The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-11-01

had so much Of what women call
''style, and he knew how to say nice
things, and to suggest new ways of
killing time, and TO occasionally pro-
vide pleasant surprises that cost
money! faculty which is quite as
rare among city youths, in proportion
to their numbers, as in any country
village. To be the wife Of such q man
would be to become social queen
so thought some pretty young women
whose knowledge came principally
from their day-dreams.
But Bruno seemed provokingly blind
to all intimations that there were
/ hearts at his feet, waiting only to be
| picked up; even when rallied on be
ing a bachelor he would escape by
laughing and saying that he was really
too poor to marry and do justice to
wife. This appeared strange to many
who saw how freely he spent money
when he wished to entertain party;
but he was always able to say truly
that a bachelors personal expenses
were comparatively trihing, while to
maintain home in good style in the
city cost a great lot of money!
statement which heads of families,
whether new or old, were always ready
to verify from the depths of personal
experience.
The truth was, that Brune had
started i'll life with firm determine
tion to marry rich or not at all, and
he was keeping himself faithful to that
purpose 1t cost him terribly, he
sometimes told himself, for he was
really susceptible fellow and his
heart got a new scar about once year
but he wasn't going TO win a girl
merely to have her taken from him by
a matter-of-fact father, who didn't
want his money spent by his daugh-
ter's husband He was in the market;
if any rich man wanted him for SON
in-law there was proper way for the
rich man to bring the affair about
provided the daughter was pleasing.
Indeed, Brune was obliged 70 elude
one brilliant opportunity to marry
money, both father and daughter be
ing willing and anxious but the lady
was a kittenish creature past forty,
while Bruno himself was little beyond
thirty.
But the god of love and the goddess
of plenty kept their eye upon him,
and there came time when they
seemed to join forces. Miss Adah
Moorhart, handsome damsel from the
far West, had set her heart on becom-
ing Mrs. Bruno, and, as she had been
accustomed to having her own way
about everything else, she did not in
tend to be thwarted in her one great
est desire. She had an able ally in her
mother, who held the family purse
strings and wanted just such man as
Brune in the family, her own husband
having amounted to nothing since he
inherited his fathers money. Being
prudent woman, she had interrogated
her bankers, Messrs. Holden & Trust,
very closely about Brune's business
and financial standing; but those gen
tlemen declined to say more than that
Bruno banked with them; his account,
though not very large, was never over
drawn; he had few thousand dollars
worth of securities in their safe; his
business was a commission business,
which, in New York, was term which
covered almost anything; but they
CHANGED to know that Brune's own
branch of it was of confidential ma
ture, and that all the checks he depos-
tied with them were drawn by houses
of good business standing. Behind all
this there seemed some mystery which
Mrs. Moorhart was determined to
solve; but the bankers pleaded bus
] TnnsE anrE1ana 4hafr Gov nt
going into particulars, unless author
lied to do so by their customer.
From that day Brune's fortune was
made, as he half suspected when his
bankers told him of Mrs. Moorhart's s
visit, for a woman of strong will and
abundant leisure will expend a lot of
both for the bliss of fathoming a mys-
terry. Certainly there could not be
anything wrong about Bruno, or some
one would know of il; no one who
knew him said anything but good of
him; besides, had he not always been
known as everybody's good friend?
Mrs. Moorhart tried TO make her home
even more agreeable TO him than it
had been, while the daughter let her
glorious eyes rest upon him from time
TO time in a manner which no man
with eyes OF his own could fail TO un-
derstand.
"Mr. Bruno" said Mrs. Moorhart
one evening, after her daughter had
entertained Bruno greatly by telling
of dashing horseback rides through
the wild country sport she longed
to enjoy again, she said, yet
dared not hope for until she could go
back again to look over the family
property-"M Brune, that property
troubles the dead girl more than a lit
tie, and would like TO consult you
about it, if you'll allow me. You're
everybody's friend, you know"
Il am entirely at your service, my
dear madam.
II heartily wish you were, replied
the lady with a sigh. "Aluch of the
Western property which my husband
inherited belongs to Adah--she is not
here, is she?-no, l thought not
When she came of age, insisted that
my husband should divide the estate,
as well as the personal property, and
give her a share, she being our only
child; | wanted her 20 learn the value
of money, and how 10 take care of il,
instead of growing up a silly, fashion
able girl only to sQuander the