The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-03-03

every MUCH" replied her brother
CURLY, and then sat looking gloomily
at the blaze.
Neither Of them spoke for some.
| minutes, till Lady Marston, who had
been watching her brothers face.
which was an open book to her. said.
"Jack, my dear old man, you've some
thing on your mind. What is it? We,
never have any secrets, you know.
Let me hear all about ii"
Col. Uppingham still sat silent, I'M
til his sister spoke again.
"You are unhappy, dear Jack" she
said. HAS Miss Courtenay anything
to do with it2"
Well, yes, Jessie. she has, he then
replied. ''There is no use making any
pretence about it. l confess that /
am desperately in love with that girl.
| never met any one yet who so thor
oughly realized all 1 wish for in a
wife"
Have you spoken to her?'
| mo. What would be the use. T
fancy she likes me fairly we'll, just as
she might like any man with whom
she was thrown in the same way, and
whose tastes fell in with her own.
But the mere idea of my asking her to
marry me is preposterous. She is
rich and very handsome and attrac-
tive, and know from Clara that she
| has had no end of offers; in fact, might
marry almost any one she chose. Is
1t likely that she would care for me-
she four-and-twenty, l nearly twice as
old?"
.There'sno saying. You might have
asked her, at all events. Was she
sorry at your leaving?"
81 really don't know. I found I
could stand it no longer, and so
made a bolt OF it early this morning
without saying word to anyone, and
only left a line for Clara, telling her
was coming here and would write.
I'm afraid she will think me very rude,
but positively dared not trust my
self any more with that girl"
| "Forgive my saying so, dear Jack,
but / really think you have been very
foolish. Whether girl accepts man
or not, she can only feel fattered at
his asking her to be his wife, and if
Miss Courtenay is all you believe her
to be, can't see why she should not
accept you-unless, indeed, she is al
ready engaged to some one else"
| 'NO, l can answer for it she is not.
| Clara told me so much the first even
ing was there. Ii isn't that: but I
can't make myself believe that even if
she fancied she liked me it would be
fair to let her marry a man nearly old
| enough to be her father, and with
nothing to offer her in return for all
she would give up"
| "Dear old jack" laughed Lady
| Marston. "You always were the most
humble minded, kind and generous,
as we'll as the most chivalrous, of
| men. DO you suppose that at four
and-twenty, and with all the oppor-
| tunities which you say Miss Courtenay
has had, she doesn't know her own
mind? You are not quite 40, so that
it's stretching a point to call yourself
| old enough to be her father. You are
well born, we'll bred, and have COM
| Portable means, SO she can't think
| you want to marry her, for her mon
ey. You are young for your age,
| both in looks and feeling. Your
harder, shoot straighter and throw
better fly than nine-tenths OF the
| gilded youths whom l ever come
across nowadays. Take my advice,
dear old man, and don't throw away
a chance of happiness for want OF
asking one simple straightforward
| question. Go and write q telegram
| at once to Clara, and say you are re-
turning tomorrow. She will under
stand, Pm certain, and if she thinks
it useless, you may be sure she'll tele-
graph back to advise your remaining
away"
Col. Uppingham shook his head.
mo, dear Jessie, it's useless to think
! of it. couldn't do it; it wouldn't be
fair. Pm too old. You must let me
stay on here with you for a bit, and
not mind my being very dull.
won't bore you more than 1 can
| help"
His sister could say no more, but
she was grieved and disappointed.
She knew her brother to we'll to urge
him further. when he was doing
against his inclinations what he be-
! lieved to be right. And so he stayed
on with her, trying his best to con-
ceal his wound, but proving himself
| somewhat melancholy and uncheerful
| companion.
Four years passed away, and Lady
Marston had come to regard her
brother as a confirmed old bachel-
or" when one day he appeared in her
house in London looking radiant.
'Well, JESSIE" he exclaimed eleeful-
| ly after greeting her with more than
the usual warmth, "It's all right after
all! She has promised to marry
| me-"
"She! Who?" exclaimed his sister
| in establishment.
"Why, Evelyn, OF course he an.
swered. 81 have never cared for any
one else. She was staying down at
Stonefield last week and somehow or
| other it came about. ! can hardly be-
lieve in my good luck, but so it is, and
| ! am very happy"
| "Dear Jack! Well, I am glad; but
she added, laughing. 81 thought you
were too old four years ago. Have
you grown four years younger"
| mo; but she-Evelyn-has grown
four years, older too, and every year
makes the difference between us less.
am sorry now that l didn't take
| your advice four years ago; but it
shows that we really do care for each
I >l1 -