The Cook County herald., 1893-09-30
A CHANGE. OF ROLES.

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A: CHANGE. OF ROLES.
You might call the will anything
you choose-ridiculous, antiquated
in spirit, grasping in its post.mortem
desire. to keep the hard-earned money
together; more fit for a monarchy
and it's systems of entailed property
than for a free republic. But the
facts OF it remained. &&Old Selah
Meadows had had a, stiff-necked will
of his own in life, and q stiff-necked
will Gn another sense) he exhibited
after isEdeath- His brothers. child
and one ofshis sisters children should
marry each other; then the money
would all go to them and the Mead
ows dynasty would continue and go
down to posterity surrounded by
wealth. If this marriage were not
carried into effect the bulk cf the
fortune should g ito Baptist missions
and Baptist temperance. societies.
What Lydia Thrall and Benedict
Meadows might get would be a very
small matter. =
The will did not designate Lydia
especially. But, most assuredly, it
was his younger niece whom Selah
had had in his mind when he planned
the marriage Of his nephew Bene-
dict. To begin with, the two young
people had fallen, the summer before
Selah's passing beyond, into gay
filtration, when both, at the same
time, had been visitors at the old
homestead. They had appeared to
endure each other so well during
those lazy summer weeks that moth
ing was more natural than the sup
position that they could endure each
other through life. Moreover, Vesta
Thrall could not be reasonably
thought of in connection with matri-
mony. She was only two. years
older than LYDIA. But she had, it
was generally understood, elected for
herself a career. She was strong
minded, wore reformed garments, be-
lieved in the purifying effects of
feminine influence in public life and
J . Was IN Toto, Jt1e species of girl
whom old Selah Meadows had es-
pecially abhorred. '-@S' y *>z:' -
Hanged if / blame him, either"
said Benedict to himself II wonder
how much of the reformed female
shall have to stand in the xtweek?
She will chaperon little Lyd, sup
pose, and be eternally in the way"
Here, the young man sighed. But let
it be confessed that the sigh: was not
oceasioned by the prospect of the
presence of the elder of, his two
cousins, whom, indeed, since his
early childhood days.. he had never
seen. He was,- as he drove up the
. long, odorous lane.r between the
blossoming :hedgegrass, toward the
homestead where the sisters had
taken up their abode: thinking of
Lydia, with whom he had 1irted and
OF his marriage OF course Lydia
was dear little creature and would
probably make a good wife; and, two
years after the wedding day, was not
one good wife the same as another?
The Meadows money was solid and it
would be the rankest idiocy to allow
bit OF foolish sentimentality to
stand in the way of acquisition of it.
Still-still-
The thought was not completed, for
the carry-all halted at the homestead
gate. The house looked cool and
white under its spreading elms. A
young lady in a loose and undefnably
picturesque semi-masculine dress was
coming toward him over the lawn.
she had short hair, whose crisp waves
showed the contours of remarkably
Well-shaped head and a pair of ex-
tremely steady. frank and wide-cpen
eyes, whose brilliant glance was fixed
upon his face. AS he jumped to the
ground she put out her hand in a
boyish way and said promptly in clear
tones, distinct, well-modulated and
OF striking feminine softness and rich
ness:
':You are Benedict Meadows? OF
course you are. l remember your
face well as a boy and see the re-
semblance. l am Vesta Thrall. Come
in the house. Here Jim, take the
gentleman's satchel. carry it up to
the guest-room on the second floor.
Tell Mrs. Kinnick to see that tea is
served promptly. Mrs. Kinnick is
our housekeeper;" this. to Benedict.
Lydia, as you doubtless remember
from last year when you were both
stopping. with Uncle Selah here in
the old place, does not care for house
keeping. And I am too ignorant of
domestic matters to act as supervisor
myself, I am q little ashamed of it,'
she smiled of q sudden, and he saw
all OF her. sound, white, sparkling
teeth. 'sBut my life has been so
busy in other ways! And then, as I
never intend to marry, I did not
think it SO important to acquire the
house-wifely arts With Lydia it is
different. am determined that she
shall not be an incompetent wife. i
have prevailed upon her to take cook
ing lessons Of Mrs. Kinniek. I