The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1900-02-10
A Moment Of Weakness
Z :.
NTHAT on earth are we to dor
W cried pretty lydia Darrell al

WTHAT on earth are we to do?"
wv cried pretty Lydia Darrell al
most tearfully. II won't marry oil
Fiebei-Jones-no if all the aunts in
the world told me to-"
Marry me and defy the old cat"
Yes, that's just what l should like
to do, but one must consider things"
You mean money!"
"Yes, | mean money. You see, II
Aunt Judith had any rational ground
for Directing to our marriage, If she
said you drank, or were already mar
ried-of course l know you're not
but l am supposing case"
Don't you think you might suppose
something little less uncomplimen-
tary?''
mo, certainly not. What does 1t
matter in supposing? Well, then it
would be different, and l should feel
that, however wrong she might be, she
really meant well But when she can
only say that you are one of the most
arrogant opponents of all the noblest
and purest aspirations of our sex
which means that she suspects you of
know that it is not me that she is
thinking of, but herself all the time
And she wants me to marry Fiebel-
Jones because he f1atters her to the
top of her bent, and calls her pioneer
aud all sorts of nonsense"
"Do you think that punching his
head would. do any good ?''
mo, I'm quite sure it wouldn't, or
I should have told you to before this
But for all that, Aunt judy can do
what she likes with all my money un-
Ill come of age, and if marry with
out her consent before / am 81, all my
property goes into trust with her as
trustee, and she can allow me as much
or as little as she likes. If Aunt
Judith were an ordinary aunt, one,
might expect that she would come
round, when she found out what a
dear you really are. But / know she
would be only too delighted to get
he money for her movements and So
cieties, and I should never get a pen
ny. So we must wait till l am 81.
"If l could only get round her IN
some way. If this was in a novel
there would be dozens of ways. /
should drop on her in railway acct
dent and soothe her last moments
with my brandy flask"
You forget that she is a teetotal-
ier.'
"0r might be in the way when her
horses bolted."
Only she doesn't keep any"
"She would in a novel. And / should
stop them at the risk Of my life, and
She wocld fall on my neck and call me
her PTeserver."
Il should like to see that" cried
Lydia, with delicious trill of laugh
ter.
"Lyddy, you have no Imagination"
said Bob Falk, with dignity. II am
sure the scene would he most dra-
matic-especially If Lady Judy hap
Pened to be in boomers. And her re-
morse would be so great that she
would give me her consent written on
visiting eard--or perhaps my shirt
cuff, to prevent mistakes"
How can you talk such nonsense.
But YOU have given me an idea.
Couldn't you save her when she is out
bIcycling?"
What from? And how am to find
her at the right moment?"
We'll, really, / should have thought
that a man could have arranged all
that in n minute"
Seems as II the surest plan would
be to arrange the accident. One might
bride tramp TO attack her. and allow
himself to be driven OFF by me-and
then he would probably blackmail me
for the rest Of my life. Or one might
get generous friend to do the tramp
part in disguise-only / cant at the
present moment think of any man who
would be such a jay. BESIDES your
Aunt Judy is just the kind of energetic
female who would insist on seeing the
villain safe in Jail after the rescue.
Then | should have to give myself up
10 save him. The plan Is not SO bril-
liant as il seemed at first
No, it isn't. Very far from II. But
listen to me. On Monday Aunt Judy
starts on a bicycle ride to Scotland
alone. She wishes TO show that one
woman IN boomers can go through the
length Of England without coming 10
eFef. Sow my idea is that you should
accompany her"
Myef' DO You think she will catch
on TO the elopement?r
%, she is not to know. will find
out the route she goes by and you viii
follow a. a distance and keep her In
sight. Their II she gets into any DIM
eastiFs--Rnd feel sure she uflI-Yoa
can rush 10 the rescue and earn her
eternal gratitude"
saFpo sing she sees nae early In the
laasi and smokes The trick -
on must take care she doesn't. II
yea keep behind her all the time. she
wSa Ne abb to see you."