Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-08-02
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A MOMENT
OF WEAKNESS.
How a Couple Obtained Consent
TO Their Marriage.
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Yes; that's just what l should like
TO do. but one must consider things"
You mean money!
Yes: l mean money. You see, if
Aunt Judith had any rational ground
for objecting 10 our marriage. if she
said you drank or were already mar
ried-of coEi>c ! know yOa are not
but am sulygsing case
Don't you think you might suppose
something little less uncompInen-
taryY
''No: certainly not what does it
matter in supposing: Wen. then It
would nc different and | should feel
that. however Wryug sl" might be. she
really mca.: well But when she can
only say that you are one Of the most
arrogant opponents Gf all the nOblcst
and purrSt aspirations of our sex
which means that she suspects yOu OF
laughing at her boomers why. then ]
know that Il is not me that she j.
thinking Of but herself all the time
And she wants me to marry Fiebrl
Jones because he fattorS her to the top
Of her bent and calls her pioneer aud
all that sort Of nonsense"
do you think that punching his
head would do any goodE
mo; I'm quite sure ii wouldn't, or
should hayc told you 10 do it long ago
But. for all that. Aunt Judy can do
what she likes with all my money un-
til | come Of age. and If | marry with
out her consent before | am q 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 eX-
pect that she would come round when
she found out what dear you really
are. But | know she would be only
too delighted to get the money for her
movements and societies, and | should
never get penny. So we must wait
till am 81"
"Tf | 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 n railway acct
dent and soOthe her last moments with
my brandy flask"
"You forget that she is teetotaler."
'Tf you had met as many tectotalers
as have, you wouldn't bet know
one who simply VOLTS down trific
that Is stiff with brandy and vermuth,
though he wouldn't touch either hon
cstly out Of glass, or | might be In
the way when her horses bolted."
"Oh she doesn't keep any"
4 Oh 4
stop them nj the risk Of my life, and
she would fail on my neck and call me
her prcservcr."
81 should Ike TO see that" cried
Lydia. with delicious trill Of laugh
ter.
"Lyddy, you have no Imagination" I"
said Bob Falk, with dignity. 81 am
sure the scene would be most dramat-
ic, especially II Lady Judy happened
70 be In boomers. And her remorse
would be so great that she would give
me her consent written on a visiting
card. or perhaps my shirt cuff, to pre-
vent mistakes"
How cau you talk such nonsenge!
But you have given me an idea.
tOullli yDu Edft HNl "ifh B-4p - NNt
bIcyclngp
what from? And how am TO find
her at the right momentT
"Well, really should have thought
that Il man could have arranged all
that in a minute"
seems as II the surest plan would
be TO arrange the accident One might
all tx L.v t,I N Trfy
himself TO be driven off by one, and
then he would probably blaclnmail me
for the rest OF my life. Or one might
get a generous friend TO do the tramp
part In disguise, only | can't 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
70 save him. The plan is not 30 bril-
liant as IT seemed at first"
mo; It isn't; very far from It. But
listen 10 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
accompany her"
"Myes DO you think she will catch
on to the elOpcmentY
"Oh, she Is not 70 know. | win find
out the route she goes by, and you VIII
follow at IA distance and keep her IN
| sight. Then II she gets into any diff
culties-and / feel sure she will-yOu
can rush TO the rescue and earn her
eternal gratitude"
"Supposing she secs me early in the
| Iaunt and smokes the trickY
you must take care she doesn't II
| you keep behind her all the time, she
| won't be able 30 see you"
Bob Fall was very much IN love
| with pretty Lydia Darrell, and he would
| have attempted anything that bore the
| smallest promise Of advancing the date
| Of their marriage. Besides, at that
moment the young wcmau Of the libra
ry, who, knowing them by sight and
| diyining n love affair, had humancly
| left them alone in the back room for II
| few minutes, returned with an apollo
! gctlc and at the same time decided cX-
! s.. .Jn
/ t..l -.r ~ the results Of Lady Ju-
| t' a.sa . icy in ordering that
'l.. e was u be said TO Mr..
kaIA ILL., ia exercising n strict censor
| ship over the letters received by her
niece was that Lydia had lift upon thc
idea Of the library as a meeting place.
and Bob put messages in the agony
| column when he wished to communi-
cate with her. Lydia Of course could
! write 10 him.
"In cans luence Of information re-
ceiycd. 49, the police say, Bob Falk
started IA pursuit OF Lady Judith par
TALLY disguised In a suit OF very old
clothes and d peculiarly villainoua
| cheap hat.
by tho time the quarry had passed
/ the one hundredth milestone from Lon
| don Bob was unable 10 resist ar inyol-
untary feeling Of admiration for her
| pluck. She rode hills which most Of
] her sex would have walked. She took