The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-11-23
s elect gturp.
TWO ETHELS.
From woman's Life.

From Womans Life.
Everybody declared that Hugh Coleman
ought to be the happiest man in Green
vile. He was young, handsome and well
educated; then, just as he was preparing
to fight his way to fame, with poverty ar
rayed against him, he had suddenly been
made the sole heir to the fine old estate of
his eccentric aunt, Miss Betsy Colewood,
recently deceased What more was neces-
sary to the happiness of a gay young fellow
like Hugh Coleman
However, there was condition, or one,
at least, in his aunt will that caused him
no little uneasiness. He must love and
marry the girl of her choice, one whom he
had never even seen. Hugh Colewood
caught up his aunt last letter to him and
read it again and again, hoping to find some
little loophole of escape from the Calling
condition, but it was there in merciless
black and white. This is the part that
worried him :
eff you cannot comply with my wishes
for you to meet Ethel Wayne and love and
marry her, you forfeit your heirship to my
estate Ethel's mother was my dearest
friend, and if you marry her daughter it
will be fulfilling my fondest desires. You
cannot help loving her. / could not rest
in my tomb peacefully and know that Ethel
was not mistress of my estates, and you,
dear boy, the master. My lawyer, Mr..
Cranston, will arrange for you to meet
Ethel, as he is one of her guardians You
know how thoroughly despise old bache-
lors, therefore / give you warning that |
will not allow you to inherit my houses and
lands as one of that disagreeable crusty
order =
Hugh loved the Colewood estates, and
could not bear to think of giving them up.
Now, if the will had not specified whom
he must marry, but left the selection of "a
wife entirely to himself, Hugh believed
that he would. have enjoyed the romance
Of hunting for bride. He picked up his
hat and rushed from his room, going up
to the hotel where Mr.. Cranston was stop
ping while he arranged some business mat
tiers with Hugh.
ssHulloa, Colewood Take seat,
said the lawyer.
ssYou are aware of that one peculiar
feature in my late aunt will, Mr. Gran
ston r
ssTo what peculiar feature do you refer,
Mr.. Colewood p
THE one that absurdly commands me
to marry girl whom | have never seen.
s'Oh, that p returned Mr.. Cranston.
iYou are luckily fellow, Colewood.
That is the best part of the fortune.
'sIt's the most exasperating part,
Hugh cried, desperately. elbow can a
fellow love and wed to order p
ssWell, it's deal of time and bother
saved to the wooer, remarked the law
yer, putting. GIVE no doubt Ethel
Wayne will suit you better than any Sc
lection you are capable of making.
ssI am sure she won't suit me, sir
The estates can go to charity for all / care
| don't love any woman, and | love my
freedom TOO well to marry yet awhile.
don't want to be thrust upon any woman
for the sake of fortune, and don sup
pose Miss Wayne cares two straws about
tie absurd conditions in my aunt's will. -
1T is very likely, although Ethel had
the greatest respect for the late Miss Cole
wood and was very careful to humor all
her vagaries, - returned Cranston. Chow
ever, | hardly feel able to state whether
the girl would accept Miss Colewood' last
vagary in the shape of her impulsive neph-
ew or not
~ shall not give her the opportunity,
said Hugh, nettled at the lawyers words.
''Hold on, Colewood; let's drop nom
sense and come to business. You like
your aunt estates, but you cannot retain
them without complying with her wish
es. You have never met the girl whom
your aunt has chosen Perhaps it will be
proved that neither of you are opposed to
fulfilling the condition. At least, you
must meet. will arrange that. Ethel
will pass the summer with my sister in the
country and II manage it for you to spend
few weeks with them. You can very
soon tell whether the condition is wholly
obnoxious or not What do you say =
II will do as you advise, thank you,
sir, replied Hugh, who had now cooled
off, and was trying to take business view
of the strange situation.
-Four weeks later Hugh Coleman was
speeding away from Greenville on the
morning express, bound for a little town
among the blue hills of Virginia. When