The St. Johns herald., 1896-12-19
would infinitely have preferred mOre

 park, where Johnnie, leaning against the railing, watched her wistfully. He could not afford a horse. He never told Awkward anything about this particular flame of his. It was Tommy Blake who posted up the plodding young man in his youtnIui kinsman's affairs one afternoon at the club. And both women seem dead nuts on your young friend" he said in- cidentally. Pretty well of, l sup poser"
 He's worth precisely twopence half penny a year." said Arkwright, with more figure of speech than he usually permitted to himself. Tommy raised his eyebrows as high as nature permitted and said it was un- common queer.
 And there was a sort of Indian prince-no end of a nabob, I'm told wanted to marry the girl, and Mrs. Leverson sent him to the right about ln double-quick time And she is not the sort to feel shy about lowing down to the golden calf, either. Can't make her out"
 Perhaps she thinks her niece too young to marry yet" said the plodding young man. "She may be acting mere ly from a proper regard for her happi- ness"
 "A proper regard for fiddlesticks," :" said cynical MT. Blake. Arkwright was sitting up late one night to finish an erudite paper upon 'sThe Ethics of Modern Drama" when Johnnie stole noiselessly into the room | and sank into the easiest chair. Ark wright wrote to the bottom of the page l and threw down his pen, thinking he had found an intelligent audience for a reading for his valuable essay But it was no such matter. Johnnie was oc- cupied with the drama of real life, and, to judge by his aspect, seemed to inn agine that he was cast to play principal tragedian in that enthralling piece.
 "Off color, Johnnie?" said the elder man, tentatively.
 "No," he said, smoking savagely.
 Feel doubtful about your 'call?"
 'No, think Pm pretty safe."
 Arkwright stretched out his hand to reach his pipe.
 By the way, here's letter for you, Johnnie, from your mother; have just received one from her myself"
 Johnnie, however, made no attempt to take it, or he might have spared his friend the opinions he expressed con- corning the station In life to which it had pleased Providence to call him
 "It's beastly, you know" he ex- plained 'I may hang on for years and never be nearer marrying than 1 am at the present moment. AS for proposing to her now-as the mater said-it's de- cidedly low to get girl to bind herself to any promise until one has decent prospects"
 Arkwright reflected with a flickering smile that Johnnie had probably caught rather the spirit than the letter of his mammals admonitions. However, 1t was a sign of grace that he remem- bered them at all, and he felt sorry for the woebegone youth.
 You're young to think of marrying yet, you know," he said. "Am I right" he continued, after @ pause, 'fn sup posing-Blake is my informant-a cer- tain Miss St. Clair has occasioned all this trouble?'
 "Oh, if Blake has told you. And the aunt is awfully decent to me-"
 But you are not proposing to marry the aunt. Is Miss St. Clair herself-is she"
 "Oh, well, a fellow never knows that sort of thing, you know, till he tries his chances" said Johnnie in a manner which betrayed that he thought he knew quite well that his affections were returned, as, indeed, they were, and Audrey St. Clair was far too frank to take any great pains to conceal 1t. "Oh, Arkwright, what am I to dog" he said, pathetically.
 "Open your letter, Johnnie," he re- piled, and the tone in which he said it caused the wondering youth to obey promptly.
 He looked seraphically happy till he remembered that he ought to look be- reaved. Johnnie's ship had come home just in the nick of time. He had al- ways had shadowy expectations from his uncle, but he had been to pessimis- tic to count too much upon him. How ever, gout had claimed victim, and the canon's widow hinted to her son that he had to some extent benefited by the event.
 The-vanity of riches was exemplified to Johnnie, when, after a decent in- terval, he returned to town the richer by $22,000 a year, but, as he speedily found, minus Mrs. Leverson's good graces.
 Another was reigning favorite with her now, Lester, picturesque but not very talented painter, who was deep in converse with Audrey when he made his reappearance.
 Mrs. Leverson greeted Johnnie with out effusion. Audrey was more friend ly, but inopportunely asked him if he had seen Lester's latest picture.
 Johnnie's soul was already green with jealousy.
 Who's Lester?' he said, "that fellow with the untidy hair" Audrey re- proachfully changed the conversation, but Johnnie was out of humor and con- tinued to sulk.
 This lasted for some days, and it was noticed that Mrs. Leverson continued to treat him with as much indifference as she becomingly could.
 "Why does she quarrel with a chap for coming into a fortune?" said Tom