The morning call., 1894-09-30


assistance of a suaVe porter. who toeS
Jlms shilling with the affected abs ractlol
| characteristic of his order. Then the tWG
set out from the station and turned down
one OF the q1eter streets. As they walked
Gladys told her tale.
''It was only this morning. Jim," she
Sald, that Aunt Louisa asked me. point
| tlank, whether or not l was engaged to
you. told her that l was, and you can't
! thlng how furious she became. She said
| all kinds of horrid things about us both
told me that if ! married you your uncle
would cut you off with shilling, and that
she had no idea OF assisting US las if | had
ever asked herd and that-thst [ must
either break off my engagement with you
immediateYor or leave the shelter of her roof
forever. IL chose the latter alternative.
jim; and here am. you see."
"hy darling" he SAID, fODdly pressing
the little hand that lay upon his coat
sleeve. ''D0 you know, have had much
Obed this morning. He ordered me to
give you up or abandon all hope of help
from him. l gave him beans for his in-
sui lug proposition and lets the house
under the ban of bis. aVnncuiar curse.
And here | am, you see. ~
Don't know. suppose L shall knock
along somehow. a man can always fend
for himself. 1t is you whom we must
think about. What shall you do. Glad
die ?"
II have some great friends living in
-Thurloe snnare The GreenaWayS-yo
know lhem, don't yon? | shall 90 and see
them, aud ask them to put me up for Il
short time. And then, oil course, must
look out at once for something to do. Per-
haps | could get situation as goVerness.
or a lady clerkShlp, Or
Don't GladdleI L can n't:bear to think of
such a thing for you. I-I-say" (Jim's
color heightened aud his eyes sparkled
with the briliancy of sudden idea) Il
say. Ssddie |eMeG0uf better ee9 tn1s
couldn't we! Why-why shouldn't we be
ma rried at once!
"Oh, jim" (what rosy color sutfused
the brown little face). SIT Is impossibie!"
mo such thing, Gladdie. We need only
wait week CT two to comply with the
legal formalties. and then goOd-by forever
to all a tempts to sever us. Won't you
won't you consent r.
Jim was very persuasive. And GLADYS
was lonely. And love was very strong
practically settled by the time they
reached Thurloe square. The awful im-
prudence-the desperate faulty of this
sudden step. which good, mOtherIy Mrs.
Greenaway tried to impress upon them
both, thew simply lost sight OF in their
ridicul0u,ly childish happiness. And that
tender hearted matrOn, after scOljlng them
botn soundly for their folly, Pnd pGopAe-
sying the most miserable results from so
rash marriage. enforced her lesson by
offering Gladys a temporary home and
permission to be married from ThuIloe
square if she really was bent upon that in
sane step.
'It would look very bad for you, my
dear, circums tanced as you are, to be mar
ried from lodgings or MOTEL, Mrs. Green
away said. "Aud though [ am strongly OPP
posed to this most imprudent union, yet if
jf ia tA talv nj .beti
nately determined. l should like it to be-
celebrated in a res pectable way"
The good lady further insisted upon one
conditiOp, which both Jim and Gladys
willingly accepted. This Was that each
should write, the one to his uncle, the
other to her aunt, apprsing them of the
intended marriage. She impressed upon
lhem-and even these foolish young people
saw the wisdom of her remarks-that any
appearance Of secrecy IN the matter would
be the worst possible thing for them, and
that moreover i would be entirely useless,
since they both were of age, and no one
could possibly stop their marrying. There
fore, on all accounts, the less cOncealment
the better.
So Jim wrote to Uncle Obed, aud actu-
ally had the nerve to ask him to the we'd
ding, while Gladys wrote tO Aunt Louisa
| t7nder, loving little letter, which might
have moved an ogTess. No reply, however,
was vouchsafed to either misslve.
The time soon slipped away, and the day
of the weddIng-the earliest date allowed
by law-arrlved. The marriage was t0 be
solemniZed early-at 10 O'clock-and very
quietly, no one being invited except the
Greenaway family and friend of Jim's 10
act as best man. Mr. Greenaway under
took the empty fOrmaity OF giving away
the bride, who was to be married in sim
pie travelling dress, ana Immediately atter
| the ceremony the happy couple were 20
proceed straight TO Victoria. Ell route for
Brighton, where they proposed to spend
weeks honeymoon.
Jim and his best man were the first to
arrive al the church. While they were
waiting in the vestry. the window of which
overlooked the approach through the
chur3 r3hy ard, Jim's friend, watching for the
first signs Of The bridal party. gave vent to
a sudden exclamation:
'HillOa !! who is this spruce old Johnny
in the white waitcoat? ?"
jim started and turned pale.
Good Lordt r. he cried, tits my Uncle
Obed. He has accepted my invitation
after all, then. | hope TO goodness he
does not mean to make useless disturb
ance"
Before he had time to say much more
Uncle Obed, very smartlY att'red, his W bite
waistcoat eontras ing strongly with his red
face, walked into the vestry. "Ha! you
repr0bate." he said, scowling at his
nephew, 81 have come 10 witness the con-
You are very kind, am sure, uncle"
answered Jim, holding out his hand with
all the cOrdialltv of excessive happiness
Uncle Ohed suddenly changed his tone.
Look here. my lad" he said. ''There's
not much time for explanations. The brides
will be here in minute, and we must be
moving up to the altar. | may lust say
this, however; blood is thicker than water,
you rogue, and loves divine thing, after
all. And to show that there's no i'll feeling
and that it is al comfortably settled, we
have arranged a joint wedding, in which
Miss Baily and l have agreed to assist"
"You-you going 10 be married, uncle?"
cried jim in amaZement.
And why not, sir ?i
With these words Uncle Obed caught
his astonisheG nephew bv the arm and led
him away to the altar. Only just in time,
for thev had scarcely taken their places at
the rails when the brides and their follow
ing entered The church. And so it fell out
that the r.ch and the poor relations were
all turned off together
Nothing like testing you young
lovers" said Uncle Obed, in the course of
a subsequent interview with Jim. ''YOu
we're both--pardOn my saying so-a rifle
green. and had it been known that either
OF you was heir to fortune you would
have been marked out as a safe prey Dy
matrimonial speculatoTS. Then you went
and got engaged to one another. we
elders were both delighted at the upSn0t Oh