Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-11-27
IN POSSESSION.

11N~ANANAA1 &2AANNANA NAlNIIuA
ed Mrs Fielding, gazing at her daugh
ter with wide open eyes.
VERY oKtraordinaryp' agreed Ethel
II never heard Of sach a thing in my
lifcl'
II should kopo uotr' returned Mrs
Fielding. "what would your poor, deal
father have said if, during his lifetime.
ayoung man had come to propose for
your hand, and, ON being refused by
you, had expressed his intention Of stay.
ing in the house until you accepted
him? I've not even read in novels
with a fine touch of scorn) "of such a
prepostcrous notion. Did ho-did-did
he seem firm about it, my doar?"
"Frightfully, Ethel assured her
"frightfully firm. and you should Just
see what u chin he has. 1t would make
three Of mine"
What did you sayg'' asked Mrs.
Fielding.
"What could I say? Two already told
you everything. / met him, as you
know, ut the Marchapt-M ainwarinRs.
and after our first introduction saw
him almost every day during the fol-
lowing month. The night before 1 came
home he proposed to me, and well,
you know what l said. He then declared
his intention of asking me again every
six months and didn't seem to care in
the least when l assured him that my
answer would be just the same, however
many times he asked me. Well, it is
exactly six months today since the-the
first time l told him that 1 couldn't
think of marrying him"
And he expressed his intention of
staying herein this house-till you
said. 'Yes?'" put in Mrs. Fielding.
Ethel nodded.
'"Thell," was Mrs. Fielding's deci
sion, 1--WE must send for the police"
"Oh, no-no-no-no!'' circulated
Ethel s%pringing up. please don't do
that. He's sure TO 90. He-he's very
gentlemanly, mother, and I'm sure he'll
behave himself if he does stop. Besides
if he fought the policemen-and Pm
sure he would fght-there'd be such q
scandall''
Yes, Mrs. Fielding agreed that the
affair would give Market Norbury a
months food for title tattle if the
strong arm of the law were to intervene.
Twill see the young person myself"
exclaimed the elder lady majestically.
Don't be harsh, mother, " said Ethel
blushing q little, because, after all,
you know he's''-
Head over heels in love with you?
OF course" rejoined Mrs. Fielding.
"Of course he is. If he weren't, |
should suspect him of having evildc-
signs on the plate. Leave him to me,
Ethell'
So saying. Mrs. Fielding swept mag
nifcently into the drawing room.
But severe as was her tone and stern
her mien Dick Waterbury declined to
bulge. He ~apologized for the gross rude
ness Of his decision, but nevertheless re-
fused to spike his guns and retire. Dur
ing the alteration Mrs. Fielding dis
covered that he was a young gentleman
of 20, with an ample income, and II
small country seat hat stood sadly in
need of some n to look after it.
Twenty minutes later Mrs. Fielding
returned to her daughter.
my reasoning had no effect ON him
whatever" he informed Ethel; mono
whatever. l suppose he must remain.
He may be in u more sensible frame of
mind in the morning. Don't let the
servants know anything about the real
state of things, but pretend that we
have invited him to stay here and say
his luggage will arrive in due course. 4"
The result was: (I) That Mr.. Rich
ard Waterbury gained his point and
staid at Pleasant View. (2) That only
his fixed determination to win Ethel
Fielding would have led him to take
such a desperate step. (3) That Ethel by
no means deceived the maternal judg-
ment when she expressed herself indig-
nantly about Dick and his resolution.
[She let slip his name-Dick-sev-
eral times unthinkingly.) (4) That it
was the general opinion in the kitchen
that the gentleman who had come so
neutrality-suspicious. any luggage-was a
man III possession. (5) That he seem
ed to the kitchen a very well dressed
man in possession. 90 That the gentle
man Immediately sat down and wrote a
long letter, which was given to the
hoasemaid to post. "a That he wired to
another address for some clothes. 81
That the letter was addressed TO Nh.
John Blunt, Friar's Court, Temple,
London. (9) That, in the opinion of tho
kitchen, "Friar's Court" sounded like a
low place for any gentleman's friends
to live in.
Dick Waterbury had been with the
Fieldings q week and still showed no
signs of departing from his resolution.
He bad soon made himself at home; he
had broken the ice over the dinner table
during the first night of his stay. Mrs.
Fielding and her daughter had opened
the ball by treating him with frigid po-
Likeness; but Dick had pretended not to
notice their manner, and ratified ON 80
gayly that he effeotually dispersed the
cold barrier which the ladies had at
tempted to place between themselves
and their self invited guest.
After dinner he RECALLED them with
comic songs, anecdotes and news Of the
day which had failed m nguafrata m