Chicago eagle., 1894-03-17

checked myself.
"Are you angry with mes" I
asked, tremblingly. care you angry
with me, Rose?"
She held out to me her hand. On
that, my heart seething with audaci-
ty, my head on fire, cried:
Rose, I swear It! I will be your
husband!"
And as she shook her head and
looked at me sadly added: "Oh! I
well know that my uncle Is self
willed, but I will be more self.willed
still, and he must be forced to say
yes will force him to sny i'll"
But how?" asked Rose.
All! how? That was exactly the
difficulty. But no matter; I would
find way to surmount it!
At that moment heavy step re.
sounded in the street. Instinctively
we moved away from each other; I
returned to my double.handed sword,
and Rose, to keep herself in counte-
nance, set to busting with corner Of
her apron little statuette in its
faded red velvet case.
My uncle entered. Surprised at
finding us together, he stopped short
and looked sharply ut us, from one
to the other.
We each went on rubbing without
raising our heads.
Here, take this" said my uncle,
handing me bulky parcel from under
his arm. "a splendid purchase, you'll
see."
The subject did not interest me in
the least.
opened the parcel, and from the
enveloping paper emerged steel he'll
met-but not an ordinary helmet, oh,
no!-a superb, u monumental morton,
with gorget and pointed visor Of
strange form. The visor was raised,
and / tried to discover what prevented
IL from being lowered.
1T will not 60 down-the hinges
have got out Of order" said my uncle;
but It's superb piece, and when it
has been thoroughly cleaned and
touched up will look well-that shall
be your to-morrow's job"
"Very good, uncle" I murmured,
not daring to raise my eyes to his.
That night, on reaching my room,
I at once went to bed. / was eager
to be alone and able to think at my
ease. Night brings counsel, It Is
said, and had great need that the
proverb should prove true.
But, after lying awake for an hour
without receiving any assistance, /
fell of to sleep and till next morning
did nothing but dream the oldest
dreams. ! saw Rose on her way to
church in a strange bridal costume, a
fourteenth century cap, three feet
high, on her head, but looking pref
tier than ever; then suddenly the
scene changed to moonlight, in which
innumerable helmets and pieces Of
old china were dancing n wild taran-
dola, while my uncle, clad In com.
plete armor and with u formidable
halberd in his hand, conducted the
bewildering whirl.
The next day-ah, the next day -
I was no nearer. In vain, with clenched
teeth, I secured the immense helmet
brought by my uncle the previous
evening-scoured It with such fury as
almost to break the iron; not an idea
came to me. The helmet shone like
sun; my uncle sat smoking his pipe
and watching me; but I could think
Of nothing, no way Of forcing him to
give me his daughter.
At 3 o'clock Rose went into the
country, whence she was not to return
until dinner time, in the evening. On
the threshold she could only make u
sign to me with her hand; my uncle
had not left us alone for single in
stant. He was not easy In his mind I;
l could see that by his face. No doubt
he had not forgotten our conversation
OF the previous evening.
went on rubbing ut my helmet.
"You have made 1t quite bright
enough-put 1t down." said my
uncle.
/ put 1t down. The storm was
gathering. l could not do better
than allow 1t to blow over.
But suddenly, us II undertaken by
a strange fancy, my uncle took up
the great morton and turned and ex-
| unllneu IL on I'LL slues.
"A handsome piece Of armor, there
is no doubt about It; but it must
have weighed pretty heavily on its
wcarer's shoulders" he muttered [;
and, urged by / know not what dc.
mon, he clapped 1t on his head and
latched the gorget-piece about his
neck.
Struck almost specchless, I watched
what he was doing-thinking only
how ugly he looked.
Suddenly there was sharp sound
AS II a spring had snapped-and-
crack down fell the visor; and
there was my uncle, with his head in
an iron cage, gesticulating and swear
ing like pagan!
could contain myself no longer,
and burst into roar OF laughter, for
my uncle, stumpy, fat and rubi.
cund, presented an irresistibly comic
appearance.
Threateningly, he came toward
me.
"The hinges! the hinges, fool!" he
yelled.
/ could not see his face, but felt
that 1t was red to bursting.
"When you have done laughing,
idiot !" he cried.
But the helmet swayed SO oddly on
his shoulders, his voice came from II
In such strange tones, that the more
| he gestiCulNted the more he yelled