The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-27

must admit, but she's respectable and
honest, and she'd accept you in min
ute"
Upon my word, Builder" laughed
Brixton, ''you've been in business so long
that even women seem property to you.
Miss Fewse never saw me until five min
utes ago.
'sPerhaps not, but she's got her IA
theirs level head on her shoulders. She's
seen dozens of other men. Scarcely
month goes by without some fellow
offering himself to her-for the sake Of
her money, of course. She doesn't OBJ
ject to marrying, for, being a woman,
she has heart, but she has enough
character to want husband whom she
can respect, and none of the fellows who
have offered themselves thus far has
been Of that kind"
Upon my word, Builder" said the
younger man, II never would have
taken you, good fellow though you are,
for a man whom an unmarried woman
would have selected as confdant. Tt
does you credit, though, that she seems
to have opened her heart to you."
many speculations together, and she
knows he always trusted me. Besides
there's no sentimental nonsense about
her. she isn't afraid to unload her ideas
upon an old friend of the family, so
we've talked very freely about it. By
the way, she has such matter of fact
manner that she looks older than she is.
She's really five years younger than you.
Your fortunes made, poor boy, unless
you make a fool of yourself in some
way.
s'Let me sound her about it. You may
count upon me to do it without lack Of
proper respect for either of you, and I'll
bet the entire assets Of this bank against
penny thav you may announce your en-
gagement within a week. Then you'll
be hand in glove with lot of us fellows
In a business way as well as socially,
and we want you've really do"
Builder said John Brixton, rising
from his chair, you've got heart as
big as an OK, and I'm heartily obliged to
you for your interest in me. You must
give me time to think of it, though"
'sTime to --!' calculated the presi-
dent, firing his cigar butt at the cuspi-
dor with such energy that he overshot
the mark anl elected a howl Of anguish
from the banks cat as she mistook the
missive for q mouse when she opened
her eyes from a peaceful slumber.
"There're some things that fellow can't
afford to think about. Do you stop TO
think when q trout rises to your fly?
| Come along to lunch and make up your
mind on the way"
But John Brixton wasn't able to give
o decisiYe answer over the coffee and
cigars. A million dollars in good secur-
tiles seemed well worth the taking by
man who had worked industriously for
10 or 20 years only to reach salary Of
$4,000 or $4,000, and an appreciative wife
thrown in seemed like SO much extra
luck, for Johns mother and sister had
for years warned him that wives who
hold good husbands in proper regard are
as scarce as model husbands.
On the other hand, old Ben Fewse's
daughter, who looked as much like her
father as a woman could look like a
man, would be a strange companion for
man who, in spite of much attention
to material things in the way of bust
ness, had inherited many fine tastes and
sentiments which he had kept in good,
disable condition. Whoever he might
marry ought to be fairly companionable
to his mother and sister-two women
whom he could not imagine enjoying
Miss Fewse's society.
But while John BriXton went on think
ing and wondering and compromising
and rejecting his own compromises old
Builder took the case in hand as earnest
ly as If it were q promising investment
for his own bank. He was too good
business man to exceed his authority,
but he and his wife took Miss Fewse out
driving the very afternoon that he had
made his suggestion to Brixton, and they
| took her home to dinner with them, and
the old man made opportunity to sound
the praise Of John Brixton and to tell
what fine women Johns mother and Sis
ter were. So before the evening was
over Miss Fewse was conscious Of q
mighty wish that some man like John
Brixton would ask her to change her
name and share her life and fortune
with her.
Brixton had been at his Office only half
an hour the next morning when one of
the clerks shouted:
"Some one on the telephone for you.
sir"
"Who is it?' John asked, raising his
eyes from letter he was reading.
"Forty- National bank-Presi-
dent Budder,' the clerk replied.
'sWait a moment" said Brixton, drop
ping the letter, Selling his hat and start
ing for the door. '.I'm out-you don't
know when I'll be in"
One of the firm who had overheard
the conversation asked his partner
whether he supposed Brixton had been
specializing in Wall street and got more
accommodation from the Forty-seventh
National than his collaterals would war
rant, and the partner replied that it
might not be q bad thing to keep Brixton
out CT temptation by sending him to
| South America to look after a. railway