Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-09-13

| look so unDeneNlng! prOceeueu Vhe
| Noteworthy convalescent. 81 was 60
ing to tell you something that Jess
told me which makes me tolerably
sure that Miss Wethered-but you
would only scott 1 never knew such
fellow as you, upon my world"
Metford smiled illegibly.
"The position is very simple one"
he said. Assuming that from what
your sister has been-pardon me for
saying so-unwisely suggesting to
you, Mary-I mean, Miss Wethered-
cares enough for you to marry you.
a worthless and heartless but toler-
ably good-lool1ing chap like you, who,
as you Justly remark, don't deserve
the love of any woman, nor, for that
matter, the succession to one OF the
Oldest and wealthiest baronetcies in
England"
He paused, his face white and drawn
lines visible upon it that were not there
when this debate began.
'You haven't any love to offer her
You don't know what love is. You
merely want to cancel supposed debt
of gratitude by offering her your looks
your wealth-everything you have ex'
cept the only thing that woman like
Mary Wethered hungers for!"
He was becoming eloquent, too eio
quent, and he perceived it.
Love will come later" Winston an
swered, confidently; gratitude is SAID
to be akin to love. The girl is not
quite my style admit, but I like hel
Il really do, old chap! She is passably
good-looking, although, suppose, one
could hardly call her pretty
Metford snorted.
"Sings well-sufficiently well, that is,
for drawing-room purposes. Don't look
so beastly scornful! Of course, you
can't appreciate anything humber
than Italian opera. She plays the piano
nearly as well as Jess does, talks inter
estingly, and has, l must say, the
gentlest voice imaginable. Whatever
you may choose to say, you old calculat'
ing cvnic, am more and more inclined
to agree with my sister Jess that If ]
return to India without asking the girl
to be my wife 1 shall be the stupidest
most ungrateful and most contemplate
beast on earth"
81 warn YOU" said Metford, warmly
"that if you pretend love to Miss Weth'
cred and let her pledge herself to you
YOU will repent yourself within week
and the girl will find you out and be the
most miserable woman on Gods earth
You won't listen to my words of wis
dom, of course; for of all the pig-head'
ed, obstinate mules"
"a somewhat mixed metaphor"
laughed Winston, unabashed.
"Mixed metaphor be hangedl Be q
man and a gentleman! Go away unde'
clared, and if, after you have had SIX
months to think about it, you feel
something more than gratitude stirring
within your bosom, get six months
leave, return to England, insert your
head into the matrimonial noose-and
be hanged to you!"
"Beastly old cynic!" declared the
blase lieutenant. 81 like your con-
founded impudence talking about love-
WHY. 1 don't believe you possess even
the rudiments of heart! Damned
good chap, all the same! You shall be
my best man. Tomorrow or the next
day l shall indite hyperbolic epiStle to
Miss Mary, asking whether she cares
enough for a fellow to wait for him un'
til he gets his captaincy. 1t may be fol
years as the song says; but l f1atte1
myself 1 am we'll worth waiting for
and 1 don't propose to take the risk OF
any other fellow-a cold-blooded chap
like you, for misunderstanding into
the lists during my absence!"
Metford was speechless with con-
tempt. That Winston should have
proved himself such an unmitigated
The funny part of it was that Miss
Wethered, who was taking brief rest
at the seaside, received two letters by
the morrows malone from the "un-
mitigated cad" thanking her "ever SO
mucb" for all her kindness to him dur
ing his protracted illness; the other
from the "beastly old cynic," the re-
ply to which-it seems almost like
sacrilege to print twas as follows:
Dear DR.. Metford: 1 am so glad! How
glad 1 cannot tell you! have loved you
ever since the day that first met you, but
/ never dared to hope that 1 should be hon.
ored with your love. . . Very sincerely
! yours, MARI WEI HhRED'
And this is the letter that sister Jessie
wrote a day or two thereafter to her
graceless brother:
My Darling Boy: You did 1t beautifully
If | we're queen, you should be decorated
with a cross for most conspicuous gallan'
try. l know how fond of the girl you had
become, and what it must have cost you
to act as you did 1t was very hard work
wasn't it, poor boy? Mary is overjoyed
Some day, when she has been married q
year or so, l may let her into part of thu
secret of our conspiracy. But NUNS thu
word for the present