The Dickinson press., 1893-08-19

she lett the boarding house II should
feel She had lost Il dear friend.
The daylight faded. the glow of the
fire alone lii up the room. IL WAS Very
quieI. Very romantic. that still Sunday
afternoon in the easy drawing r,om.
and somehow " other. l yielded TO
The iu:iG,lrr nf The scene. and laid
my hand and hra-' n, tho feel nj that
pretty and prosecuted Young lady. the
prospective p"S>cS$or nj t-s,.Nst.
Sh" sail il MAS Very Su:isn-Sllc
hadn't Thought nj il in that light
would | give her the night 10 think over
III" position.
of course | could only consent.
Hn, lha nrNt day She came 10 me
ami pun The affair M quite Il business
footing.
"irS-if | would help her Ia get her
s:n.e't. >i.r would he my wife"
OF course. | replied that l would
sacrifice my whole life III advance her
welfare and her happiness.
il didn't WANT mn l" sacrifice any
,lin.-shc only wanted me. and oh.
She lmr it - imocrn'ly and 81 mrtiily
h only wanted me- Ia sign her dead
rriaiiv"S name To that unfortunate let
ter.
did il.
| WAS 4 f"ol-a madman-a rascal.
IN, ! did ii. | did it that night up in
my oNn room with Il copy uf the old
Ecnti"n'an'S signature i'll front of me.
l did it >lillfully and clcverly. and l
showed ii to her with Il certain amount
of r:i.i".
She sail it WAS wonderful. l had
miN,'i ~ ink SpirnslidlN. and had
made the signature look us old as the
body IF 1lr letter.
She 1oa's it from me. and MI that
night | never closed my eyes. The
moment | WAS quiet and by myself I
saw the folly. The wickcdIrSs. the
Criminality Of my let.
In the morning | managed Ia get Il
few words with her alone. l begged
her To .ivv me tho letter hack.
Sh" laughed III me-no mnckinsly-
hut in ~ nice. innocent. girlish way.
How sI!!...' l WAS. She didn't intend I o
Use IL, ,si:"f. SHE wouldn't think of
such Il tl"nS. Only l had told her how
clever l %:S ut initiating handwriting.
and 81" li"Mshl SHE Would try me.
| a"r2;,itsl the explanation. hut l
should have been Il great deal happier
If she had given me The letter back.
Still | comfortcd myself with this
thought. Ii The trial did not come on
| would tell her that if she attempted
to put the letter in evidence | would
60 10 tho other side. declare that l had
done it as IN experiment, and clear
myself of amy completely in Il criminal
offcnse.
Tina, idea cascd my mind. and l let
matters 80 on. and we continued our
courtShip.
About a fortnight afterwards Miss
Ellis appeared Il, dinner quite radiant.
She informed the company that her
cas- was settled without coming into
court. She Was to take taW.WM. and
the other relatives We're TO take $780,
OM. She had been magnanimous.
Everybody congratulated her. and l
was IL OF the first.
That evening we had Il little whiS-
pered conversation. and Miss Ellis
Marion l called her now-lcd me to
understand that as her cast was set
tied she wanted to leave London. and
so we might as Well be married.
The proposition for.a haSty marriage
coming from Marion rather startled
me. She had not up to the present
betrayed any romantic symptoms. and.
after all. our cu,lrtship had not been
Il hong one.
1 had Il vague idea that it would
be better for lis to know Il little more
of each other before we took this is
lcvc1ablc step. but Marion had an
nSwrr for every argument l put for
ward.
She answered mo that though she
had borne up through the long worry
and anxiety. now that the natter was
settled she was beginning to feel the
reaction. and it was absolutely neccs-
sary for her to have n change. She
told me that sl. didn't care to 20
away and leave mo at the boarding
house. and she confessed that shr WAS
anxious not to lose NY society.
The man who can resist Il wOman'S
arguments is not an every day man,
and l. alas. was only Il vcrv common.
Ilate specimen of male humanity. So
| consented. and il r:S arranged that
| should take the necessary preliminary
steps.
went to the registrars office armed
With the information Marion WAS good
enough to give me with regard to her
self. and gave the usual notices and
filled up the usual papers.
didn't like the look of that registry
Office ut all. 1t was dreadfnlly cole
and checrless and prosaic. and there
wasn't III atom of romance about tho
deputy registrar.
The registrars clerk was goo(
enough to inquire if | should lrin:
my own witnesses. and when l Sait
/ didn't think 50. he explained tina
the article was always kept on thu
premises.
| thanked him and asked him TO ar
range with the witnesses retained OF
the establishment to he present. al,t
then | returned and informed Marinl
that all was in order. and that mt thu
expiration of the time requi""d by TIT
law all we had to do was to attend Il
the office and get the business through
Three weeks afterwards. Nn lef
the boarding house after the other
l left fist. and waited at the cOrnc
of the street till Marion joined lle.
No one had the fnint,St sl; itiol
that two of the boarders had just gon
out to get married.
The registry. Office was some LIT:
distance, aud as we walked 'lon;, on
conversation WAS anything but roman
tic.
DO what l would | couldn't help fee
ing that | WAS taking Il false step, an,
yet | had not the courage to 'ctreat.
Nlicu WV NitulC w iuS' 'tooh ~ ~
Office, | felt inclined to take to III
heels and run away: but masterln
this feeling of c%owaruicc, followc
the lady in.
Marion was remarkably cool and co
lcctcd for Il young and blnshing bride
She answered the few questions put
her in Il firm voice. and when the GER
mony-procrss would be a better wol
Was ovcr we both signed IL name
and the witncsscs-one WAS the clrl
and the other WAS the cllarwoman, WI
|. swept up the registrars otticc-siSnt
: theirs, and W. We're man and Wife.
l. l gave the witnesses five .Shillin:
1 each. II Offering Marion my ARM, Il
t her out into the street again.
l. 1t had begun to rain, and so l opent
Il my umbrella. but the rain increased
Il such an extent that we had to stal
ly up in IL doorway and wait till the sho,
H. or had passed.
Standing in that doorway, with Il
err wind beating i'll III faces, i felt IL !
'ss tie Quakins ut the heart. 1t seem