The Portland daily press., 1895-08-12

S-AAAN s.tASSuAOHSS you are very nucn IulSeoAA
en- Either you must retract every word
which you have written in your unmanly let
Ter ana express yourself ready to carry OUT
your engagement with my daughter, or you
must be prepared to meet whatever steps
shall consider it necessary to take for the vim
dicatlon OF that too confding angel Yours
to command, JOHN LINKLEY.
HUMP said Dennis as he read the let
ter, With an angry frown. "Too confdlng
angel Good heavens, what rubbish! L
shall just sit tight, and they won't carry
the matter further. When they see l am
determined, they will desist from their i'm
pudent attempt.''
That is how Dennis encouraged himself.
But the encouragement was short lived.
Three days afterward he heard from some
solicitors in Lincoln's Inn to the Cafect that
they were issuing writ Ssnst him for
breach OF promise at the instance of their
client, Miss Linkley, who would accept
service thereof in his behSff. Then Dennis
saw that merely sitting tight was of no
use. And he did the first wise thing that
he had done in the course Of the affair-he
took a cab and drove straight to the offices
of Mr.. Rattleyboy his family solicitor.
"Dear, dearl" said Rattleyboy when he
had heard the story. ''This sounds like q
bad business, Dennis
"Its an internal shame" calculated
Dennis Indignantly. "It's deliberate
attempt to blackmail me. The girl knows
didn't propose to her and that never
had the least idea of such nonsense"
every likely. But, you see you have
acted so weakly and so foolishly, young
man, that you have simply played into the
girls hands. Your aunt has long been
afraid of some such disaster happening to
you"
81 wish my aunt would be good enough
to let my affairs alone,' cried Dennis
sulkily 81 shall have to tell her So
"Upon my word you must not quarrel
with your aunt, " said Mr. Battleyboy "for
, it is to her that you will have to look,
Dennis, for extrication from this mess. -
"What do you mean9"
"Mean?' Mr.. Battleyboy shrugged his
shoulders expressively. 81 mean that you
won't get out of this under goodish sum
of money, and who is to find the money
except your aunt? You have no capital.
Your salary at the foreign office hardly
covers your expenses. No; it's your aunt
that will have to pay"
II don't think 1 can apply to my aunt,
exclaimed Dennis, aghast 1.-THE notion.
But am afraid that is what you will
have to do, said Mr.. Battleyboy decidedly.
"And if you take my advice you will call
at Cromwell road today" ia,
After much demurring Dennis at last
promised to do SO, but not until Mr. Bat
tleyboy had painted in very unpleasant col
ors the probable result of his refusal Mr.
Pugsnip, the clerk who sat in the outer
office, and who had done so for the last
ten years, escorted the young man to the
street door. Dennis was too much abb
sorbed in his own vexatious affair to notice
him, else he would have detected 8 look of
decided interest on Mr.. Pugsnip's usually
wooden face.
A fortnight later Dennis Deroyt called
on Mr. Battleyboy in state of considerable
excitement.
II say" he said to the solicitor as soon
as they were alone, "whom do you think 1
saw at the Empire last nightP''
"Miss-er-Linkley perhaps, suggested
the other. eying him keenly.
"Yes, yes. But whom do you think she
was with? Why, your clerk, Pugsnipl"
Mr.. Rattleyboy seemed neither surprised
nor disconnected by this intelligence, over
which Dennis was so excited. He just
laughed in a knowing way and said: "Ah,
yes! 1t is rather amusing. Pugsnip had
q hint from me, you see!'
"a hint from you? don't understand "
cried Dennis.
''Well, it was this: Your aunt naturally
did not wish to pay more than was neces-
sary. So Pugsnip-who is something of
lady's man-ha, ha!-had hint to entan-
gle the girl in little affair of the heart
while we protracted our negotiations.
Pugsnip was eminently successful fancy
he saved your aunt something like 9100.
But the amusing part of it is that the en-.
tanglement has taken a serious turn, for
Pugsnip has fallen in love with the girl,
and 1 believe they are already engaged
But talking of engagements, Dennis, your
aunt has given me great pleasure by advis-
ing me that 1 shall shortly be required to
draw your cousin Lottie's settlements I
congratulate you'll"
"Thanks,' said Dennis, coloring, and
looking absurdly happy and elated 'tIt
ls-er-an-er-oi affair, you know"
(which looked at one time like never
coming off. However, all's well that ends
well. And, once again, Dennis 1 congrat-
ulate you.''
| In the course of the summer two we'd
| dings took place, one Of which was not re-
| ported in The Morning Post. But Pug
| snip and Miss Linkley did not court pub.
licity. They had been well paid to keep
secret the fact that they had co-operated
with Mr.. Battleyboy and Dennis aunt in
little plot to secure that young gentle-
| mans happiness-by giving him a good
fright. So it was generally. understood
that Pugsnip had little windfall, in the
shape of legacy, which enabled him and
Miss Linkley to start housekeeping after
a lengthy and protracted engagement
Exchange.
An Fog Tav;no NTo,,,,oo1