The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-12-13
LUCY'S LOVERS.

LUC1 y IOf LhO.
Lucy Watson had two lovers-this
would he an unfair allowance in these
days, but fifteen years ago there were
more marrying men in India and fewer
maidens. Besides Lucy was really sweet
enough and pretty enough and adorable
enough to monopolize the attentions of
any number. OF these two SWANS one
was an elderly swain-that is, if the col
lector of district ON two thousand and
some odd hundreds of rupees month
and fund" of the most liberal nature
can properly be called u swain at all,
which is doubtful. He was good fel.
low, was John McAllister, but at least
twenty years older than Lucy, and, what
was more to the point, very prim and
stiff and solemn and serious, and in fact
destitute of not only appearance, but the
thoughts and ways of youth.
And 30 when Colonel Watson cited
instances of the happy marriages he had
seen between elderly gentlemen and
youthful lassies-he used occasionally to
draw on his imagination Il little-poor
Lucy would piteously reply:
Eyes, papa, but it isn't his age; that's
nothing, nothing" Lucy, Lucy!-
y but he's so old in his ideas and habits;
he has nothing in common with girl"
I And then there would DO little break
down in the voice, and u tear would fall
on the colonels hand, and he would
:. turn away to smoke cheroot and make
Al, L, e - H. "a .
force his child into distasteful mar
! riage; he was too fond of her for that;
but with six sons ranging from fifteen
to five, that his one daughter should
marry well to do man was distinctly
=. desirable.
Pensions were good In those days, but
even 81, 100 year seemed small with
: such troop of boys to educate and put
{ into the world. And then there was a
i, tiifle of debt which McAllister would
but what was the use of thinking about
I it if it would make little Lucy unhappy
|, 1t is almost supcriiuous to say that the
other adorcr, whom Lucy did like, was
a hopeless ineligible. George Farleigh
= was II suhaltern in her fathers regi-
} ment, of about five years service. A
fine young fellow, good at sports, but
with absolutely no prospects. There
was nv eiiati'S VI 'iie ""J"."icS lHilii'S
, N"S"H' ~ io'i5 "i4i''' ""' 'i'ele were
no departmental openings, SO far at
} least as he was concerned.
IN IL small, up country station these
two had many opportunities OF meeting,
Z and TO do them justice they took advan-
tage Of all they could get. But Lucy was
: not without mixture of sound, com
q mon sense, aud she would not pledge
, herself to George until he could Show
some reasonable grounds for believing
y that disposition woall soon justify mar
G riage; She would not listen to the idea
of IN indefinite arrangement.
Matters were thus 1T a deadlock, and
4 there seemed 10 hope Of ISOLATION
Months passed by, weary months to AL
concerned. Then all OF Il sudden cam,
u change. The new governor genera
arrived in the country, and it 50 hap
pencd that iii former years he ha,
= known Georges father rather init
mately. The natural result followed
For u boy vino had passed nothing bu
the higher STANDARD in liindoo2tanee i
was not possible to do much Mt once
but still he might be tried SO down
came the offer of scmipoliticnl up
pointment in n naive state for 81
months, the continuance of which wa
, to depend On Georges progress and abil
lty.
lhefe was a fearful parting.
NOW llhd' you are NOT TO write I
me unless write to you ilrst' Pap
Would be very "nEryll You were to writ
direct to Inc, aud OF course | won't hav
anythlnS uohe III roundabout way
Whoh write TO YOU II 90 write at al
SIT, iheh you may answer
90 nan crying, nan laushlng' Lnc
alsill.seu NM anu Dolh me colonel an
McAillsIer sdiu Eoo"py Win sign g
releI. Inc sashclous Lucy hitl a reaso
ler Ihe cohallioh she imposed. owe
" ana above me ali4calties OF CORR
spohaehce 10 whleh her father woul
/. ohJect, she wanted 10 test her loFCi
Married LADIES' often prone to dismal az
vice hau sitllnngi$ tod her OF the lneoi
Ill slahcN OF man, ahd she had also rea
about II IN novels and poems, so sh
thought that an experiment should b
made.
II we begin by writing to each other,
~ she argued I" herself, he won't have
',l, y, ~ ,in nv D' II mere
go +I,a,, 49, IN -, -, ~
w aga.t;a,, !. 800" ~" y -" "t'e'''ot -
il "a IL a., H. 81, -, -.
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