Nevada County picayune., 1891-09-24
A RELATED PRESENT.

'Lamia, my dear" said MT Smith one day to his pretty daughter II can not see what there is that attracts you in pr Curious. The more see of him the less like the prospect of having him for son-in-law.n
 "Oh, he's just as good as any other man, papa and besides that he's got very good practice.
 That's quite beside the mark, La. mia. You know very well that am rich enough and willing to give you and any husband of yours sufficient to live upon, and what you want with a two, penny -halfpenny Sawbones l can't make out. tell you what it is, if you would only marry your cousin as wish, l would undertake to give you a better income than you will ever get with Curious"
 MT Smith had amassed large for. tune in New Zealand, whither he had been shipped off as young man forty years ago.
 What is the good, papa, of going on worrying about it2 I've promised to marry Charles Curious, and l mean to keep my promise, and there's an end of it. And Miss Lamia Smith flung her. self out of the room rather more out of temper than she otherwise would have been, because she was beginning to feel that her choice of husband had not been very wise one However. she was an honest, straightforward sort of a girl and was determined not to visit her fault on the innocent head of her tiance. Her heart was untouched, and she only looked upon marriage as means of freeing herself from the re. straints of home, and doubtless Charles Curious would make as good husband as anybody else,
 he was joined by her cousin, Michael Careless, for whom Mr Smith had the greatest affection and whom for want of son, he would gladly have made his heir He had always heard of Michael who was the son of favoritp sister, as being very promising lad and he had secretly determined, if he should prove as satisfactory as he hoped, to bring about union between him and Lamia. A year ago Michael Careless had made his first visit to Eng land from Canada, both his parents be ing dead, and in every respect he had come up to his uncles most sanguine expectations. But his advent was too late Only six weeks before his arrival his pretty cousin Lamia had engaged herself to Dr Charles Carius,
 Well, uncle, " said Michael as he en. tered the room, there doesn't seem much chance for me. think l had better be getting back to the land of the Kanucks'
 Upon my word, Michael, l am in clined to think your are right I've just been speaking to Lamia again, and she seems as immovable, if not more determined, than ever. By the by, did you dine with Carious when you were in town3
 "Oh, yes; l thought it was the civil thing to do, and, besides, I've no right to quarrel with him. He came and saw and conquered before was ever in the field at all. l can't say that l Iiko him, though doubtless he is clever at his profession, By the by, did he ever show you his fathers collection of curiostiesP
 No, never heard of it."
 Well, it appears that Dr. John Carious was a well known professor of forensic medicine, and held n retainer for what answered to the public prosecu tor of forty years ago, In that capacity many curious pieces de conviction, as they call them, think in France, passed through his hands Some of them were returned to the police, while others remained in his posses sion, and these with everything else having reference to his profession as a doctor, he left to any son of his who should adopt medicine as a calling, Oh yes, Curious has a splendid labora tory and library, besides this most fas cinating little museum of rather shastly curio,ities But to return to LaInia, uncle, do you really think she cares for the doctor|
 No, candidly, Michael, between you and me and the post, don't think she does a rap but still there's no chance of her throwing him over Shes made up her mind to that, and she'll stick to it. wish to goodness he would grow tired Gf her, but I'm afraid he knows which side his breads buttered too well for that
 After this there was pause, and the two men lit cigars and sat silent.