Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-03-12

uNnS III pFlvHte, ana l1gnleO ~ length
on q business-like advertisement that
impressed him ~favorably:
MAUD. young. dark and good-l0oking.
Vx with private income. wishes to corre-
means npana s m,sh po mldals-s Sisa y fen'l e matf e
mony. References exchanged.
Replies were to be sent to q letter Of
the alphabet at the Office of the paper.
There's no harm in writing" he
argued. IF l change my mind or it
doesn't seem good enough / can drop
it,"
And while the impulse WINS upon him
he wrote. He wrote vaguely of his
income and said nothing of his age but
craved an interview. II he explained
his precise position, he feared she might
fancy it was too insecure to render him
eligible; but if he could see her, he
fiattered himself that the charm of his
conversation and personal presence
would dazzle her and divert her atten-
ton from his less pronounced monetary
qualifications. He signed his, own
name: IT. Cottle," because, if the nego-
tiations came to anything, it might
shake her confidence when he had to
acknowledge that he had approached
her under a false name; at the same
time, as she had withheld her
and address, he felt justified in request
ing her to direct her reply, in the first
instance, to the post office in Bayswater
Road, to be left till called for. /,
II can look in for it the next time I
go to see uncle" he reflected. IF it
turns out a frost, / needn't tell Merrows
anything; he'd only grin about it,. I'll
get the letter off before he gets in"
And he ran out and posted it at once.
He half regretted his impetuosity
wien he contemplated what he had
done in the cold light of the next
morning.
Nevertheless, a couple of evenings
later he journeyed to Bayswater and in
9uired at the post office for his letter,
but it hadn't arrived, SO he walked ON
to see Uncle Cottle, but as his uncle
was not at home, he told them to say
that he had called, and wouldn't wait
His interest in his rash matrimonial
project had cooled considerably; but
going to see his uncle on the following
Saturday afternoon, he inquired cas-
ually at the post Office again, and was
not altogether displeased that there
was still no letter for him. He decided
that his epistle had not created a salts
factory impression, and that he should
hear no mor of it.
Turning the corner q little beyond the
post Office, he was surprised to run into
Uncle Cottle, gorgeous in q new white
waistcoat and with q flower in his butt
tonhole. !,
"Tim. my boy" he calculated, 1--WE
been expecting you daily. Sorry I was
cnt when you called last-I was out on
particular business"
"Oh!"
Tim had dim premonitions of disas-
ter; he upbraided himself for neglect
ing the affairs of Miss Holt.
"Yes."
Uncle Cottle winked his left eye and
smacked his nephew on the shoulder
exuberantly.
Il was arranging to get married. -
ITO Miss Holt?" faltered Tim.
"No," laughed Uncle Cottle. you'll
never guess. It's the widow-Mrs. Net
ley. You remember, we wrote to her?
She answered my letter that
an hour before you called"
Tim was too confused to grasp what
he heard.
Slut you said," he stammered, "that
if Miss Holt rejected you you'd know
there was a curse on you, and"
II haven't asked Miss Holt-besides,
it's three months since / wrote to the
widow, SO. in any case, she has a sort
of prior claim over the
"The other CURSE" suggested Tim,
bitterly.
Here's her letter." said Uncle Cottle,
disregarding his Interpolation. Read
it for yourself"
DEAR SIR: II you care to call on me
shall be pleased to see you. I regret you
did not give me your own address, as
should have thought 1t implied either q
want OF confidence In me or candori in your
self. had 1t not been that we are almost
neighbors. and ! had The pleasure Of meet
Ing you q few months ago n / knO you
by reputation. Under the circumstances
o will appreciate my preferring to send
this to your private address. which / have
taken from the directory. Yours truly.
maud NErLrY."
That's all right, Tim, amt it?'
chuckled Uncle Cottle.
Tim realized in . fash that this waa
his Maud" and it was his letter she
was answering, not his uncle's; but be
could not see his way to saying 90.
"What does she mean about your cd.
dress?" he said.
"Why, I was nervous when I wrote
that letter, and ] must have forgotten
to put my address in; that's why she
didn't answer before; she couldn't.
And it's just occurred to her to look IN
the directory. See? I meant to have
asked her about It, but she was 90 nice
and amiable and smiling, and / was %
-so-well. ! hardly know how I was-
but there didn't seem any need to apollo
gixe, and, in fact, i never thought about
IL till / was coming away"
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