The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-06-09
agsinst " l ide. a NJ marrying q


=.
against The idea n my marrying q
Well. low, i cali that n unwar-
[rantable and outrageous exercise Of
maternal authority. And q false posi-.
ton like that cannot be maintained.
It's smother case Of bull versus loco
motive; inevitable result, bad for the
bull. Now ] have to propose that
adele HALT You had better get
right up and come home with me-,
exclaimed q low but clear and firm
voice just behind the couple.
The startled pair sprang 10 their
feet and, turning, found themselves
confronted by an exceedingly positive
looking elderly woman, who was evil
IDENTIFY taking satisfaction In the sue
cess of her strategic Invasion Of their
fancied privacy,
oh, mammal! Is that your. STAN
mered Adele in confusion.
Her companion bowed respectfully,
but remained silent while the woman
replied sarcastically:
ut is true that it is quite dark here,
but I guess there is still sufficient light
for you to recognize your mother"
"You-you-took me so BY sur
prise"
AS if to raise the lightning rod OF.
courtesy as q protection against the
threatened storm, the girl made haste
to put her strange lover forward, say
ing:
Permit me, mamma, to introduce
Mr.. John Latham"
Mrs. Halls acceptance Of the intro
duction was simply icy. With frigid
precision she said.
IF | were to say ! am pleased to"
meet Mr.. Latham, l would not be tell
Ing the truth"
but l am glad to meet you,
madam" replied the young man
heartily. II have wanted to do SO for
some time. and If you will permit me
to call upon you and make myself
known to you I think i can convince
you l am not such n very %obiectiona-
bic person that you should taboo me
altogether. Don't think badly of me
because L have met your daughter
abroad in this unconventional fashion,
instead of under your roof. We have
feared your opposition, and that was
the only reason for 1t. AID in the
very moment when you came upon us
wee were discussing how best to put
all concealments aside and win your
approval" t
He spoke in such a frank, manly
way that his sincerity was unques-
tionable, and the old lady uncon-
sciously showed that he haa made a
favorable impression upon her. Never
/ theless she was not one to abandon
readily a position once assumed, and
though her toward him had
/, yisibly softened, her words were still
antagonistic.
Il have" she replied firmly, .other
views than marriage for my daughter,
SO that 1t is not likely that we can
come to any agreement"
Il wish you would let me come to
see you and talk the matter over" re-
! piled Mr.. Lntham earnestly.
She looked steadily at him, seeming
80 ponder upon an idea for q minute
of two before nnswering:
you could only draw from me the
reasons for my determination, not In
fluence me to abandon it."
VERY well. Give me q chance to
show you, if | can, that your reasons
r not good"
"You think that you can do. SOP" she
retorted, with n faint, ironical smile.
Very good. We shall see. I will be
at home tomorrow evening and will
receive yot-once. YOU must not re-
gard your coming upon that occasion
as giving you n foothold, us cstab-
fishing a precedent for your visiting
my house."
II shall only come when permitted
by yon," he promised, bowling defer
entially.
Then it is settled. You can come
tomorrow evening. And now, Addie,
we had better get out of here before
the nightwntchman turns us out.
Good evening, Mr.. Latham"
Very ruefully regarding each other,
but submitting with what grace they
might to the inevitable, the lovers
said farewell, and John babe adieu to
Adde'S mother with such respectful
Difference as a man accords to few
other persons than his prospective
mother-in-law or hts principal cred
itor.
Naturally John Latham was not a
Titles disappointed by the unexpected.
and sudden end put to his levemaking
for such blissful opportunities were.
by no means of frequent enjoyment.
His duties as junior partner in a very
busy legal firm occupied him pretty
closely during day time, and seeing
Addie in the evenings was quite out.of
the question s o long as he was
cluded from her mothers house. In
deed, she was prone to have bad spells
of conscience, during which she was
clearly of the opinion that her clan-
destine meetings with him were alto
gether wrong. These seldom listed
more than a fortnight, OF, Mt most,
three weeks, but during them she was
quite unapproachable, and they were
liable to recnr at any time. Remem-
bering these, having a good. deal of
confidence in himself as q special
pIeader, and being by nature Of q
%cheerfully sanguine disposition, the
more he reflected upon the situation
during his long ride down town the
more he convinced himself TINT Mrv.
Halls invasion OF the territory Of
Cupid that afternoon was In reality
one of the NEST fortunate things
which could have happened.
IF 1 don't win that old woman"
he said to himself. II will deserve to
he disbarred for mental ineompe-
tency."
CHAPTER II.
Upon returning to his room-in O
combined lodging and boarding house
in the vicinity of Stuyvesant square
he found in temporary possession Of
it n visitor whose appearance both
surprised and pleased him, Chester
Sewall.
The two had been neighbors, play
mates and school fellows when boys
in Oneida county, and friends always,