The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-26

ana stralght as an arrow-nor or his
handsome, open, ingenious counte-
nance, or his candid blue eye, or his
thick curly hair. No; what won my
heart from an early period of my visit
TO my cousins, the Poltons, of Potion
Park, was the fervent, undisguised, un-
ashamed, confident and altogether mat
ter-of-course manner in which he made
love to Miss Beatrice Queenborough,
. only daughter and heiress of the
wealthy shipowner, Sir Wagstaff
Queenborough, Bart; and Eleanor, his
wife. 1t was purely the manner Of the
curate's advances that took my fancy;
in the mere fact of them there was
nothing remarkable. For all the men
in the house (and a good many outside)
made covert, stealthy and indirect
steps in the same direction; for Trix
Gas her friends called herr was, If not
wise, at least pretty and witty, dis
playing to the material eye a charming
figure, and to the mental a delicate hear
heartlessness---both attributes which
challenge q self-respecting mans best
efforts. But then came the fatal obsta-
Gle. From heiress in reason a gentleman
need neither shrink nor let himself be
driven: but when ii comes to some
thing like twenty thousand a year
the reported amount of Trix's dot-he
distrusts his own motives almost as
much as the lady's relatives distrust
them for him. We all felt this-Stan-
ton, Rippleby and /; and, although
will not swear that we spoke no tender
words and gave no meaning glances,
yet we reduced such concessions to nat
ural weakness to a minimum not only
when Lady Queenborough was by, but
at all times. To say truth, we had no
desire to see our scalps affixed to Miss
Trix's pretty belt, nor to have our
hearts broken Qike that of the young
man in the poem) before she went to
Homburg in the autumn.
With the curate it was otherwise. He
Jack Ives, by the way, was his name
appeared to rush, not V,nly upon his
fate, but in the face of all possibility
and of Lady Queenborough. My cousin
and hostess, Dora Potion, was very
much distressed about him. She said
that he was such a nice young fellow,
and that it was a great pity to see him
preparing such unhappiness for him
self Nay. l happen to know that she
spoke very seriously to TriX, pointed
out the wickedness of trifling with him,
whereupon TriX. who maintained a
bowling acquaintance with her con-
science, avoided him for a whole after
noon and endangered all Algy Stan
toms prudent resolutions by taking him
out in the Canadian canoe. This DEM
onstration in no way perturbed the cur
ate. He observed that, as there was
nothing better to do, we might as well
play billiards, and proceeded to defeat
me in three games of hundred up mo,
it is quite immaterial whether we
played for anything or noD, after which
he told Dora that the vicar was taking
the evening service-it happened to be
the day when there was one at the
parish church-a piece ofsinformation
only relevant in so far as it suggested
that Mr.. Ives could accept an invita-
tion to dinner if one We're proffered him.
Dora, very weakly, rose to the bait;
Jack Ives, airily remarking that there
was no use in ceremony among friends,
seized the place next to TriX at dinner
(her mother was just opposite) and
walked on the terrace after dinner with
her in the moonlight. When the ladies
retired he came into the smoking room,
drank a whisky and soda, said that
-hlSS NSutcuDOIbuSll was really d very
charming companion, and apologized
for leaving us early on the ground that
his sermon was still unwritten. My
good cousin, the Squire, suggested
rather grimly that a discourse on the
vanity of human wishes might be ap-
propriate.
Il shall preach" said Mr.. Ives,
thoughtfully, ION the opportunities of
wealth."
This resolution he carried out on the
next day but one that being a Sunday.
j had the pleasure of sitting next to
Miss Trix, and | watched her with
some interest as Mr.. Ives developed his
theme. | will not try to reproduce the
sermon which would have seemed by
no means had one, had any of our
party been able to ignore the personal
application which We read into it; for
its main burden was no other than this
that wealth should be used by those
who were fortunate enough TO possess
1t (here Trix looked down and fidgeted
with her praNer-book) as a means of
promoting greater union between
themselves and the less richly-endow-
ed, and not-as, alas, had tco often
been the case-as though It were a new
SCI UP DclNttH lltlll ana tnelr
fellow creatures. (Here Miss Trix
blushed slightly. and had recourse 10
her smelling bottle). you" said the
curate. waxing rhetorical as he ad
dressed an imaginary, but bloated, cap
italist, have no more right TO your
money than I have. 1t is entrusted TO
you to be shared with me-" At this
point heard Lady Queenborough sniff,
l0Ny 70
glance at TriX and detected a slight
waver in the admirable lines of her
mouth.
"A very good sermon, didn't you
think?" / said to her as we walked
home.
"Oh, very" she replied oemurely
"Ah, If we followed all we heard in
church." sighed.
Miss Trix walked in silence for a
few yards. BY dint Of never becoming
anything else, we had become very
good friends; and presently she re-
marked, quite confdentially:
Hes very silly, isn't he?"
Then you ought to snub him." said
] severely.
80 I do-sometimes. He's rather
amusing, though"
"Of course, IL you're prepared to
make the sacrifice involved@"
"Oh, what nonsense"
"Then you've no business to amuse
yourself with him"
Dear, dear! how moral you are"'
said TriX.
The next development in the situa.
tion was this: My cousin Dora receiv-
cd a letter from the Marquis OF New
haven, with whom she was acquainted
nraYlnr her 10 allow him % MN dnu.n