The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-12-02
A FAMILY AFFAIR.

\
eff she were only of good family"
Peter Dunlap said this for the hum
dredth time. glancing at his typewrit-
er. said typewriter being nineteen
years old and pretty.
what is good family. Mr.. Dunlap?"
asked the typewriter one day.
why, why, my dear, what do you
mean?" stammered Mr. Dunlap; were
you reading my thoughts?"
"Oh, no" said the typewriter, Miss
Sweet, smiling depaurely. Il was only
thinking little fer myself. Is your
family good family, Mr. Dunlap"
.'The finest in this country" said
Peter Dunlap, putting out his cheeks
and swelling out his chest, and we
have been bankers in the city of st.
Louis for sixty years, one Dunlap fol-
lowing the other"
"And-and-were your wives also
bankers?" murmured Miss Sweet as
sweetly as her name.
Peter Dunlap looked at her sharply
and coughed.
My mother" said he. was a bank
er's daughter; her mother was the
daughter of Lady Cadogan, of Eng
land; her cousins were related to an
Earl, and the Earls children inter
married again into our family. We are,
I might say, Miss Sweet, of noble de-
scent"
eyes, yes, 1 thought So" lisped Miss
Sweet very sweetly.
1t was no secret in the office, nor
to Peter Dunlap, nor to Miss Sweet her
self, that there was something more
than the clicking Of the keys between
the proprietor and his pretty type
writer. Touching the ivory buttons,
Miss Sweet had touched the heart of
her employer at the same time, and for
the last six months matters had been
coming daily to crisis between them.
Miss Sweet thought she loved the pro-
prietor; indeed, she was pretty sure
that she did, and as for Peter Dunlap,
he was very certain that his heart was
only in one spot, and that spot was
under the neat shirtWaist worn by Miss
Sweet.
Most young women under the cir
cumstances would have felt very much
miffed at the thought of being loved
and rejected for reasons which they
could not help, but Miss Sweet was not
like other girls. She viewed the fact
of her poverty with equanimity, and
was undisturbed by the knowledge that
it was only her poor social position
that kept the banker from proposing
to her. Not that she was unaware of
the state of affairs; in fact, they had
talked it over.
'sYou see, my dear"-Peter Dunlap
called Miss Sweet my dear''-'it is
this way: My sisters are very proud
Elsa is the wife of an Admiral, Clara
married millionaire, my only brother
is a yachtsman and cup-holder, and I
must uphold the family name. Now, my
dear-for the twentieth time-I repeat
to you that love you very dearly, and
If l could / would ask you to be my
wife but-you see just how it is"
"To be sure" said Miss Sweet, with
a ready show of that sympathy for
which the banker loved her among
other qualities, q understand all about
it. Mr.. Dunlap, the rich banker of
Chicago, of the proudest family in the
West, cannot create a social sensation
and shock family traditions by marry
ing poor typewriter, who was so PEN
niless when she came to him that she
had to live in working girls home.
Eyes, yes, exactly; that's the way it
is, though you put it rather harshly."
Otherwise you love me?'
Better than my life.
II see. So my life is to be spoiled,
and what is left of yours?" Here Miss
Sweet laughed so merrily that Peter
Dunlap looked confused, and shortly
after he put up his ledgers for the
afternoon and went out.
It was nearly three days before the
subject was alluded to again, for it was
an old matter with Peter Dunlap and
his typewriter, and one which, though
they discussed it often, did not come
up every day. This was more Miss
Sweets fault than Mr.. Dunlaps. for
the banker would have talked it over
with the young lady, and would glad
ly have come to some arrangement By