The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-12-01

adducing arguments in support of q
plan when nobody says anything to
contradict you.
That was what we both felt, SO we
paused. Maureen still sat silent for
a moment, then she spoke. l had never
heard Maureen's voice with that in
Election in my life; she was actually
serious.
"My dears," she said, and she slipped
my wife's, you've been very good to
me all my Iife," and there was a thrill
in her voice as she said it which made
my eyes grow suddenly dim. I've lost
both father and mother. but you have
been to me so kind that l never missed
either-can 1 say more? But don't
make me do this thing. What is the
idea? I shall be rich some day, and
1 know you think me pretty, therefore
you would like me to make a grand
marriage. 1 don't care if l marry or
don't, but I'm quite sur it would be
hateful to live in a dirty old city, and
I'm not going to do it, so that is quite
settled, isn't it?"
During the first quarter of her speech
my wife and l held our breaths-it was
so unlike the Maureen of every day
but the windup held a family likeness
to speeches we had often heard, and
we felt that we were treading familiar
ground once more.
"Then you won't 60" l said.
.. l. -.-1 1rI
then there was a vision of gathered
skirts and tiny feet, for Maureen had
departed by the way she had come.
Nv wife and l looked at each other
and gave a sigh of relief.
81 hate the city," she said, sudden
ly, "but 1 thought it was my duty to
take her there"
"Just what 1 felt myself" l told her,
shut apparently we won't have to up
root ourselves after all; you see, she
has made up her mind"
at never takes her long to do that"
"If she made up her mind to marry
anybody, for instance, and We didn't
approve" she suggested, what u
we do?"
My face, I presume, presented a
blank, for my wife jumped up and
went out of the room laughing.
Maureen wasn't my only care, either.
1 had a son called Tom, and he was
as wild as a hawk, so l need hardly say
| that he and my ward hunted in couples.
He was a year or two younger than
she was, but he would have followed
her to the moon willingly had there
been a path there, and there had never
been an escapade of hers in which Tom
had not had his full share.
1 had had tutors for him, but one
after another these gentlemen had in
| formed me that-well, one of them had
insinuated that l had better engage
one of the wild beast tanners from a
travelling ~menagerie, as such a person
might succeed in ~instructing Tom.
For an ordinary man it was a hopeless
task. he said, to attempt to teach him
anything.
NV wife had warned me not to en-
gage any young man as tutor this time.
"Now Maureen is grown up she said.
"your own common sense will tell you
that it wouldn't do at all"
l agreed hastily, and sat down to ac-
eept the suggestion of a friend who
had proposed sending me a certain
Prof. Bryant, who, my friend said. was
quite clever at dealing with boys.
had visions of spectacles and a brain
stuffed with classical lore, of some
old dry-as-dust specimen of humanity,
and gave a sigh of sympathy with Tom
1 remembered my OWN mad youth. and
understood him better than most peo-
pie could, except Maureen.
But the boy must learn; he was 60
ing to college soon to prepare himself
for the bar, and he needed preliminary
tuition.
Nv letter was written and duly dis
patched, my terms were accepted by
prof. Bryant" and a few days later
came a telegram announcing his ar
rival.
l had spoken to Maureen about it
and she had coaxed Tom into a state OF
auiescence, which was a shade better
than the open rebellion which he usu'
aIly showed to new arrivals of the
genus tutor.
| sent a carriage to the station tc
meet the professor, and stayed at home
to receive hin.
1 went out to the hall when l heard
the wheels on the drive, and l shall
never forget my feelings of surprise
when the professor came into the
lamp-lit room. He was six foot three
at least-a fair-haired, blue-eyed' gi
ant, and if he was more than six ano
twenty, Tm-well, add to that the fac
that he was the most attractive man
ever saw in my life, and you will under
stand that. as he stood there facing mt
in his rough tweed suit, l was mentally
calculating:
what will Molly (my wife) say"
What she did say was so ditferen
from what l expected that l wa
struck dumb. and only stared at her
wonderingfor the hundred thausandtl
time at the inconsistency of women.
She just looked at me, her eye
bright. and her cheeks quite pink, an
she said:
Hes the handsomest man l eve
saw; he is one of Bryants of Dorchester
a cousin of my mothers isn't tina
oueer?). He's as good as gold, and a