The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-02-21


She was also forced to admit that she
was rather young; but Juliet was not
full fourteen when she died for love of
Romeo, and was there not real prin
cess of France who married a real
English king when she was only eight
years old? Marie thought she was
quite old enough to marry if that prin-
cess was.
Reasoning from these famous ex-
amples, she dismissed the question of
age as certainly not the obstacle which
kept Mr.. Darrow from a proposal, and
cast about for it elsewhere. She found
it in her fortune. She knew she would
be rich some day; for. whenever she
cried over hard lesson or a scolding
from mademoiselle, during that young
lady's occasional paroxysms of disci-
pline, nurse always comforted her with
assurances that it was a shame to
bother her with such things, so it was,
when she was too big an heiress ever
TO need to know anything but how to
look pretty, and sure she'd do that
same anyway, the beauty of the world
that she was And she knew that Mr..
barrow was not rich, for she had once
heard Mr.. Rogers speak of him as
nothing but beggarly lawyer; and in
how many of her mammals novels had
not the hero persisted in making the
heroine and himself miserable. from
the first chapter till the last but one,
merely because she had money and he
had not? Sometimes this deadly diff
ference had been bridged by deter
mined effort on the part of the heroine;
and, after long thought Marie de-
cided that such an effort was required
of her now.
Priscilla proposed to John Alden in
Longfellow," she confded to Punch,
the pug, who heard more of her
fancies than anyone else in the house;
land I've known several girls in stories
who did, too, and nobody seemed to
think it was awful of them Wouldn't
you do it fight off, before leap-year is
over, if you were me? Honest, now,
Punchie?"
Punch, thus appealed to, sat up on
her knees, begged with pendulous
paws, rolled his google eyes lovingly
at her, and kissed her hand with the
tip of his tongue, as in token of
sympathy and approval; and Marie
fels strengthened in her resolve.
She might perhaps have asked Aunt
Marion's opinion, too; but Aunt Marion
was dressing for ball, and Marie
knew that though she would run up to
the school room for moment to kiss
her good night. and let her see her
pretty gown, she would have no
chance to talk to her till next day, at
her noon breakfast, and then it would
be too late. AS for asking her mother
about anything whatever, that wild
idea simply never once crossed Marjie's
mind.
Therefore she wrestled with her
problem alone, but for Punch; and
therefore Mr.. Alexander Darrow found
in his mail next day a small, square
letter. with the well-known number on
Calumet avenue engraved across the
top of sheet which held a brief,
straightforward offer of marriage,
signed Marion Leslie Tame.
It was the sweetest, strangest, most
impossible thing; yet she had really
told him that if, as she had so long
suspected, he truly loved her, he might
come to her in the library at half-past
three that afternoon; and if she were
too bold in thus inviting him, he must
remember that leap year was almost
gone, and she could not lose her only
chance to speak for herself for four
years more.
And to think that the post Office had
delivered that letter only just barely
in season for him to keep the appoint
mentl He caught hanson, however,
and bribed the driver to such speed
that he reached Calumet avenue some
ten minutes in advance of his time.
Yes, the servant said; Miss Tame
was at home, and would see hum in the
library. Yet he could scarcely believe
his own senses until he entered the
room, and all bewilderment and won
der changed to assured Joy as he saw
her awaiting him, tall and fair and
serenely sweet in her trailing Russian
esque tea gown of ivory plush edged
with dark fur. He was beside her in an
instant.
Dear" he said, you must have
more than suspected-have plainly
seen-that love you, yet ! never
thought TO dare to speak,"
He was certainly daring good deal
now; for he had taken both her hands
in his, and proud Miss Tame was let
ting him do it. She found it strangely
sweet to yield even her pride to this
sudden masterful tenderness and fire
that had replaced all his old reserve, as
he drew her into his arms and kissed
her lips and eyes and chestnut hair.
my queenly sweetheart, my own
wife that will bel How could you ever
fear should think less of you for your
heavenly goodness in writing the letter
that brought me here to-day?'
She started away from him.
what letter? never wrote you a
line in my life. What do you meanY'
s'But / received letter from you
this afternoon
II did not write it. Who has dared
make free with my name in this wayP
What was the letter like? Oh, is it all
ala mistaken"
ssT'm sure it isn't mistake that we
love each other. and are going to be
very happy now that we know it, how
ever it came about" firmly declared
Mr. barrow. las for the letter, here
it is. 7"
Miss Tame took it gingerly, as one
touching snake.
tits my paper. certainly; but what
writingl How could you ever suspect
me of it? And. oh, Alex, do you really
think 1 should spell three words wrong
on only one pager And the high
flown sentimentsI But the matter is
worst of all. Alex, how could you
help having sense enough to know that
never, never would have asked even
you-to-to marry me?"
She was laughing, blushing, happy
and vexed all at once.
ssOf course 1 know better now" said
Alex, with great meekness; "but all the
same Pm profoundly thankful some
body wrote that letter and / made the
mistake. didn't notice the spelling,
and though did wonder at the writ
ing little. never saw any of yours,
and / set down its faults to nervous
ness"
Nervousness, indeedl AS if any
amount OF that could make me write
such q handl Who could have done itp
It must have been some servant who
had access to my desk and stole my
paper. Why, it's downright forgery to
sign my name to thing like thatl"
81 didn't signed my own name,
Marion Leslie Tame" said small
voice.
They turned to behold Marjie-Mar-
jie, very pale and grave and deter
mined, who. true to her appointment,
had arrived on the scene to find her
lover in conversation with her aunt,
a..d AZ, hnnr araol,srh 70 lrnnru what hAa.