Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-10-09

Sne VIII marry him Immediately.
| Nothing could be more happy or more
fortunate. Such rank, such position
rs places her on level with the high
| est ladies of the land. though the
daughter Of plain folk, with ship
owner for father and sailors
daughter for n mother-there is pro-
motion for you, Jackw
"She will go away, then, and leave
usy"
aye, she will leave us, Jack. She
will leave us. His lordshlp-you do not
usk who 1t Is"
who can It be, captain, but Lord
EyIingdale?'
1.-THE best Of men. He will carry her
Off to his country house. where they
will live retired for awhile, yet in such
state as belongs to her rank. We shall
lose her, Of course. That, however, we
always expected. The country house
Is in Gloucester, on the other side of
England. Perhaps she may get to see
us, but am IS or perhaps more, and
Jennifer. her mother, is not far from
80. cannot look to set eyes on her
again. What matter" he hemmed
bravely and sat upright-"what mat
ter, say, SO that the girl is happy !?
Her mother may perhaps set eyes on
ner once more, nut she VIII he cruugeu,
because, you see, our Molly must now
become q fine lady"
YES" groaned; "she must become
q fine lady"
Jack, sometimes I am sorry that
she has so much money, Yet what
was to do? Could waste and dissi-
pate her money? Could give away
her ships? Could l give her, with the
fortune of princess, to plain and
simple skipper? No. Providence, Prov
idence, Jack, hath SO ordered things.
1 could not help myself"
mo, captain, you could not help
things. Yet broke off.
"Well, Jack, why don't you rejoice
with me? Why the devil don't you
laugh and sing? All you want is to
see her happy. Yet there you stand
as glum and dumb as a mute at q fu-
neral.'
II wish her happiness, sir, with ali
my heart"
"Sam Semple came here this after
noon by order of my lord. Sam gives
himself airs now that he is secretary
and companion. He came and demand
ed conversation with me. 1t was quite
private, he said, and of the utmost i'm
portance. So we sat in the parlor, and
with bottle Of wine between us we
talked over the business. First he told
me that his patron, as he calls him,
meaning his master, had been greatly
taken with the innocence and the
beauty Of Molly. l replied that unless
he was q stock or stone or an Ice
berg expected nothing less. He went
on to say that, although noble earl
with u long pedigree and great es-
tate, his patron was willing to contract
marriage with girl who was not even
Of gentle birth and had nothing but
her beauty and her innocence. told
him that she had, In addition, very
large fortune He said that his pa
iron scorned the thought of money,
being already as rich as most noble
men of his exalted rank; that he was
willing also to pass over any defects
in manners, conversation and carriage,
which would be remedied by a little
acquaintance with the polite world.
In word, his lordship offered his
hand, his name, his title, his rank and
himself to my ward"
Ellis condescension," said, ais be-
] yond all praise"
Il think SO, too; beyond all praise.
ask his advice touching husband
for my girl. He promises his assist
ance in the matter, and he then offers
himself. Jack, could anything be more
fortunate?"
II hope it may turn out SO. What
does Molly say?''
"You may go in and ask her yourself.
She will tell you more than she will tell
anybody else. The matter is to be kept
for the present profound secret be-
tween his lordship and ourselves. But
since Sam Semple knows it, and Jen-
infer knows it, and you are one of our
selves, therefore you may us well know
1t too. But don't talk about it."
"Why should it be kept n secret2
Why should 1t not be proclaimed every
where?"
"My lord says that the place is hot
bed Of scandal; that he would not have
Molly's name passed about In the pump
room, to be the object of common Cos
sip and inventions made up of envy
and malice. He would spare Molly
this. When she is once married and
taken away from the place, they may
say what they please. Whatever they
say, they cannot do her any harm.
Why, some of them even declared that
she was one Of the company of stroll
ing actresses. There is nothing that
they will not say"
made no reply because 1t certainly
did seem as IL in asking for secrecy
his lordship had acted in Molly's inter
ests.
"Well, captain, we must make the
best Of it. You must find your own
happiness in thinking Of Molly's."
"What aggravates me, Jack, is the
ridiculous behavior of my cousin Jen-
infer. She is in the kitchen crying, End
the black with her. Go and comfort
her before you see Molly"
looked into the kitchen. Molly's
mother sat in the great wooden chair
beside the fireplace. She held her apron
in her hands as If she had just pulled
1t off her face, and the tears were on
her cheeks. When she saw me, they
began to flow again. "Jack," she said,
"have you heard the news? Has the
captain told you? The worst has hap
pened. l have lost my girl. She is to
be married. She will go away. She
will marry man who scorns her guard
ian and despises her mother. A bad
beginning, Jack. No good can come Of
such marriage. A bad beginning.