The Portland daily press., 1895-09-02
In LOVE WITH A WIG.

slant by the merest chance, and as my
marriage has turned out happily I am
grateful fer the interposition, though tax
ing no credit to myself. I ought to say
that I have never told this story to my
wife, and she would be scarcely likely to
appreciate it If did, but I mean to set the
truth down here, though shall not give
the real names.
will call myself George Grey, and my
wife will call Amy-nee Ferrers. Well,
was engaged to Miss Ferrers, and loved
her passionately, the more passionately
perhaps because my position held out no
prospect of my making her Mrs. George
Grey for years.
She was the second daughter of a rector
in the shires, and I had met her when ]
was in the neighborhood fishing. An ac-
ouaintance took me to the house, and it
was very pleasant one. The rector was a
charming man, his daughters were worthy
of him, and, as to Amy, she was the love-
lest and sweetest girl had ever seen IN
my life.
I staid down in Threegates, fishing, for
nearly month, though had originally in
tended to limit my visit to a week, and !
think that Amy was sorry when at last !
told her had decided to go.
1T shall never forget this holiday OF
mine" said, "but now must bring it
to an end and get back to the dust and
Crime of the Temple. Stewing in cham
bers, shall often think of Threegates and
the trout stream and-and my friends"
Unconsciously 1 adopted the tone Of a
G. C. at least. spoke as if were returning
to a legal treadmill, though if received a
couple of briefs q year held myself ex-
tremely fortunate.
We were in the reotosy garden. and she
was wearing broad hrimT ed hat of straw
and held a bunch Of daffodIis in her hands.
Was it my fancy, or when she bent over
them did she do it to hide the regret in her
face? II am glad you have found it en-
ioyable," sho murmured. sit is pretty
place, think"
She had never looked so beautiful. ]
was saying "G1oodby'' to her, and [ was 25.
Tho rcsGl might have been foreseen! ]
took her hands in mine, daffodils and all,
and told her that loved her; that [ had
never loved before, could never love again.
] cried to hor that had not tho right to
ask any girl to be my wife, but my pas
sion was stronger than my self restraint.
She was my world. my all. adored her.
Life without her was an agony too awful
to contemplate. Would she, could she,
reconcile herself to waiting for a beggar
who today could offer her nothing but the
widest devotion that had ever been laid
at woInan's feet?
Words altogether unprecedented broke
from me in torrent of fervor. My heart
pounded furiously; my excitement seemed
even to communicate itself to the rocks
among the boughs overhead, who cawed
SO violently that they appeared to be
drowning my speech. When I ceased, her
head dropped, and my darling was all
smiles and tears at once. The daffodils
Law scattered on the lawn, and 1 was en-
gagged!
Well, postponed my departure for three
days. and those days were delightful. Her
father-least mercenary of men-consent-
ed cordially We were both young enough
to be able to afford to wait, he said, and
was adopted as one of the family without
demur. The girls were warm in congratu-
lations-no fellow ever had nicer sisters
in-law-and Amy was tho dlvlnest little
fancee that it was possible for human
imagination to conceive. Yes, those three
days were ecstatic, and SO were the weeks
that followed when 1 wrote and received a
love letter per diem, and it was only as
the weeks merged into months and the
months into year that L began to ask
myself when and how I expected to be
able to marry.
was depressed ny degrees. My pros
pects as have said were OF the vaguest.
was still doing nothing to speak OF at
the bar, and even when ran down to see
Amy, and she did her best to cheer me up,
the futility of her encouragement was not
to be blinded by q man possessed OF toll
erably clear sight.
"We must be patient, George" she
would say. Everything will come right
at the end. am sure of it. and when the
briefs are rolling in we shall look back at
all this time and laugh"
thought it very possible that should
laugh under those conditions but there
was gulf between the present and that
opulent future which her words did moth
ing to bridge
At length I decided to do what many
another young fellow has done similarly
circu1nstanced resolved to consign my
profession to the deuce and to seek pas
lures new and America. What proposed
should he my plan Of campaign in Amer
lea is a, shis date not very clear to me, but
remem Der that it seemed to me then a
most desirable and practical step to take,
,yd MOI o,-a,, Micaxphar danartiur for rs