some
big hunting in the Rockies but later
he intended to return and spend season
in New York and Boston society. His
name was for the moment on every ones
lips, and there was much quiet maternal
inquiry as to how long the old peer was
likely to last, for the Honorable Ernest
was said to be rather short Of money.
''He has fine forehead, and if one
specimen, said Aunt Helen ruminant-
ly, as we were driving home. 81 have
no fancy for them myself, but it is al
ways possible to shave them off; that's
one comfort"
OWNED of whom she was speaking,
but made no response.
How did you like him, Virginia."
"Mr. Ferroll? I found him very en-
tertaining," replied.
81 thought he seemed decidedly i'm
pressed by you. He scarcely kept his
eyes off you all through dinner. dom
blame him, for you were looking your
best Duchess of Clyde! You might do
worse, Virginia. They say he is anxious
to marry"
$50 Mrs. Tremaine informed me-"
"Did she really? That was very anna
BILE of her. especially as you are stran-
ger, and there must be plenty of girls in
whom she is interested who are setting
their caps for him. / could not help
thinking at dinner what handsome
pair you would make"
''One would suppose you were in
earnest, from your serious tone, Aunt
Helen"
"And so l am, so l am, quite in ear
nest. Of course should wish to know a
little more definitely about him before
| WI int
what I hear there can be no question in
regard to his title. If there were the
slightest suspicion of anything out of
the way concerning it he would never
have been at Mrs. Tremaine's, who is a
very particular woman, and knows what
she knows. He seems, so far as 1 could
judge, to be manly. right minded
young man. He told me that he shot
three tigers in India, and l observed
that he took scarcely any wine at din
ner 1t won't do, though, Virginia, to
dilly daily, for am given to understand
that he leaves in a fortnight for Cali
fornia to explore the west. But he is
coming back to spend several months
next winter, and if you do not throw
cold water on him now he may feel dis
posed to run on to Boston, in spite of the
efforts that will be made to keep him
here"
II feel very certain said 1, ''that he
will come to Boston for few days, as
he has letters to Aunt Agnes"
'sTo your Aunt Agnes? What do you
mean, child?' In her astonishment /
thought she was going to bounce out of
the carriage.
81 don't wonder you are surprised
Yes, the first question he asked was if ]
were not the niece of Miss Agnes Har.
Ian, of Boston. It seems that she and
his father made an ocean passage to-
gether great many years ago, when
they were both young, and the acquaint-
ance has been kept up by correspondence
ever since"
"Mercy on US! Your Aunt Agnes has
never said word to me about it,
1.-The Honorable Ernest's father is
quite literary, and has written one OF
two books on philosophy, his son says"
''That accounts for it, of course. Well,
well! to think of your Aunt Agnes be-
ing intimate with one of the nobility,
and having never mentioned the sub.
ject! l have always given her credit fol-
being an agreeable woman at bot.
tom if one could only forget her eccen.
tricities. But this is extremity fortunate
for you, Virginia. To be sure, there is
no knowing how your aunt will receive
him, she is so hostile to every one who is
is not as queer as herself. But she
must see, if she is not fool, what a
very advantageous match this would be
for you. 1t could do no harm just to
drop Mr.. Ferroll hint to humor her
little and seem fond of serious sub
jects at the start, for if she should hap
pen to take it into her head to ask him
to stay at her house it would be very
convenient"
These sentiments were frequently re-
iterated by Aunt Helen during the re-
naming weeks of our visit, and it must
be allowed that the attentions of the
Honorable Ernest soon justified hel
urgency, seeing that she really believed
it was matter of vital Importance for
me to become the future Duchess of
Clyde. Nor was [ at all sure myself
that if nothing else turned up might
not be tempted by the brilliancy of such
a position. Not that thought about il