The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-03-10
A FREAK OF FATE.

Why, Mr. duntley
"Why, Miss Hartley !"
They had met face to face at the
street corner.
81 was thinking of you," said Mr.
Huntley.
"And l of you" said Miss Hartley
"May 1 walk with you if I happen
to be going your way?'
"Why, of course. Perhaps you
can help me to find the place to which
I am going. 1 am not quite sure
that l know just where it is. Have
you any idea of where the Reverend
Henry Philips lives?'
Indeed, have a very definite idea
of where he lives, for I am bound for
his abode myself"
''How funny that we should be 60
ing to the same place. shall be glad
if you will pilot me to his house, and
gladder still if you will introduce me
to him when we get there, for have
never even seen him, and I have been
feeling that it would be little awk-
ward for me to introduce myself.
always dislike to introduce myself to
anyone.
Certainly I'll introduce you-that
is, after / have introduced my own
self, for 1 do not know the man from
Adam"
How funny that we should both
be going to see man neither of us
know. You must let me have my say
first. I want him to come to the an
nual meeting of Our mission industrial
school and talk for fifteen or twenty
minutes. I am told that he would be
just the man for talk of that kind,
and as 1 have full charge of the pro-
gram it has fallen to my lot to see if
1 can get Mr.. Philips for this part of
it. And now may I be impertinent
enough to ask your errand? / am
sure that it is not for the purpose of
confessing your sins"
"No, I am going to add to them by
asking poor, overworked preacher
ts dff pdposg 81 sassRaga biz if aaa a ft7fgqth 7gg sd
cret societies on the face of the earth
not that I give rap whether they
are squelched or not, but an old uncle
of mine, whom / dare not disobey be-
cause Of the length of his bank ac-
count, is in the secret society exter-
mination business, and he asked. or
rather commanded me to secure the
Reverend Henry for this meeting,
and, of course, 1 shall have to pre-
tend to be in sympathy with the move
ment."
Il shall be delighted to see you
play the roll of reformer."
''You never will see me playing it
in earnest, for it seems to me that
most of these extreme reformers are
much more obnoxious than the people
and the things they want to reform.
1 shall always fight shy of the whole
crowd of them, excepting, of course,
my bondholder uncle.
Ten minutes later Miss Hartley
and Mr.. Huntley were sitting in the
Rev. Henry Philips parlor, and he
was heard coming down the stairs in
his slippered feet. They rose to meet
him, and he said cordially:
"Ah, my dear young friends, am
very glad to see you, although I was
not expecting to see you quite Sc
soon. 1 thought that you said in
your note that you would be here at
four. However, it lacks but a quar-
ter of an hour of that time, and as
have an engagement at half-past four
I am glad that you have come lit
tie early. Were any of your friends
coming at four?'
"Why, no." said the somewhat
dazed Mr.. Huntley. "We-that is
=" but Mr.. Philips said lightly:
Perhaps you did not know that il
is necessary to have two witnesses tc
the ceremony; but my wife and
daughter are both upstairs and they
can act as witnesses They have done
so many time. I trust you are fully
prepared for the step you are about
to take. So many young people Ell.
ter the marriage relation hastily and
without giving really serious consid.
Grafton to the matter that l always
feel it to be my duty to question them
a little, even at the last moment
But then you do not look like a cou.
pie who would act ill-advisedly in g
matter of such paramount Importance
l will go right upstairs and ask my
wife and daughter to come down."
He was gone before either of the
embarrassed and half-dazed young
couple could call him back. Mis-:
Hartley looked out of the window
with crimson and averted face Mr.
Huntley glanced toward the door
Suddenly he had both of Miss Hart
ley's hands in his own and was say
ing eagerly and fervently:
20 Helen Helen He opened the
way for me to say all that 1 have Sc
long wanted to say, and l have no
dared say it can say it now. HI
thinks that we have come to be mar
ried. Let it be SO. I have wanted
it to be so for a long, long time. {
Helen let it be so now-dearest
1t is just the way in which I have al
ways said 1 should like to be mar
ried. And you will never look sweet
er than you look in that pretty gra,
gown and white hat. I though
when met you that you looked like
bride. Let it be your bridal dress
No license is required i'll this State
and neither of US are in duty boun'
to ask the consent of any one. Hell
en- Helen p
Mr.. Philips and his wife and daugh
ter were a little delayed in cominI