The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-24
theory was the correct one and readily

usefulness in the home, where she is
Of mothers.
"Care-burdened wives and mothers
and daughters here tonight whose
greatest happiness is found in contrib
utlng to the comfort of those you love,
your lot is an enviable one. and be-
| be contented with 1t.
1.-THE eccentric millionaire uncle Of
my college chum, Frank Benson. died
during the young mans last year at
school. leaving him. three years hence.
provided he had married by that time,
the snug sum Of $4,000. If. at the given
date. young Benson remained single he
was to receive only $500. and another
heir. who would then become Of age,
was to get the balance.
"Bensons worldly possessions
amounted to less than $1,000 when the
uncle died. and the sum which was thus
placed within his grasp looked very
large indeed to him. The handling OF
vast amounts of money was right in line
with his ambition, too. and he knew
his part II 1t ber1rne necessary to let
this fortune pass into another's hand.
But he had never met the girl whom he
would take as a life companion, even
though this financial consideration was
multiplied by ten-not because all his
Iod Cot 10 f-Fo 70
from 1t. but for the better reason that
no one of them had ever shown herself
able to disturb his heart. and marriage
with him, II 1t occurred at all. should
be matter of love rather than finance
1.-THE condition in his uncle's will
seemed unreasonable in the extreme to
him, but, after all. as q matter of fact,
he did really want to get married If he
could only find his true mate, and the
plan took definite form in his mind dur
ing the remaining six months Of his
school life to devote as much of his
next two and a half years as it required
exclusively to hunting wife.
when graduation was over and he
had received his degree Benson lost no
time in undertaking his new self-as-
signed task. He went about it deliber-
ately, however. and communicated his
purpose to no one.
1.-THE first five weeks were spent as
the guest of cousin, who was promi-
nent in the legal and social circles Of
Des Moines, Ia. There he met score
or more Of highly accomplished and
attractive young ladies.
each of whom treated him with kind
lest courtesy. Several of them satisfied
every demand Of his intellect. and he
tried to place his heart in as suscepti-
BILE an attitude as possible. but it con-
tinued to be as inactive as ever, and he
came to Richardson county. Neb., to
visit a sister and. so far as he could.
subject his heart for month at least
to the feminine charms Of rural dis
trict. As at Des Moines. his intellect
was in several cases satisfied, but that
was all.
He next put in three weeks at the
home Of boyhood friend in Denver,
then two months visiting an aunt in
San Francisco. from which place he
came back to AtcEison county. Mo-,
where a brother-in-law lived, went next
to Minneapolis. thence to Chicago, paid
m oft-promised visit to an aged rela-
tive in Page county, Iowa, made trip
to Boston, where he remained several
spent nine weeks in Indiana,
and continued to go from place to place
in this way. always making most well
come visit to some special friends or rel
alive and never forgetting the secret OBJ
ject Of his travels, until he had spent
from two weeks to three months in thir-
ty-six communities and formed the ac-
quaintance-a very pleasant acquaint-
ance. too Of 2SS manageable young
ladies', twenty-seven Of whom he had
really tried to love. but trying, failed,
and now. nine days from the time limit
set by his uncle's will, It was still true
that he had never met the lady whom
any financial consideration however
large would induce him to wed.
"He gave up, allowed the other heir
to come into possession Of the money
which might have been his. and cheer
fully applied himself to business, firmly
resolving that IL he ever married he
should meet the woman by change or
providence and not by going out to find
her.
"Just fifteen days after the fortune
passed to the other heir Benson was
driving across the country on a matter
Of business when he was caught in q
severe wind storm ten miles from the
town In which ne had settled and turned
into . farm house for shelter. There he
met q Miss Nettie Rosebud who
strangely stirred up asveritable wind
storm In his heart before he had known
her an hour and she wasn't dressed in
her Sunday best. either. a. the other 2ss
girls had been. He arranged to con-
tinue the acquaintance. which soon be-
came courtship. and one year from
that stormy Wednesday, with the love.
Hest OF sunshine outside and the pref.
tiest Of flowers within. having heart
~ strangely peaceful now AZ It wal
turbulent on the former occasion. Franz
Benson led Nettie Rosebud to the NOR.
! riage altar. That was eleven year,
$50 na% x,n0n&h = 80 = s,,,net : 4 $D,as,