The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-02-15

"You know you promised
"Yes," | replied, II promised, and
I'll keep my promise. I'll be your best
man. Not that / wouldn't like to get
out of it," went on; 'but you insist
and / suppose that"
"Oh, come now," said Tom, don't
go in for cynicism; that's cheap. Oi
course, I'm willing to admit that from
your point of view, perhaps, Dorothy
enough, but | wouldn't curse the
whole sex, and rail at matrmony, and
all that. You'll get over it III time
you know"
Tom is an old friend, and allows
himself liberties. l kept my head, and
replied calmly:
IL am not cynical, and I'm not rail
ing at matrimony. Moreover, that lit
tie affair with the young woman you
mention, which | have quite forgot
ten
Tom smiled in a peculiarly trying
manner.
(which l have entirely forgotten'-
/ repeated.
"AAd will forget anew every day
you live" said Tom.
HAS had nothing whatever to do
with my determination to devote my
self entirely to my profession. | have
already frittered away entirely too
much of my life on what we are
pleased to CALI society," But of course
I'll keep my promise to you
Nov look here, Old man." Tom be
gan; but he saw, suppose, something
liz IGy face which warned him that ]
was not to be moved. AT any rate he
laughed and shrugged his shoulders,
and then said:
well, I'll count in you for the best
man. June seventh is the day, and /
hope you won't find it such an awful
bore as you seem to expect"
The marriage was to come off at
Riverton, and / congratulated myself
that the guests, with few exceptions,
would be Riverton folk whom did
not know. / could do my duty by
Tom, take last farewell of butterfly
society. and then settle down for good
upon the career which fondly hoped
would end upon the supreme bench. |
would work, and work hard. Dorothy
Melton, with whom l quarreled six
months ago, should never think that
she had broken my heart, or shattered
my life, or anything of that sort, for
she hadn't. She simply had revealed
n ftf.ly nf
brought me to the realization that a
career, after all, is the only thing that
can really satisfy man worth any,
thing.
AS the time of Toms wedding ap-
preached I wrote him that I should
run down to Riverton "a hours in adj
vance in order to attend to all the
thousand and one duties which devolre
upon the best man; but at the last
moment my one really good client, a
man rich and cranky. succeeded in
getting so hopelessly involved in an
injunction suit that nothing but inn
mediate and earnest personal atten-
tion could keep him from going to
Jail for contempt of court. | saved
him from that iguominy, but only att
er spending the entire morning of the
wedding day in court, aud barely
caught the last train by which |
could reach Riverton in time for the
ceremony. Tom and his friends would
have to. look after the details of the
wedding which | was compelled to
neglect.
| had forgotten that Uncle William
Clarkson lived at Riverton. or | might
have been prepared for him; but be-
fore the train had fairly stopped at
the station Uncle William was at my
SIDE, grasping my hand and reaching
for my bag. Here you are at last
he was saying. Tive been at every
train chat came in to-day. You've got
10 go up to the house with me and
get little snack of something to eat
before the wedding"
"Rnt Tom" | interposed.