The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-02-10
A FORTUNATE MISTAKE.

sketch he had just made of a pretty
bit of scenery. elf I finish it, and
take it to Staunton, he'll only laugh.
/ am not cut out for an artist; neither
can I get even bread and cheese, let
alone an income to marry on, out of
literature. I'm sure that was capital
tale | sent to the editor of The Snow
flake last week, and he just sent it
back with the old insult, that I've
got so used to declined with thanks
| really don't know what / can turn
to, brought up to nothing, and ex-
pecting a fortune; it's hard enough
for fellows to make a position, who
have studied from boyhood. with
everything in their favor. l must
either enlist or emigrate; but there,
I'll go and talk to my pretty Mabel.
Thank heaven, [ can still see her
bright face occasionally"
A few minutes later, Bob Morgan
was sitting on the trunk of an old
tree, on the outskirts of the wood,
with his arm round the waist of
pretty girl, his betrOthed wife, whom
he was now obliged to meet secretly,
in consequence of his loss of fortune.
She did not look mirthful herself
tonight; her eyes were heavy with
tears recently shed, and her pretty
mouth was even now quivering with
partially suppressed grief.
why, my darling little May" Bob
was saying. "What is the matter?
The sight of your bright face clouded
makes me feel as if the world were
wrapped in gloom, this fair summer
evening""
.'Oh, dear Bob, am so unhappy.
You remember me telling you that
Mr.. Falkland, an old friend of papa's,
had come to stay with us on visit?
Well, it is too dreadful, Bob; mamma
says he wants to marry me, and that
if do not say yes, when he asks me,
we shall be ruined"
Ito marry you, Mabelr' exclaimed
Bob Indignantly. 1.-The old fright,
how dare he? Why, didn't you tell
me that he was eighty?"
ooh no, Bob, but he is over sixty,
and that's quite as old, think" said
Mabel illogically.
land what does your mother mean
about being ruined?" asked Bob.
''Oh, don't quite understand it, -
answered Mabel thoughtfully. ''Some-
thing about a mortgage, which papa
let him have.'' =.
"Well, mortgage, Or ruin, or what
ever else happens, Mabel, don't let
them brighten you into marrying
your grandfather. We can run away
together, and live on fifty pounds a
year, first" said Bob, stoutly; and
then followed much loving talk and
many castles in the air, for Bob's
presence seemed to bring back all
Mabel's ight-heartedness.
But when she had left him, and he
returned to his home alone, all the
fears and anxieties he had shaken
off, returned with ten-fold force.
Il know what you are capable of,
my good Mrs. Walton" he solilo-
quized, apostrophizing his mother-in-
law elect. ''It's quite possible that
the mortgage story is all made up, to
try and brighten my poor little girl
into the idea that she is making a
noble sacrifice of herself, for the ben
etit of the others. And | suppose that
horrible old fellow follows her about,
and grins at her, and forces his odious
presence on her, when he ought to be
thinking of his grave. the old villain.
He's sure to be coarse old brute, for
all the money was made in trade"
Bob felt all the contempt for such
a sordid manner of amassing wealth
that the son of an over-worked rector
with large family and small sti-
pend, would naturally feel.
Next day, he went off and had an
interview with Jenny, the odd man
at Walton Lodge, with which pre-
tentious name Mrs. Walton had dig
nifed her small house. Bob used to
be a favorite of old Jemmy's, ON ac-
count Of the numerous packets OF
tobacco, ETC., which found their way
irom his pockets to the old mans, be-
fore Mrs. Walton had forbidden him
the house, on account of his altered
prospects.
From Jenny. Bob learnt that the
old gent, as the odd man designated
the rich man, would probably &c
down to fish in the mill stream, be.
tween breakfast and luncheon.
Thanks, Jenny, and now tell me
exactly what he is like" said Bob.
But this information Jenny wa:
not able to impart with much success
so Bob felt he would have to trust tt
chance to show him the right man, i
more than one old gentleman should
select the same time and place for hi!
fishing.
.'Ah, there he is!'' said Bob to him
self, as he deserted a solitary figure
on the bank.
But when he drew nearer. he wa!
not at all sure of his man. This gen
tleman was jolly sprightly-loolkine
man of fifty-fve, with an air of refine
ment about him which could hardly
have belonged to trader.
Bob drew out his easel and set w
all his paraphernalia ready to sketch
feeling all the courage of last nigh
deserving him.
'.Good-morning. Hope you will bt
very lucky he said when the angler
had just landed fine trout.
Thanks I've had one or two YER,
fair takes this week" responded the
old gentleman, and he then became
quite talkative, so that Bob soon had