The Portland daily press., 1894-10-25


other?''
''How unsophisticated you are, Edith!'
but you do not surely intend to make
marriage your emancipatorf" she asked.
lie smiled at her earnest, plying, semi
credulous look and then replied:
''Wcll, perhaps such proposal seems
a--peculiar to you; but, my dear girl, look
at things sensibly. There's Mary, for i'm
stance my cousin. She's an heiress. be-
liege she-well, thinks great deal about
me- You must have seen it, Edith. Now
But, for PHYS sake, think of what you
are going to do. Do not deceive and be-
tray Miss Mary. Pause before you attempt
to win her love for such sordid ends. Is
it not enough that you should chill one
heart, without deliberately breaking an
other? She is of such disposition that
whom she discovered, as she undoubtedly
would some day, that you had more regard
for her wealth than for herself, it would
kill her. entreat you, consider. For my
self care not. I can bear the revelation.
But Mary-no, she shall not be thus de-
ceived. Oh, considerP'
II T.
There was great deal of consideration
in Frank Vaughan's nature. He was full
of it. But unfortunately it was all for
himself. He did consider Mary truly, but
not i'll the1nanner enjoined by the feeling
/. girl he had deceived. He considered his
cousin heaven sent blessing. She was
good match. With plenty of money in her
own right from her deceased mother and
as heiress to her fathers great accumula-
tions, she was just the wife for him.
True, she was a trifie slow, but then
AI,o%x \ - Oh
the bent of her own inclinations, and with
her money he could do the same. On the
whole, Edith had taken things very calm
ly. All, sho was sensiblel It would have
done no good to create any fuss, as he had
told her. He had certainly expected her to
shed tear, because he had thought she
had given her heart to him. But then
women's heart are very flexible things. In
fact, women themselves are. OF course
they don't feel things like men do. Those
who write SO glibly about broken hearts
and things don't understand the SEX He
did. or course women may feel touch
of disappointed pride when their lover
discards them, but pain-oh, it's impossi-
BILE, ridiculous!
That was the cynical way in which
Frank Vaughan's reasoning worked. Not
another thought of Edith. He had got out
of very difficult and delicate affair some
what easily. So far, so good. No one was
aware that there had been anything be-
tween them. So much the better. Edith
was not the one to proclaim their-fiIta
tion-from the housetops. And now?
Well, now for Mary, Of course.
Things seemed to go very smoothly and
pleasantly with Mary. Frank found her
even more susceptible than he had i'm
agined. All, not much difficulty herel
How pleased she was with his attentions
How she fingered over the pleasant, artful
phrases he whispered to her day by day!
How impressionable she was! She would
be ripe for proposal in no time
And Edith! Poor girl, as the weeks
went by she noted the effect this man was
producing in his cousin. If love was not
already full grown in Mary, it was in en-
bryo. What should she do? She could
not, knowing, as she did, the motive pow
er at work behind the man, stand idly by
and allow another woman's heart to be
deceived. Mary and she had always been
great friends, though she was but the gov
erness. She must save her. 1t was her
duty. Nevertheless, when Edith came to
speak to Mary on such delicate matter,
she felt her task difficult one, but she
persisted in it. Nor did she confine herself
to vague warning. That might have
been misconstrued. Edith boldly related
all that had passed between herself and
Frank and detailed that final, cruel con-
versation word for word, and Mary lis
tened with pity. She put her arms around
Ediths neck and kissed her in gratitude
and sympathy. sN
Mary was not one to say much, but she
thought great deal. She knew that ere
long her cousin Frank would again be a
sutton at the court of love-that his petit
tion would be presented to her, in fact.
And two days afterward the action was set
down for hearing They were alone in the
grounds Seated in almost the same spot
as Edith and he had stood in when his
chill words had frozen her heart, Frank
took Mary's hand in his. She tyembled
slightly, but he, bending over her, told
her of his love and asked her to Become his
wife. He was surprised, startled at her
answer.
''Lovel'' she exclaimed, with light
laugh "What is love? A nonsensical
caprice. Born today, dead tomorrow.
But not such love as mine, Mary"
said he. do you not love me?"
Love you! Well, perhaps I did once,
but--well, one can't live on sentiment,
you know. 1t is foolish Of you to love me,
and have been foolish to encourage it.
Besides you know, Frank, you-you are
only a briefless barrister, penniless and in
debt, while am an heiress, and society
expects great things from me-
Surely he had recollection of some
such words as these! Where had he heard
them? Where? Great heavensl These
were the very words he had uttered to
Edith. Then Mary must know ALL But
his position was desperate. She must
marry him. Her money must be his.
But, Mary he continued, say that
you love me. Say that you will be my
wife. Once married to you, my darling,
my life shall be-
Married. she exclaimed. "Oh, Frank,
you must see how absurd the thought of
marriage between us isl Now, do look at
things sensibly, and please, oh, please,
don't let us have any fuss. No, no, Frank,
whatever you do, don't be hysterical.
You will forgive me dismissing your suit,
won't yon? OF course you will always
have friend in me- / shall always be
y \