The Delawarean., 1900-07-21
A MOMENT
OF WEAKNESS.
How a Couple Obtained Consent
to Their Marriage.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

Il won't marry old Fiebel-Jones-not il
all the aunts in the world told me to-"
Marry me and defy the old catr'
eyes; that's just what 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 to our marriage. if she
said you drank or were already mar
ried-of course l know you are not
but | am supposing a case
Don't you think you might suppose
something a little less uncomplimen-
tary?"
"No; certainly not What does ii
matter in supposing? Well. then ii
would be different. and l should feel
that, however wrong she might be, she
really meant we'll. But when she can
only say that you are one of the most
arrogant opponents OF all the noblest
and purest aspirations of our sex
which means that she suspects you of
laughing at her bloomers-why, then, l
know that it is not me that she is
thinking of but herself all the time.
And she wants me to marry Fiebel-
Jones because he fiatters her to the top
of her bent and calls her a pioneer and
all that sort of nonsense"
do you think that punching his
head would do any good"
"No; I'm quite sure it wouldn't, or l
should have told you to 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 81 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 a dear you really
are. But | know she would be only
too delighted to get the money for her
movements and societies, an l should
never get a penny. So we must wait
till am 81"
"If l could only get round her in
some way. If this was in a novel,
there would be dozens of ways.
should drop on her i'll n railway acci-
dent and soothe her last moments with
my brandy flask"
''You forget that she is a teetotaler."
IF you had met as many tectotalers
as | have, You wouldn't bet. l know
one who simply VOLTS down a trife
that is stiff with brandy and vermuth,
though he wouldn't touch either hon
estly out of q glass, or might be in
the way when her horses bolted."
"Oh, She doesn't keep any"
"She would in novel. And should
stop them at the risk of my life. and
she would fall on my neck and call me
her preserver.'
81 should like to see thatw cried
Lydia, with delicious trill of laugh
ter.
"Lyddy. you have no Imagination" !"
said Bob Falk, with dignity. II am
sure the scene would he most dramat-
ic, especially if Lady Judy happened
to be in boomers. And her remorse
would be SO great that she would give
me her consent written on visiting
card. or perhaps my shirt cuff. to pre-
vent mistakes"
"How can you talk such nonsense
But you have given me IN iGaa.
Couldn't you save her when she is out
bicycling?
what from? And how am to find
her at the right momentT'
"Well, really l should have thought
that man could have arranged all
that in minute"
Seems as if the surest plan would
be to arrange the accident. One might
bribe tramp to attack her and allow
himself to be driven off by one, and
then he would probably blackmail me
for the rest of my life. Or one might
get generous friend to do the tramp
part In disguise, only l can't at the
present moment think of any man who
would be such 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 1 should have to give myself up
to save him. The plan is not so bril-
liant as it seemed at first"
mo; it isn't; very far from it. But
listen to 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 to
grief. Now, my idea is that you should
accompany her."
"'Myes! Do you think she will catch
on to the elopement?"
"Oh, she is not to know. 1 will find
out the route she goes by, and you will
follow at distance and keep her in
sight. Then If she gets into any diff
culties-and 1 feel sure she will-you
can rush to the rescue and earn her
eternal gratitude"
"Supposing she sees me early in the
jaunt and smokes the trick?"
"You must take care she doesn't. If
you keep behind her all the time. she
won't be able to see you."
Bob Falk was very much in love
with pretty Lydia Darrell, and he would