The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-20
THE MATCHMAKER.

AAO NNo ~ iittHNiSOulc OuCuelOT Oh ana nG
had the nerve to call his place of business,
with it's two counters and one clerk, an
emporium. He had inherited the business
and other property. from his father and
was laying Midas touch ON every enter
prise he took hold Of
At present he was building house
quite an ambitious brick, with more rooms
than the usual number of four dawn, and
two up stairs, which WAS the common for.
mula for Linwood residences. OF course
Linwood speculatcd rs to his purpose in
building 1t. When men passed the grow
ing structure, standing high in a COM
manding position, on the grassy slope of
gentle hill, they nodded carelessly to
their companions and said: "Nice place!
Wonder what Hartmann going to do
with ft2 The women nodded, too, but
with moro decision, and oracularly, with
suppressed earnestness, remarked, "De-
pend upon it that Hollis Hartman is go.
ing to get married" Tho truth of the mat
ter was that Linwood industries were
bringing In an increase in population, and
Mr.. IIarriman's house was being built as
what he called "a spec"
Miss Ferret was troubled with keen
desire to solve the mystery, for, not hav-
Ing any business of her own, she dearly
loved to meddle with that of others. So
one pleasant spring day, after having spent
an hour or two in pricing all the costliest
goods Mt Mr.. Harriman's store and hay
ing numerous samples supplied by the
long suffering clerk, she bought II book of
improved needle pointed pins'' and S
cent roll of tape before turning to the pro-
prietor with the insinuatin2 question:
"Who is the happy bride you will take
to the new house, Mr.. Harrimnnf'
Its dead secret, whispered he, with
oil !. l. "a
clerk who Immediately assumed an cx-
preston of deep solemnity.
"Come over here where he can't hear
us. Now You needn't be afraid to tell
me. never carry tales
Mr.. Hartman thought it would be n
good joke to give her tale to carry and
see what would come of it. So without
taking that sober, second thought which
is often deterrent to the too free play of
the unruly member, he smiled and wills
pered, "You certainly won't tell?''
Never! Pm sure to be close rs wax
and mum as oyster"
''Well-now DC sure you don't tell it
it's Judge Mayo's daughter Blanche"
Miss Ferret fairly flew along the street
on her way home, spreading the news rs
she went, for she was almost bursting
with sense of her own Importance at be-
ing the first repository of this exciting in
formation. And those to whom she con-
fided 1t, with many charges never to breathe
single syllable of it, went off MT tnngents
i'll as many different directions, carrying
1t far and wide
81 must 20 up and tell Blanche the
joke, and we'll have Il good laugh over it
before she hears from any other quarter"
thought Hollis Hartman as he smiled to
himself. But one thing and another coli
spired to hinder, and the story had wing
ed its way throughout the community for
three days, and Blanche Mayo had receiv-
ed dozen congratulatory calls from wo-
men anxious to be shown the trousseau
before the merchant made his appear
ance When he finally did so, he was dunn
founded to find that Miss Mayo received
him with power of cool stare in her
clear blue eyes equal to 40 brownstone
fronts.'
With the hope of dispclling this cool
ness he told his funny story, but for some
reason which he failed to comprehend
Blanche did not laugh
$50, sir, +" said She "you made my name
the butt of n joke and gave it to med
dlesome old gossip to carry all over this
town. l am highly honored, assure you.
1t was n manly thing to do.''
"But, Blanche"--
"Miss Mayo, if you please"
II didn't think you would take it
that way
'No. dare say you didn't. It's very
amusing, no doubt, to Islander young
woman TO whom you never-never''--
"Slandcri Blanche-Aliss Mayo-do
You think so meanly of Inc as to believe
that would Islander you:'
what is Islander but the malicious ut
terancc of false report, which is always
dangerous when it involves n woman S
name?"
you knew, of course, that we were
not-not"- Blanche's voice faltered and
died away.
Mr.. Harriman's throat was very dry.
lie cleared il before speaking. 'Not-not
formally-no.'
"What-whut do you mean by formal
Typ"
Mr.. Hartman had not meant anything
special by it. Ho had Numbered upon the
word while trying to tcmporiZe and excuse
himself. But now, as he looked at Blanche
while she asked him this question and
saw little softening of the icy expression
OF her countcnancc-a little flush of en-
barrasscd pink color usurping the pallor
OF her face-he thought to himself, for the
first time, that no other fellow should ever
have her If he could prevent it.
1t is of no Use to tell you how this art
ful young man, after much self abascment
and many protestations, managed at last
to convince this irate young woman that
he had only spoken out of the fulncss of
his hearts desire and hope and prayed
that she would set tho seal of her "form-
al" promise on what, perhaps because Of
his firm determination to win her, be might
have taken too much for granted. You
and l both know that he never could have
succeeded had not her heart, long since
enlisted, traitorously pleaded in his favor