The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-01-22

purpose TO ne agreeaDle, DuU IL was nor
written that the talk that night was to
be pleasant to them. The aunt would
give lMe, at her highest confidence pitch
the details of her strategy to surround
Goodwin, the enemy, and of her cam
paign 80 crush incipient mutiny in the
White Mouse contingent That casti-
gated branch would vince at each fresh
sentence, while the conscious counle
from Piketon quietly stole chances at
each other and weakly strove to turn
the right of our position. But 1 had
taken a lesson from the team I had driven
into the snow bank that day When the
old lady's slackening pace gave symp-
toms of tagging, not the gray himself
could have pulled more furiously for
ward than I; when she gave faint evil
dence Of a bolt from the road, not sorrel
Jalap could have pulled more sullenly
backward. felt vicious in that atmos
phere of deception, as the beasts had in
the cold air, and reveling in a rhapsody
Of spite I felt it delicious to launch out
singing little ssmcasms as they had their
heels.
Coffee over, I became what would
have been uncomfortable, only Tom and
his lady aove seemed strangely uncon-
scious Of the force of what said. When
I was rather more spiteful than usual,
my tone rather than the words made
them look wonde,ingly at me with what
1 could not but feel a most criminal as
sumption of innocence. Finally the
hypocritical couple strolled to port
folio of rare engravings; the White
Mouse retreated behind the piano top
and played-very well, too-some Of
Memberships dreamy, moonlight-on-
the-snow music. Still the grandaunt
droned her monotone about marriages,
gave me minute narratives of all her
family's in the past, and, when my jeal-
GUS spite was rapidly yielding to sleepi-
ness, came back to her pet theme of the
White Mouse. I had. gone through all
the variations Of the fact that she, yield
ing to the ancient's will, had become
contracted in formal engagement to
the man Of twenty thousand a year,
but now I heard for the first time
that the marriage was to take place the
week after Christmas!
"And there is q serious reason, my
dear sir, to outweigh all sentimental
nonsense in Annals case. AS you say,
sir, so justly, there can be no happiness
without an incOme-none, STRIP The old
one laid her hand upon my arm; she was
becoming so confidential she absolutely
yelled, "What becomes Of love and SEN
timent and all that trash, I should like
to know, when bakers and butchers bills
begin to come imp
"You are right, madam-a Thousand
times right!' grew fervid; I glanced
at Jones. The engravings had ceased to
turn over now; his eyes were fixed full
upon his cousins, and his lips moved,
but inaudibly to me. His gesture,
though, was strong and imprisoned,
and even as looked those faces came
very close together At the moment his
was turned from me, but hers assumed
deep earnestness, the eyes filled and
gazed beseechingly into his; then his
hand pressed a moment the rose tipped
one that rested on the pictures.
God forgive me the bitterness that
crept into my heart then; but it were
hard to suffer more than I did at that
glance. When I spoke my voice sound
ed, through the dead silence of the room,
harsh and grating even to my own ears.
eyes, it is more than madness, it is
crime for any man to drag q woman
down to divide less than one could
starve upon with decency."
Tom had not one penny beyond his
pay, and that stipend from the fostering
government he was permitted to fight,
bleed and die for amounted to nearly
seventy dollars per month. I did not
stop at the moment to consider that my
income from legal pursuits at the bar of
Piketon was an average Of some sixty
five dollars less than his. But why should
1? I could never have plead to the in
dictment as to any old mans daughter,
as he and Othelio might. But my shaft
fell harmless He did not even hear me,
and perdition! the fellow hand to the
one he pressed came to the front and
rested on top Of his.
Meanwhile tire ancient gal by me
| SoIO" 4AO1 y ctIlSl 1AO4S CldCGu lIOlI
my sympathy, and Of course more and
more hopeless in her effort to Whisper
''It is a priceless treasure" she
screamed, "to have q child like mine-a
little self willcd sometimes, perhaps,
but combining affection with prudence
in a remarkable degree. She will be a
picture Of perfect happiness after he1
marriage with Mr.. Goodwin Moon.
light Sonata stealing from behind the
piano top was cut short in mid bar
''but fear, I fear"-the eyes of the old
Argus peered over her specs in the
direction from which 1 could not draw
mine-"my old friend Blythe is very i'm.
prudent, very, indeed. Those cousins
sir, are too much together
They heard this time. Dame Eleanor
Spearing would have heard.
Tom looked up. His face wore thai
expression of mixed feeling and anxiety
his broken conference had left; but vel
the eyes that shot glance at mine were
full Of arch amusement. AS I droppec
my gaze and crimsoned to nv ear tins
they again sought his cousins That
oval face was demure even to prinness
Its expression never changed as Tom
muttered something of which I only