The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-07-29

and his single blessedness more than
| anything else on earth. If ever wom-
an had stirred the region under his
shirt-front where his heart is supposed
to beat it was pretty, saucy, gay little
Dot Mayburne. And yet he had delib-
erately engaged himself to marry
sessed nothing in the world more valua-
BILE than wornout foot stool.
What a donkey he had been! And
how had it come about? Why was not
\ Bertha Marvale the heiress, as he had
| calculated upon? The old lady's money
| seemed not entirely accounted for,
either. Bertha had lived in the house
| for years, and he had deemed her per-
son of great good sense; yet she must
have bungled in her management some
how.
Then he burrowed deeper in his out
| stretched arms, and thought it all over
again. Suddenly bright idea struck
him. Did not people invariably, in
stories and romances, who had queer
old legacies left them knock them to
pieces, sooner or later, by accident, or
in fit of i'll temper, and find them
stuffed full of gold pieces?
This was certainly the solution of the
eccentric gift, and also accounted for
the missing wealth which every body
seemed so sure existed somewhere. He
sprang up and paced the room in
sprightly manner quite at variance
with his former moody demeanor.
Il will play the disinterested lover"
| he said; 81 will swear to be true. come
veal or come woe, and thus gain the
| appreciation of the entire community.
| I'll marry the poor, dlsinherited Bertha
| Marvale, and at the very first dawning
| of matrimonial infelicity I'll kick that
beastly footstool viciously across the
floor. Then won't be astonished to
see the papers and gold roll out? Won't
l clasp my fearful companion in my
! arms, magnanimously forgive her, and
| calmly take possession of her fortune?
What lucky idea of mine that was"
Miss Marvale was deeply gratified at
| being assured of her lovers devotion
and disinterestedness, and her spirits
and dignity rose in proportion. Indeed,
| she carried herself in the presence of
| her unpretending cousin as though she
were the heiress and Dot the insignifi-
cant possessor of a footStool. She
| claimed the right foreman in the house
which had been her home SO long till
| she should be married from il, and. as
far as appearances went, might as well
have been the mistress of Marvale
| Mansion.
Mr.. Horace rented a pretentious
house and furnished it completely. re-
| ferring with beautiful Difference to his
betrothed's taste IN everything.
''Be sure and bring your footstool,"
he said, playfully, land we will dedi-
cate whole corner to it. would not
| keep house without it for the world"
And Miss Marvale thought this very
delicate in him, as it might naturally be
supposed the stool would be a disa-
greeable object.
They were married, and tic wedding
was the ''event of the season" Dot was
not invited, but she was busily engaged
elsewhere, and did not mind the ne
glect: 2nd. when Bertha left the old
house to enter her brand new home,
Dot and her happy husband, Willard
| Hayes, moved in.
For a few weeks everything went on
smoothly. Mrs. Horace carried herself
with great deal of dignity, as became
the newly-wedded wife of well-to-do
money lender and the mistress of Il
| handsome new residence. Indeed. the
fashionable people of the place paid her
more attention than they did the real
| heircss, who was so little like a wealthy
matron that the fact was almost for
gotten.
Mr.. Horace bore his happiness quiet
| " and contained himself with patience.
Perhaps he was a little irritable in the
privacy of the domestic circle, but he
was only preparing for the grand mo-
ment when it would be appropriate to
| kick that beastly stool clear across the
J room" To be sure, he might have sug-
gested to his wife that they examine the
stool. and see if it contained anything
of value; but she would perhaps laugh
at his within. and would not allow it to
be spoiled, and when the wealth was
found she might suspect him of know
ing something about it and of marrying
her for it; and, as he rather preferred
peace to unnecessary squabbling. he
wished the discovery to come about ac-
cidentally.
At last, one evening, he found it
standing directly in his way. Bertha,
looking apprehensively at her hus-
bands stern countenance, fastened to
remove it, but he was too quick for her.
a well-applied and forcible kick sent
| it dancing across the room, where it
was shattered against the marble fire.
place. Mr. Horace eagerly sprang to
the spot, where Bertha regretfully fol-
! lowed him.
He did look at il in amaZement, as he
had often pictured himself doing, but
/ the amazement was very genuine He
graspcd each piece and shook ii fierce
~; he tore everything apart that could
be torn apart with furious haste.
Alas. 10 vainI At his feet lay heap
of broken mahogany. torn purple vel
vet and dusty notwithstanding more
nothing less
What do you mean? What did you
expect to fnd?" asked Bertha, with
trembling lips
Your aunt's legacy. I've been fooled
-trapped-I won't stand it. What
have you done among you with all her
money? She couldn't have carried it
with her"
Peter Horace was angry enough as
he strobe up and down the room to
have demolished forty ottomans, and
Bertha went into Mysteries on the sofa.
1t was a dreadful blow to her vanity to
think that she had not been married
for herself alone" after all; they had
a terrible scene, but finally a sort of
reconciliation yvaS Matched IN Roth