Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-07-31
A Fulfilled
Prophecy.
By JEANETTE
n. WALwORTH.
!. Copyright, 1900, by Jeanette a. walworth,'

Vi, AAOh ihiiihts W piSNSS iioili a. SUI VI
dry rot. am so .dreadfully tired of
living on nothing month"
$50 am l." said Jack, yawning so
portentously that his sister Julia ad.
vised his going after Marston's shoes
before slumber should overtake him
irrevocably. He stretched his arms
and got up obediently.
81 say, Nan, we are in for this mas
querade. Let's make 1t bowling sue
cess"
Narston had been the guest of the
Hendersons quite two weeks when he
felt the necessity of explaining himself
to some trustworthy friend laid mex
orably upon him. He selected for this
purpose the chum he had left behind
him in Berlin.
Nobody knows better than yourself,
my dear Holbrook," he wrote, "how
entirely in accord with my dear IA
theirs wishes for my settlement In life
l was when started for America.
at all seemed to dovetail beautifully.
The proximity of the estates, the wish
es of our elders, the beauty and good
ness of the Henderson girls, all pointed
to the fulfllment of the prophecy ut
tered over my cradle by my black
nanny, who declared 1T was writ on
the stars was to fetch home bride
from this house,
"But now let me abase myself. 1
can only do so with comfort while seas
roll between us. The Henderson girls
are all that my father painted them
handsome, cultivated, dignified proud
as Lucifer and bearing poverty, which
cannot be hidden, with gracious dig
nifty that actually exalts it.
Nothing would seem easier than for
q vagabond like myself to fall in love
with one of these sweet girls and take
her over to my own old house to
brighten it with the light of home.
They are famous housekeepers, and
my old home-when l get rid Of the
| army of workmen now in full possess
sion of it-wouldn't be bad place to
take a bride to. But, bah! Let me
out with it.
"Old chum, Eve made fool Of my
self-a beastly asst I've fallen in love
with my cousins waitress, the girl
who passes me my coffee at table and
stands behind my COUSINS chair with
tray in her hands-I, who call myself
6 gentleman!
mot that mean by that that I've
demeaned myself. She is no ordinary
servant girl. I'm not quite sure who
or what she is. should never dare
question my high bred cousins about
their domestics. Butch, well, to make
the matter short, this demure little
Nancy, with her downcast eyes and
graceful figure, has got between me
and all my plans, making it forever
impossible for me to fall in love prop
erly. A word in self excuse.
'That she is no ordinary housemaid
am sure, for found her busting
cloth left accidentally between the
leaves of my Browning, and one day
at table, when l gave my young cub Of
a cousin, Mr.. Jack Henderson, math-
ematical nut to crack, am quite sure
she contrived to give him the solution
while offering him the waf1les.
"All the same, must get away from
here. 1 can't court my cousins wait
ress, and won't court my cousins. 1
shall move over to my own place in a
day or two and shall then claim you
for my guest"
There was matter in this letter that
Marston would have been very sorry
to have go astray, so he concluded to
walk into the village with his mail. He
stopped at the open door of'the family
sitting room to let Miss Mellicent know
his intention. She entered polite pro-
test. "If you are not in particular
hurry, cousin, can send 1t in by the
boy. He always goes in for our mail
about o'clock"
4 But Marston thought the walk would
do him good, and presently they heard
him swing past the library windows
with that long, easy stride which car
ried him over SO much ground with so
little apparent effort.
| Miss Mellicent looked at Miss Julia
anxiously. Gle will come back with
the appetite Of n wolf and nothing but
soup meat for dinnerp'
"Jack went out with his gum
eyes, and Jack will come back with
his gun. We can't serve that up fol-
Teddy"
"In-but, dear me, Mel, he is making
us positively fussy. l wish he would
go-not that he is any trouble at all
He is n dear, simple fellow. I'm really
fond Of him"
The dear, simple fellow was at that
moment swinging through grove OF
black walnuts and pecans which inter.
yened between his own home and the
Hendersons'. He would "take look
at the workmen on his way to the vii.
lage and hurry them up"
Now that he had actually confessed
his weakness to Holbrook he felt in
honor bound to get from under his cous.
ms roof as promptly as possible. Once
established under his own, with his
books and work around him, he might
perhaps forget that bewitching little
Nancy"
| The thought of his folly enraged
him. He struck out savagely with his
stout walking stick at sapling by the
roadside, then started and stopped,
with the hot blood of anger surging
through every vein.
In the olden times, when the Hender-
son and Marston families had been in
daily intercourse, small pavilion
"the half way house," they called it
had adorned this grove. 1t still stood
there, rulnous and deserted, and so
covered over with vines that one might
easily pass it by unnoticed, as Mar
ston would have done this time but for
an arresting sight and sound.
On one of the rickety benches, with
their backs to the road, sat Jack, "the
cub" and Nancy, the waitress" On
the floor of the pavilion lay the stark
bodies of some birds and squirrels,
"the boys" hard earned contribution
to that days dinner.
1 AT the moment when, by slashing
away branch of the sapling, Marston
discovered them Nancy was actually
kissing Jack and calling him by all
manner of endearing names. How
could Marston know that her demon.