The Indianapolis journal., 1902-10-26

'eWhat happened then?' said a voice.
"Oh. don't know. Everything happened
Confound it alll''
The time was the closing of the after
noon; the place a barrack room: the speak
ers two men. one nearing thirty years old.
the other mere boy.
aRoslyn," said the younger of the two,
..what would you advise me to do?'
For a moment Roslyn did not speak.
"'Pon my word. Pat, don't know. You
must give me time TO think 1t out. Go off
for walk down town, look in at the club,
buy some gloves-anything you like, but
leave me alone for an hour and let me think
II out by myself / tell you it's con-
foundedly awkward situation, and common
sense can make no more nor less Of it,
'I know" groaned the boy. 'T know it's
awkward, that's why I came to you"
HIN, yes" said the other, rather cynic-
ally. "You came TO me when you had
thoroughly fixed yourself up and couldn't
see any way out OF the mess. That's the
usual habit OF fellows who come and ask
my advice. Just tell me again before you
go, how old is she?''
'She says she's Extraordinarily"
'And you are not twenty-five yet. HIM.
j
last year you could have got off easily
enough. You say she's very good look
ing?"
"Oh. she's as handsome as paint. She
may be six or seven and twenty, Roslyn
not day over; and she's had hard nles
all her lie. Hang it all! I'm rich-at least
/ shall be"
"Ah, there's a great difference between
being rich and the prospect Of being rich, 81
said Roslyn- He was lying back at full
length ins big chair, his legs. looking very
long IN their blue overalls with the gold
lines down the sides, stretched out in front
OF him. And you think she's fond OF
your
''Yes. I'm sure she's fond of me-" said the
boy. fiushihg a miserable guilty scarlet.
''And you sort of feel a bit of sweep
that you want to get out of it?'
II don't want to get out OF it." cried
Devereux, "I don't want to get out of it
That's the worst of it. It's my governor and
mater chat want me to be out of 1t; in fact
they say they won't have me In 1t. They'll
never receive her. They'll do everything
they can: to discredit her, and every farth-
ing and every trifing little thing that they
can leave away from me they'll leave away
feel it toIly hard
but why all this opposition? She's beau.
tiful and; LADY,
"Oh, because she was a widow, because
she had she ill-luck to marry, when a mere
child, a brute who beat her, and ill-use6
her; because they don't know her father
and her mother, and her grandfather. anc
the aunts and uncles and all the Other
collaterals."
But 1 suppose they can be inquired
into?"
II suppose they can. 1t isn't, perhaps
exactly such a family tree as ours, but
then, there aren't many like ours goins
round. NJ mother last year absolutely tried
to bring ime together with old Runey'.
daughter.,-an Irish-American contractor. al
old beast with a brogue fit to knock yol
down."
And the girl?"
"Oh. well, the girl didn't like me and
didn't like the girl"
'I suppose you had already seen this othel
Gharmer3'
Newell had seen her once. WASH
I'm love with her then
Poor chapl BY the way, who was she?'
"Oh, she's all right. Her father wac
parson; Eis father was in the army. I be
lieve hiss father was In the army befor
that. / don't know; 1t doesn't affect me
It's no credit to me-" he went on, in al
indignant. tone, 'its no credit to me tina
my mothers ancestress was lady-in-waitins
TO Mary Queen Of Scots
mo, suppose 1t isn't"
And no value either" rejoined the boy
81 wouldn't have married Mary Queen o
Scots herself, IL IL came to that, unless
liked her.
But. still. you have made up your mint
you've got to get out Of it?'
"Oh. yey; I've made up my mind I've go
to get ous OF IL. When I was at home th'
other das they got me to promise. M!
mother p.ped her eye all over the place
hung herself round my neck-sort of Quiv
ering trophy. / felt like a sacrifice to
priest more than anything else. And tn
governor, he talked about his head lyini
low. and long line OF ancestry that ha'
never been stained before, and a lot mor'
rot OF that kind; and the girls kept throw
ing out hints. There was only young Ale,
that anything like stood up for me. and h
said, 'Harg It! I'd do as L likei Well, m,
sister Kitty said very naturally: YOUR
only yoSinger son; II doesn't matter wha
you do. it doesn't count And it's true
Any day Ed chuck the whole show over TO
five hundred a year. but they won't leav'
me the five hundred year, not a penn!
that they can possibly get of. AS 10 tn
place. what's the good OF a few acres /
you can't sell 'em and you can't let 'em
No. Roslyn, I've been badgered into it
It's no doing OF mine. but Angela Brutol
and have got to part. The worst OF it Il
she's got my promise; she's got my letters
shes got my rings
And she's got your heart. eh?"
Yes, and she's got my heart. I shall g
and marrv the little Runey girl If shei
changed her mind. Oh. lor. 1 wish 1 wa
deadr'
We'll. al right. Get along, old chap. IL
think it out"
For a long time after Pat Devereux hat
departed George Roslyn sat smoking hare
In the big chair, and wondering how he wa
70 sxtricase his young comrade from tn
very awkward position in which he ha'
put himself
Poor old chap!" his thoughts ran. TT