Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-06-09
swell, then, rake her listen to rea-


she so dreadfully opposed to our mar
riage? She has never seen me-"
"She has nothing against you per-
sonally, dear. Indeed, l have never
yet dared to tell her anything definite
about you. She hardly more than
suspects your existence"
I'm other words, / am only known
to her as an object of suspicion"
Nonsense. You know what l mean.
It isn't that. She has just set herself
against the idea of my marrying at
ALL"
well, now, / call that an unwar.
rantable and outrageous exercise OF
maternal authority. And a false posi-.
ton like that cannot be maintained,
motive: inevitable result, bad for the
bull. Now / have to propose that
adele Halli You had better get
right up and come home with me-
exclaimed a low but clear and firm
voice just behind the couple.
The startled pair sprang to 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 you?" STAN
mered Adele i'm confusion.
Her companion bowed respectfully
but remained silent while the woman
replied sarcastically:
1T Is true that ii is quite dark here
but / 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 i am pleased tC
meet Mr.. Latham, / would not be tell
ing the truth"
"But l am glad to meet you
madam" replied the young man
heartily. 81 have wanted to do so fol-
some time, and if you will permit me
to call upon you and make myself
known to you | think | can convince
you | am not such n very objectiona-
bic person that you should taboo me
altogether. Don't think badly of me
because i 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 it. And in the
very moment when you came upon us
we were discussing how best to put
all concealments aside and win your
approval"
He spoke in such a frank, manly
way that his sincerity was unques'
tionable, and the old lady uncon.
~sciously showed that he had made q
favorable impression upon her. Never
theless she was not one TO abandon
readily a position once assumed, and
though her n toward him had
visibly softened, her words were still
antagonistic.
81 have" she replied firmly, "other
! views than marriage for my daughter,
so that it Is not likely that we can
come to any agreement"
II wish you would let me come to
4 y wv NhitN Noih ~ NV NNNAH ~
piled Mr.. Latham earnestly.
She looked steadily at him, seeming
to ponder upon an idea for a minute
of two before answering:
"You could only draw from me the
reasons for my determination, not in
fuence me to abandon it,"
very well. Give me a chance to
show you, if | can, that your reasons
are not good"
"You think that you can do SOP" she
retorted, with q faint, %ironical smile.
Every good. We shall see. / will be
at home tomorrow evening and will
receive you--once. You must not re-
gard your coming upon that occasion
as giving you a f%oothold, as estab-
fishing a precedent for your visiting
my house,.
81 shall only come when permitted
by you," 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 nightwatchman 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 nis principal cred.
itor.
Naturally John Latham was not a
Titles disappointed by the unexpected
aA Ill, ax- --xA - Ia, Nva Z n
for such blissful opportunities were
by no mean 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 so long as he was *.
cIuded from her mothers house. In
deed, she was prone to have bad spells
of conscience, during which she was
clearly of the opinion hat her clan
destine meetings with him were alto
gether wrong. These seldom lasted
more than a fortnight, or, at most,
three weeks, but during them she was
quite unapproachable, and they were
liable to recur at any time. Remem'
bering these, having a good deal OF
confidence in himself as a special
pleader, and being by nature of a
cheerfully sanguine disposition, the
more he reflected upon the situation
during his long ride down town the
more he convinced himself that Mrs
Halls invasion of the territory OF
Cupid that afternoon was in reality
one of the most fortunate things
which could have happened.
IF | don't win that old woman
he said to himself. 81 will deserve to
be disbarred for mental incompe-
tency."
CHAPTER III.
Upon returning to his room-in a
combined lodging and boarding house
in the vicinity of Stuyvesant square