Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-16
LUCY'S LOVERS.


anaitens. Besides Lucy was really sweet
enough and pretty enough and adorable
enough 10 nonopolizs the attentions Of
any number. OF these two SWANS one
was al elderly swain-tnat il, II the col
hector II a district Oh two thousand and
s,me odd hundreds Of rupees month
and a fund OF the most liberal nature
can properly u called a swain az al,
which i doubtful he was d coed fel-
low. was JOAN McAllisfer, but al least
twenty years 0lsisr than Lacy, and, what
Was more 20 the poilr, very p-iIn and
s1itf and solemn and seTious and IN fact
destitute Of not only appearance, but 1ne
Thoughts AMI ways II youth.
Aad 50 when Colonel Watson cited
instances z tae happy marriages lie had
seen between elderly gentlemen and
youthful las t-s--he used occasionally 10
draw On as imagination u Attle-POOr
Lacy wiGld p4-s Slsly reply:
Yes, papa. bat it isn't his age; that's
nothing. nothing -oh, Lucy, Lucy
'-but he's 50 OH in his ideas and habits;
he has nothing IN common with a girl
And then there would be little break
down ia the Voice, aud tear would fall
on the colonePs hand. and he woald
turn gwaY 10 sInoke . cheropt and make
the best OF It. for hs did not want 70
force his child into q dlstasteful mar
riage; he was TOO fond OF her for that;
but with SIX sons ranging from fifteen
10 hye, that his one daughter should
marry a well 10 do man WAS distinctly
desirable.
Pensions were good Ia those days, but
eyea II. 100 year seemed small with
such a troop of boys 10 educate and put
into tie world And then there was
title Of debt which McAllister would
bur what was the use Of thinking about
1t If il would make little Lucy unhappy:
IL Is almost supeFfluous 10 say that the
other adorer. whom Lucy did like, was
a hopeless ineligible. George Farleigh
was a subaltern IN her fathers regi-
raent, OF about five years service. A
fine young fellow. good at sports, bat
with absolutely no prospects. There
was no chance of the adJutancy falling
vacant for long time. and there Were
ao departmental openings, so far at
least as he was concerned.
In a small, up country station these
two had many opportunities Of nseeting,
and 70 DO them justice they took advan-
tage Of all they could get. But Lucy was
not without n mixture of sound, COM
mon sense, and she would not pledge
herself 10 George until he could show
some reasonable grounds for believing
that his position would soon justify mar
rage; she would not listen to the idea
"A
Matters were thus at deadlock, and
there seemed no hope OF a solution.
Months passed by. weary months to al
concerned Then all of a sudden came
change. The new governor general
arrived in the country. and it SO hap
pened that in former years he had
known Georges father rather init
mately. The natural result followed.
For boy who had passed nothing but
the higher standard IN HindoostaDee it
was not possible 20 DO much at once,
but still he might be tried. 60 down
came the offer OF semipClitical APP
pointment in "A native state for SIX
months. tho continuance OF which was
to depend on Georges progress and abil-
ity
"Now. mind, You ara not 70 write 10
ms unless | write % you first. Papa
would bo very angry IL you were TO write
direct 20 me. and Of course won't have
anything done ia a roundabout way.
When write 70 you. II do write at all.
sir. then you may answer"
So, half crying, half laughing, Lucy
diErsiesed him. and both the colonel and
McAibster said goodby with a sigh OF
relief. The sagaciOus Lncy had areason
for the condition she imposed. Over
and above the difficulties Of a CORE
spondsuos 70 which ber fsxher would
object. she wanted to test her lover
Married ladisss often prone 70 dismal ad-
vice had sniflinSiy told hsr of the IncoD-
STACEY Of man. and she had also read
about IL in novels AMI poems, 50 she
thought that an experiment should be
made.
''Ff we begin by writing - each other.
she argued 20 herself, che won't hsve 3
chance II forgetting me, but. II there IS
no communication between Us for some
time. then that vii show whether his
affection Is sincere
hs-AN aftatH "a ettF aftAAsr A''Ns AA'ittF~.
NcApster could make the running at
his own pace, bat somehow he never
seemed % gst any nearer the winning
poss.
But the three months never passed.
for one fna day the colonel. with a
white face and broken bones. was
hroughs back IN dbooly from the
rarais ground fhis horse had falleuk
and though the bones were soon mendesl
complications set IN and The doctors
ordered Aim home internal iaiuries,
never ret right IN this places voyage vvlli
give him strength. etc Then The Poor
Snsn told Lucy that shs really bad bet
ter make Nd her mind. that be could N
affC-8 ths expense of taking her - Eng
Land ami reminded her thSf she did not
~ GA To-, easily with her sfep'aother.
wts wss bckBg sf-er the boys Aud
I.oev Ii3 make up her mind Size wfots
strasght 90 George that very afternoon,
sizing him everything
Il bore lt isa 6 very unusi1ealT. dear.
hus there il 90 tinse - stand upCn for.
u,shfiss. II ron snIl care for nie-i'
y,-u ahink yeur position sufficiently hope
ri 81 iastfF marrying. conae iown A.
cn-e ar write. But iF'-here a tesr