The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-20

/
Thanks. That's settled Now you
| may put yoar name down for two dances
instead of one one because You asked ii
and the other for being good.
| 1T pays to be good when goodness is
so rewarded "
| Chester uttered some expression OF
grateful acknowledgment for the prom
ised favor, though there was something
| in the incident he hardly knew what,
that he did not like, and Mr. Pratt led
Irma away. Left alone to ponder over
| the circumstance, he found that il was
| the confident and familiar way Irma
spoke 10 the boss and the evident
| good understanding between them
| which gave him the uncomfortable feel
ing of dislike for his new protector
But outside that little incident and Mr.
| Willmarth's eccentric behavior his en-
| joyment of the evening was perfect.
Irma led him into the conservatory,
! nominally 60 show him a new orchid
, that had just come into bloom, and in the
shelter Of the foliage, when she was sure
nobody SAW thCm, she gave him kiss.
Mr.. Pratt had given him and the fire of
her carcss together impelled him to reck.
less disregard for all else than his love,
and he urged her to consent to an imme.
diate marriage He wanted her to elope
with him the very next day. The thought
that after paying the expenses of the
elopement and a ministers fee he would
be practically penniless did not even oc.
cur TO HIM
She heard him through indulgently,
even orcourag,ngly, and gave him an
other kiss, bat she would not run away
mo, C.cster dear" she said with
placid rcesc-', rot at all disturbed by his
fever. 81 would be very nice but not
even "A little bit nsiblc for us to make
papa grgyy, I'D he wogld be, avfully, if
We 70 to 60 a thing like that We
must ElCp on his good side if We can.
You VII b al rig. I've bcCn Watch
ing h;-I this evening. and ] ca &c
that he is bt u mig To take to yuG. Sc
patient. 4 lirtlc bird whispers 10 l.c
that we viii not have very long u
wait. -
OPPOSITE cS the poles were the thought
i'll her lnl.:d prompting the tigurative
whisp OF The littln bird and tho under
STANDING in h's produced by it, He had
not ted her whence he had obtainC d
the costly present he had made to her,
the value of which she knew far better
than he did, and she naturally supposed
that he had purchased it. To be able to
h11v a
sudden and great improvement in his
financial condition. 1t was quite true
that his speculations were going badly
when last he told her anything about
them, but she very well knew some
times fortunes were picked up on Wall
street in few hours, and why might
not her lover have had some such lucky
picking? Certainly his entire capital at
the time when he asked her father for
her hand would not have sufficed to
buy that grand ruby. He must be get
ting rich.
But Chester thought she meant him to
understand the bird S whisper as Papa
is on the verge Of giving his consent to
our marriage"
And before the error of either could
be corrected the presence Of other per-
sons put an end to the conversation.
But it had lasted long enough to make
the young man happier than he had
been i'll a good many weeks past, and
when he went out that night from her
presence his future seemed once more
radiant with the golden light of hope.
He and Irma would marry. Her father
would start him in business. BY the
way, why had she, knowing all that,
solicited that man to give him polit-
ical appointment? No doubt she meant
1T as joke, or it was just possible that
she was really ambitious to see him win
political preferment. Well, if it would
please her, he would do so.
He was very happy awhile that even
ing--for the last time.
A couple of blocks from Mr.. Will.
marth' S house on his way home Chester
was attacked by two ruffians, who sought
to rob him. His athletic training when
in college stood him in such good stead
III this emergency that he whipped both
his assailants and turned one of them
over to policeman, the other taking to
his heels without himself receiving any
serious physical damage. But he sus-
tanned an injury to which he would in
finitely have preferred some severe con.
tusions, for hurt skin gets well, while
damaged raiment does not Torn, blood
spattered and covered with dirt, Johns
handsome dress coat was irretrieyably
ruined Recognizing at glance the ut.
ter hopelessness of attempting to cure its
wounds, Chester went the next morning
to its maker and paid for another to re.
place 1t. When he had done so, he had
less than $40 left out of the 500 obtain.
ed by pawning his watch.
The episode Of the coat was but one
more step on the now steeply inclined
road to ruin down which fate was ir.
resistibly impelling Chester Sewall.
CHAPTER XII.
TWAS matter for surprise in the little
HAN household one morning, when the
ms.