Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-25
HIS FIRST SUIT.


was the problem that puzzled the people
or Squalacket, and they were no nearer to
a solution at Christmas than they were in
July when, one oppressively hot morning
Mabel's place at the breakfast table was
vacant, and Deacon Stone learned from "A
servant who had been kept awake by a
toothache, that his daughter had arisen at
O'Clock in the morning and gone out hur-
riedly into the gray dawn.
She had not returned at nightfall, and
when it was ascertained that her aunt in
New York, whom she frequently visited
was ignorant OF her wherea bouts, and that
her brother, who was trying to build up
medical practice in Boston, had not seen
her or heard from her. dark suspicion
arose in Squalacket that she had run away
with Philip Mesmer, for Squalacket was a
New England town, and every inhabitant
in it had grown weary comparing his or
her own goodness with that Of the neigh
bors, and arriving at "A comfortable, If
somewhat monotonous conclusion, that the
home virtues were a little purer and rather
more securely rooted than any others
II there is such n thing as an excess Of
righteousness, Squalacket knew what II
was, and ripple Of wrongdoing appear
ing upon the otherwise unruffied surface
of its purity was like a little flavor Of
onion lurking in a bowl Of salad half
suspected, " It animated the whole So the
people Of the straitlaced town were per
haps unduly hasty In grasping a forbidden
fruit when they declared, with something
nearly approaching unanimity, that Philip
Mesmer and Mabel Stone had eloped
To be sure, the circumstantial evidence
was strong against the young couple
Philip was only twenty-five, and though
all his friends said he had in him the max
ing Of great lawyer, he had not yet been
called to the bar This would not have
mattered greatly. because his life lay be
fore him. and his crusty old uncle allowed
him enough money TO cover his bare eX-
penses. with the provision that it should
all be returned with accrued interest and
by increasing installments as soon as his
profession began to yield him an income
But Philip, though not yet a barrister,
was too good a lawyer TO be ignorant Of the
dangers Of delay lie had already, he
hoped, carried one suit to a successful issue.
Il was a suit for Mabel's hand in marriage
and the young lady had rendered judgment
in his favor But Deacon Stone had re-
viewed this decision, reversed it and
thrown Philips case, on motion Of appeal,
out Of court. He said his daughter was
his heiress, and as he was a rich man, no
penniless young fellow. on the strength Of
his expectations, should marry her.
Philip. however, was not easily non.
suited. At a last interview with Mabel,
before he went back to Philadelphia TO
digest more law, he offered to release her
l. t.trF ulal
was not the sort Of girl to take advantage
of his generosity, and perhaps he knew
that before he exercised it. Love especial
" love with profound knowledge Of law
behind it) is rarely quite unselfish. She
promised to wait for him, if necessary,
until time was no longer young, and he
assured her that he would return to Squa-
Jacket TO claim her as soon as he had mas
tered the contents Of his first brief, which
he expected with the new year; for he was
to be called to the bar about Christmas,
and in January the case of Colly versus
West would be tried in the superior court,
and Colly. who was a friend a. his dead
father, was pledged to retain him AS junior
counsel to show the jury that West had
cut down a tree which stood evenly on the
dividing line Of the West and Colly prop
critics. and laughed derisively and sour
rilously rallied at Colly for saying that his
half Of the trunk shuuld have been re
spected and left standing.
"And il that isn't a good case and sure
winner. darling" said Philip enthusiastic
ally. as he folded Mabel in his arms, 81
wonder what is. Don't you" Then he
kissed her again and said he wouldn't
weary her with the dry details Of the law.
II was very encouraging.
And thus hopefully they parted. Philip
went back 10 Philadelphia by night train
and Mabel returned to her fathers house
But the deacon gave her very bad half
bour after supper He said that Philip
was nothing better than a beggar depend
emf upon his uncles bounty; that he was a
mean fellow and too dull to succeed at any
bar except marble topped one with bot
ties behind it and somebody with him be
fore it TO pay his reckoning. He said
many other things about her lover that
Mabel. being high spirited girl. could not
= stand at all.
She went TO her room when she could
restrain her tears no longer and when she
had locked her door aud relieved her heart
with such tears as she had not shed since
her mother died. twelve years before, she
decided that she could never again have
home until Philip made one for her. She
had promised her lover that she would
never marry any other man. but she had
also promised her father that she would
not wed without bis consent. The situa-
tion was rather conflicting and only one
thing was quite clear 10 her-that was that
neither Philip nor the deacon should have
an opportunity TO urge her to break either
pIedae She trusted her lover, and she
trusted herself. and, above all. she had a
higher truzt that her dead mother ha.
taught her
So when she packed up few articles Of
clothing in a small handbag, counted her
savings. which amounted TO about seventy
Eve dollars, and stole away with the dawn
unobserved by any one in the house except
the tooth tortured servant, she felt lonely
and perhaps little frightened, but not at
all the guilty conscience stricken creature
that the deacon and most Of the pious PEG
pie Of Squalacket felt assured that she