Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-12-03
CHATTER III.
DO you know Miss Laugherne?''

/ DO you know Miss Laugherneq,
! 1T was April when ShaIto Graham
came to the conclusion that Patrice
would be an admirable wife for him in
The near future, and a charming girl
to be engaged TO III the meantime
| Whether she was his first love or his
fiftieth had nothing to do with the
story. She Was at eny rate the first
one who had ever won direct offer
OF marriage from him. He had flat
tered and firted with many. he had
been what he himself called every hard
hit half dozen times. But the lack
OF money on the side of the ladies. and
lack of opportunity of making suf-
nclenIt himself to keep any one of them
IN decent comfort had hitherto put a
paddock on his tongue. In previous
cases he had either observed a master
ly inactivity which disguised the par
entS or he had retreated in irreprOach-
able good order I'M prudent way that
filled the breasts of the girls he had
left behind him with tepid, unharmful
regret merely. But in the case of Pat
rice he had lost his head His heart
tween its teeth and had bolted with
him inside the guarded lines of a for
NAL proposal, resulting in an engage
ment to marry.
He was supremacy happy, and salts
fled that this should be the
case and in the first flush of
the exuberant joyfulness he felt
he wrote of to his sister and
some other relations, and called upon
them to join in a hallelujah chorus
over his prospects. He described
Patrice in lovers language, and
though he was very much in love-he
did not overstate one of her physical
beauties or facinations He dweIt
briefly but forcibly on the fact of her
being " well-born, well-bred and not
altogether badly lowered" But to his
sister he added:
The latter IS a very unimportant
factor in the case, though, for [ mean
to conquer fortune for her sake in or
der to lay it at her feet and to do her
the more honor. My love for her has
stirred the best ambition that's in me-
| am not soldier, so | can't make her
glorious by my sword, but I'll make
her famous by my pen. | am apply
ing for the post of special oorrespon-
dent to the Daily Electrifyer at the
seat Of war, so l may get my orders to
start at any moment. Therefore its
no use my asking you to come and
stay with me. But Patrice and her
old stepfather, Capt. Kelly, will show
you bit Of London life. | shall know
tonight whether l get the specials
billit or not, and will wire you at once
In any event you had better come to
London as soon as possible. You need
not equip yourself for the fray, before
starting, as Patrice will tell you where
to go for the right things when you get
here. She has perfect taste. By the
way, bring packet of old Mary's short
bread. Patrice is yonug enough to be
very fond of chow still zBelieve me,
dear old girl, your affectionate brother,
Shalto."
He wrote this letter and posted it
to his sister late in the afternoon,
when his official duties were over.
Them he strolled into the Bohemian
club, to which he belonged by virtue
of his fugitive connection with the
press and his hopes of being soon rec
ognized as permanent and popular
power On it; and while glancing care
lessly over some gossip column as he
pulled his cigarette, his eye caught
the following announcement:
"a little bird has just whispered In
my ear that Sir Andrew Gwenap, the
/ head of the widely known firm of
! Gwenap, Pit, furthermore & Co., is
/ about to lead TO the hymeneal alter
! Margaret, only daughter of the late
/ Shalto Graham, ESD, of Heathermoor
Edinburgh, and niece Of Dr.. David
! Graham, NJ. D., of Rose street, Edin-
burgh. Miss Margaret Graham is,
am told, young lady of prepossessing
/ appearance, popular in society, and
/ sure to make a success in the brilliant
world of fashion, whose portals will be
opened gladly to welcome the bride OF
the mighty millionaire.
by Jove, Little Maggie has played
her cards we'll, unless this is a hoax!
he said to himself as he came to the
end Of the paragraph. He felt excited
and eXultant and a trif1e sorry that he
had not known of this brilliant match
which his sister was going to make, {
few weeks earlier. He hardly knew
what he would have done or left IN
done had this knowledge been Vouch-
safed to him But he felt vaguely
that he would have acted differently
and felt rather inclined to blame Mag
gle for having kept the matter 50 quiet
"Old Gwenap must have eighty Or {
hundred thousand a year." he re
marked to a man who strolled up Al
the moment to ask about the specia
correspondent billet.
Dare say! Who's old Gwenap?'
the man answered, carelessly, anc
Shalto Graham looked and felt Of
Tended Now that he was about t
become connected with the millionaire
he regarded it as a piece of impert1-
nence that any one should presume tc