The free press., 1895-02-14

| tain.
If John Stiles was the dryest of
lawyers, his daughter Mary was the
prettiest and most fascinating of girls
and Willard Spence was not the man
to be slow in finding it out. 1t would
be the old story over, to recount the
steps of their falling in love, and how
deeply they fell in.
Willard ventured to hint to his
grandfather one day-not at the state
of his feelings-but what nice, in
telligent young lady Miss Stiles was.
The old gentleman caught like gun
powder. He had no excuse for put
ting summary end to his grandson's
legal studies, and packing him off on
foreign tour, for the young man had
said nothing to justify q suspicion of
his being in love. But the captain
scented danger afar, and proceeded to
read such a homily on the sin of marry
ing into families without lineage, and
put on such disinheriting look, that
Willard was fain to drop the subject.
If the reader has ever read Black
stone he will remember, and if he
hasn't we will tell him, that in the
Second Book there is folding leaf,
called Il '"Table of Descents, whereon
the author illustrates the mode of COM
putting kindred by tabular view of
the ancestors aud collateral relatives,
for ten or dozen generations, of
certain John Stiles. The names are
inclosed in little circles, with lines
uniting those supposed to have inter
married, whose names are further
united, by other lines, to those of
their offspring.
81 have it!' was Willard Spence's
exclamation, as his eye fell on this leaf
lying loose in the volume he was read
ing one day.
That evening it was accidentally
dropped in his grandfather's way.
"What's this?" asked the old gen.
tleman, picking it up, and putting on
his specs.
ga paper / found in one of Mr..
h.n
"Humph IA copy of Stiles family
tree; and stop-let me see-running
back, as live, through more genera
tions than supposed any man in the
state could count but myself! Who'd
have thought that dried up old lawyer
had so much blood in him?"
"Not l, certainly" acquiesced Will
lard.
"And see-here's the name of
Baker. By Jove, shouldn't wonder
if we found ourselves related yeti"
"Nor / either" said Willard dryly.
"Miss Stiles--is she very hand
some?" inquired the old gentleman.
"Passably," answered the young
hypocrite.
Next day Willard was sitting in Mr..
Stiles office, fumbling over law
book and thinking of Mary, when his
grandfather's gig drove up. Willard
wished in his heart it had broken down
by the way. The thing he most
dreaded was the two old gentlemen
getting together and coming to ex-
plantations at present
"Is Mr.. Stiles in?" inquired the
captain.
"Yes, sir" answered the Office boy,
ushering the visitor into the back
Office.
Good morning, Mr.. Stiles, said
the captain blandly.
"Good morning, captain, returned
the lawyer, little stiffiy. "Pray be
seated"
The captain excused the stiffness
a man with dozen generations at his
back had right to be stiff.
81 come to speak with you on mat
ter of Importance, said the captain,
taking the proffered seat
The lawyers face frightened at the
prospect of securing valuable client.
'My maternal great-grandmother,
the captain proceeded, "was Baker,
and your grandfather"
"Was shoemaker" the other was
on the point of interruptinS, Tor ne
knew the captains hobby, and had
little patience with it.
But before the word was spoken,
which would doubtless have led to the
exDlanation Willard so much feared, a