Arizona silver belt., 1893-11-04
LOVES STRATEGElI.

The warm light of a Julymorning sun streamed through the widely opened French window of the well furnished breakfast apartment of large villa res iGenee at Dulwich, named "The Cedars." i"
 Tho inhabitant and ownor of this resi- denco was a widower between 90 and 60 years Of age, a building contractor named Csrubber lis ward and niece, Miss Eva Vernon, and four female serv- ants resided with him.
 Mir Grubber was a hard, stern man, a self made man he called himself. whose wife soon after his marriage had como into a fortune of e50,000, which enabled her husband to rise from the position of u builders foreman to that of master builder and contractor.
 At the time at which this story is opened Mir. John Grubber, whom all his acquaintauces and employees would in. sist upon calling Mir. Money Grubber, had alnassed 8 large fortune and had been q widower for 20 years.
 Ten years after his bereavement his only sister, Mrs. Vernon, diedi leaving him the guardian Of her only daughter, Eva, ohila then of 10 years of age and possessing fortune of e20,G00 in her own right,
 Hard, stern man that he was, John Grubber did his duty to his ward, and it was not til she had reached the ago of IS that she left school to become the lnis- tress of her uncle's establishment at Dulwich.
 It was q strange contrast that the m. cle and niece presented on tlrs beautiful morning iu the month of July as they sat at hrealfast some two years after her home coming to her uncle's house.
 At one end of the table sat the man of business perusing the market article in the morning paper, his iron gray hair standing erect on his head, lis heavy eyebrows contracted over his small, dark piercing eyes, and his iron bound chin extended 5y his tightly pressed and seam puckyred lips.
 Eva who sat opposite to him in her neat morning wrapper, with wreath of Uuc0iled golden hair falling over her smooth white neck and shoulders. seemed 10 have fixed her liquid eyes on space while she toyed airnlessly with her spoon tu tho cup.
 Her thoughts were certainly not with her immediate surroundings, or she would not have started 50 violently or colored so deeply when her uncle ex- claime.. in his sharp, gruf voice;
 'Coufuund it, bricks have gone up 8 shiliings thousand, and I have just taken that big contract for the new board school
 What did you say, uncleG" asked Eva, shaking of the reyerie into which she Lad fallen
 Say" replied tho other testify. "l said bricks had gone up and sand and lime are bound 10 follow shall lose a thousand pounds on the job.
 hod the oIdgcntleman flung thepaper down on the breakfast table uud rose Go his feet,
 T inugt Dc of at once" he said, "and find out if all lLe yards have raised their prices, and f not l must secure the low est at once before they follow suit"
 Out you have not eaten your toast or drank your coffee, uncle, said his niece.
 Bother the eoifaei hang the toast, " he cried. Those who have not yet quoted SO high are sure to do SO when they see the paper. Imust go at oncc.r
 "ln co sorry uncle, said Eva as ho stood in tho doorway, T did SO wish you to Do at home this morning, thought perhaps
 "Iog must do your thinking while Pm gone he interrupted, Tt Is only fools who think; sane people act. If ] had stopped 10 think as women do, should not have been the successful man Of busi- ness l am. There, l cannot stop. not a minute, Confusion confounded! Only to think that the very day after I signed that contract that bricks should advance 3 shiilings q thousand, and cannot do with less than GOO loads"
 He dashed open side door that led into tho hall, and the next moment Eva Vernon, standing, with one white hand on the breakfast table, and her face, with half pained expression upon it, turned toward the doorway through which he had passed, heard her uncle exclaim in sharp, angry tones;
 Jane, fetch mo 2 cab. ] cannot wait for the brougham. There, if you must wait to put your hat and boots on, I'll get one myself"
 And then Eva heard the front door bang, and sho knew that her uhcle had gone.
 She sank down upon her chair with a sigh, and with her clasped hands resting upon the edge of the table she said;
 How unfortunate that anything should have occurred to annoy uncle this morning l had hoped so to be able to keep his irritable temper in abeyance till Arthur had told him the story of our love and inplored his consent to our union."
 What, weeping, dear Eya?p
 Ii was a rich, manly voice that utter ed the words as it's possessor strode through the open French window into the room.
 Eva, whose forehead had sunk down upon her clasped hands, looked up and with glad cry caught the extended hand in both her own.
 Arthur she said.
 "Yes. dayling. it is I, yonr ever de. voted lover. But why are your lovely eyes moist with tears, What has oc- cured to distress you? Has your uncle been angry with you?"
 Not with me, Arthur" she replied as he placed his arm around her waist and gently touched his lips to her forehead. ''He saw something in the paper that an noyed him, and he has gone away in hot haste and in anything but agood temper, and could not but feel howunfortunate that anything should occur to upset him on the very morning when we arranged that you should submit to him so mo. mentous question IS to his consent to