The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-02-17
LUCY'S LOVERS.

days, but ntteen years ago unefe were |
more marrying men in India and fewer
maidens. Besides Lucy was really sweet
enough and pretty enough and adorable
enough to monopOlize the attentions Of
any number. OF these two SWANS one
was an elderly swain-that is, If the col
lector Of district ON two thousand and
some odd hundreds Of rupees month
and fund" Of the most liberal nature
can properly be called swain at all,
which is doubtful. He was good fell
low, was John McAllister, but at least
twenty years older than Lucy, and, what
was more to the point. very prim and
stiff and solemn and serious, and in fact
destitute Of not only appearance, but .ns
thoughts and ways of youth.
And so when Colonel Watson cited
instances Of the happy marriages he had
seen between elderly gentlemen and
youthful lassies-he used occasionally to
draw on his imagination little-poor
Lucy would piteOusly reply:
Eyes, papa, but it isn't his age; that's
nothing, no$hing"-oh, Lucy; Lucy
but he's so Odd in his ideas and habits;
he has nothing in common with girl"
And then there would be little break
down in the voice, and tear would fall
on the colonels hand, and he would
turn away to smoke cheroot and make
the best of it, for he did not want to
force his child into q distasteful mar
riage; Ire was too fond Of her for that;
but with six sons ranging from fifteen
to FIVE, that his one daughter should
marry q well to do man was distinctly
desirable.
Pensions were good in those days, but
even 81 100 a year seemed small with
such troop Of boys to educate and put
into the world. And then there was
trihe Of debt which McAllister would
but what was the use of thinking about
it if it would make little Lucy unhappy
1t is almost superhuous to say that the
other adorer, whom Lucy did like, was
a hopeless ineligible. George Farleigh
was a subaltern in her fathers regi-
ment, of about five years service. A
fine young fellow, good at sports, but
with absolutely no prospects. There
was no chance of the adjutancy falling
vacant for a long time, and there were
no departmental openings, 50 far at
least as he was concerned.
In small, up country station these
two had many opportunities of meeting,
and to do them justice they took advan-
tage of all they could get. But Lucy was
not without a mixture of sound, COM
mon sense, and she would not pledge
herself to George until he could show
some reasonable grounds for believing
that his position would soon justify mar
riage; she would not listen to the idea
of an indefinite arrangement.
Matters were thus at deadlock, and
there seemed no hope Of a solution.
Months passed by, weary months to all
concerned. Then all of sudden came
o change. The new governor general
arrived in the country, and it 80 hap
pened that in former years he hsd
known Georges father rather init
mately The natural result followed
For a boy who had passed nothing bu
the higher standard in Hindoostanee i
was not possible to do much at once
but still he might be tried. So dow
came the offer Of a semipolitical ap
pointment in a native state for sil
months, the continuance Of which wa
to depend on Georges progress and abil
ity.
There was fearful parting.
"Now, mind, you are not to write t,
me unless l write to you first. Pap
would be very angry if you were to writ
direct to me, and of course | won't hav
anything done in IA roundabout way
When write to you, if do write at all
sir, then you may answer"
So, half crying, half laughing, Luc
dismissed him, and both the colonel an
McAllister said goodby with sigh O
relief The sagacious Lucy had a reaso
for the condition she imposed. Owe
and above the difficulties of CORE
spondence to which her father woul
. object, she wanted to test her Lover
a Married ladies often prone to dismal aC
vice had snifingly told her of the incoI
(, stancy of man, and she had also rea
about it in novels and poems, so sh
$, thought that an experiment should b
l. made.
- IF we begin by writing to each other,
I. she argued to herself, che won't have
I chance of forgetting me, but, if there
1 no communication between us for som
time, then that will show whether HI
] affection is sincere"
4 Left alone in the field, good, homes
McAllister could make the running {
his own pace, but somehow he nevt
seemed TO get any nearer the winnin
post,
But the three months never passed
for one fine day the colonel, with
white face and broken bones, WI
}, brought back in a dhooly from I'll
parade ground (his horse had fallen
and though the bones were soon mende
IA complications set in and the docto
= ordered him home-''internal injurie
never get right in this place; voyage wi
give him strength, etc" Then the pc,
man told Lucy that she really had be
ter make up her mind, that he could
afford the expense of taking her to En-
land, and reminded her that she did n
l.. L.. -, 4.