Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-04-21

into Howland's face and hastily MUIR
INJURED; Father wants mo % marry
him, but / won't; I1lmarry you. Be sura
and write often and don't stay so long"
she pleaded as she raised her face for a
farewell kiss.
The next morning old Marsden said t.
his 'ughter with an inquisitivo look
crrg Hinton didn't stay long last
night, did her
mo, answered lucia, mot very
long"
did he ask you TO have himT' added
the old man.
Eyes, father, he did" answered Lu
cia, but / told him l couldn't"
Told him ye couldn't" screamed
the old man. "Why couldn't yer
Because l don't love him" said thu
daughter, looking her father steadily il
the eye.
"Love him, Lucel / tell We peopl,
don't marry for love. They marry t.
make a good thing. When they get tn,
worst Of it it's like any other bad bar
gain; but young Hinton has money and
Luce, you'd better change FOUR mind
and send him word that you like hin
well enough. III give you a good start
and you'll find out that you have 1
pretty good old dad after all"
Lucia kissed her father, but replied
"Not him. lean never marry him."
The years crept slowly by and brought
their usual round of bright and cloudy
days. Lucia had grown taller and
nor beautiful. Her father was still a.
grasping as ever. 81 agree with you
Luce" he used TO say, "there'sn no special
hurry; but you drop them almost toe
quick sometimes, IL seems to me-" Ont
day he hobbled into the loom whert
Lucia sat at work and said in a severe
low tone: 81 hear that you get letter.
from that Ang Rowland. Is it truef"
II have received letters from him.
Lucia replied, land he is doing very
well, l understand"
81 don't care how he is doing. That
feller'n die poor" growled the old man.
He went outside and sat down on tho
garden bench. "Tll see Cicely," said
he, with a crafty look on his face.
Cicely was the girl who sorted and dealt
out the mail at the village po~stofice.
Not long after this Lucia ceased roceiv
ing letters with a California postmark.
Time passed and it was now nearly
ten years since Lucia and Angus had
stood at the garden gate and said good.
by. Old Marsden had fallen into astat6
Of dependency so utterly abject that
Lucia was sometimes on the point OF
yielding to his wishes, but she Thought,
'I1l wait awhile longer; something has
happened or he'd never have broken his
word"
One day her father called her to him.
He was unable to get about the house
now, but lay propped up in his chair all
day with his eyes closed, a very unhappy
old la "Luce," said he, 'Ill make
short work of it. The last investment !
made l staked all and l lost. It was tho
first time, Luce, and your father has
had many a bargain in his day, but this
time has outdone them all. In a month
from now we won't have a house to cover
our heads. 1 hoped this sickness might
hurry me of, but 1 see it's going to give
me time, and I'll have to go to the poor.
house, Luce, unless" and the old man
looked at her pitifully, "unless you savd
your old dad"
"Tll work for you!" cried Lucia.
"You shall never go to the %poorhouse. y
And she was more tender in tho care OF
her father after that.
One day as she stood near her faYoritG
bed Of flowers sadly thinking how soon
she would have to leave them, a voice
broke the silence Of her meditations.
II beg your pardon, but your flowers
look very pretty and l had to stop to adj
mire them" and looking up Lucia saw
q tall, well dressed gentleman standing
at the garden gate. 81 raise q great
many flowers myself" said the gentle
man, land I always take an interest in
them, but l live in a flower country
where they grow much more luxuriant-
ly than here"
Lucia gave a startled LOOKOUT no,
how foolish; it couldn't be he. Angus
Howard could never have developed into
such a handsome man.
II declare, Luce, you don't know me-"
said the gentleman with a smile.
"Oh, Angl know you now, for you
speak with your old voice, but you have
been away n long time"
"You stopped writing, and 1 read in a
California paper that you were mar
RED" said Angus; 'but recently /
learned that it was a false report, and /
am here once more to ask you to be
mine"
Father, this gentleman wishes to sec
you" said Lucia, as she ushered Bow
land into her fathers room. The old
man opened his eyes and murmured.
"Well, have a chair"
81 understand that you have suffered
a misfortune" said tho gentleman
kindly.
The old man groaned. "I1l have to
die in the poorhouse; there's no help
for it."
1T may not be so bad as that" said
the gentleman.
The ola man turned on him hercely.
what 10 you want with rue, I'd like
to know Amt IL bad enough to be
ruined, bur a lot Of vultures have got to
come and hover around me before I'm
deadf'
II have been investigating the mat
ter" said the gentleman, ''and ] am
sure that it is not SO bad as you think,