The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-28
By Stealtby Footsteps
By CHARLES E. PEARCE
by tho Press Agency.
use the convenient words Of the newspa
per reporter. he was the worse for drink.

OF course. she made excuses, and at
trlbuted his yielding to temptation to the
unaccustomed handling Of SO much wealth
No doubt he would soon settle down. At
the same time, 1t was disappointing, for
she had always cherished the belief that
her Hargrave was above such a weak
ness as taking too much. champagne.
But never did she imagine her matr1-
| monial scheme was not proceeding
moothly-indeed, she congratulated her
self on her prudence In providing her son
with wife who had been brought up
amid such good influences-Lady Glare
was strictly evangelical-and under whose
guidance a young man inclined to kick
over the traces would soon acquire quiet,
steady going jog-trot.
And now all these hopes were to be
shattered. Linda Clare's announcement,
| uttered half angrily. half tearfully. with
| much screwing up of diminutive lace
handkerchief, had not only crushed her,
but had crushed Mrs Denton.
and what reason did he give for break
ing off the engagement" at last she
forced herself to ask
20, he said he had been thinking seri-
ously over the matter, and had come to
the conclusion that marriages arranged
by parents never turned out well. Besides,
he said his consent had never been OBJ
| tanned, and
but had his consent" interposed Mrs
| Denton.
You told me So Mrs. Denton, and I
believed YOU Then I asked Hargrave why
he allowed the paragraph to appear in the
papers, and he told me he never saw it
that he was away in Cornwall at the
| time"
know, but I showed 1t to him after
| wards, and he said nothing. Why, that
Is quite two months ago.
Yes, and all that time he led me to
| hatavn W. at he
never said we weren't, and I could hardly
ask him whether 1t was SO, could L? Mel
! Their You nor mama ever threw any doubt
on the matter, and IL took 1t for granted
! 1t was all right"
And once more the young lady dabbed
her eyes with her handkerchief.
| Linda Clare had never been absolutely
in love with IIargrave Denton, but she
felt a pleasurable futter when her mother
| said it was her wish she should marry
him, which she imagined represented the
| feeling. The girl was of that placid, col
orless slightly indolent disposition =
partly, no doubt arising from a weakly
constitution-which is never deeply
stirred, because there is little to stir.
She was quite conscious she was plain
and embarrassing, and had not the
chances Of a husband which girls poorer,
but handsOmer, more robust, had.
Despite her feeble intellect and lack of
worldly knowledge she had shrewdly come
to the conclusion that if man ever asked
her to be his wife, it would be for the
| sake Of what she would bring him and not
for herself alone When, therefore, it was
represented to her that Hargrave Denton
had really fallen in love with her, she de-
luded herself that 1t was SO because Mrs
Denton was rich, and her son, Of course
would be rich also. Money could be nc
object with him.
ho al hoy. OFT f1ooI
paragraph in the papers, which, wher
she first read it, sent flush to her sal.
low cheek, she received him shyly
nervously awkwardy, and anything less
like meeting between lovers could
scarcely be imagined
| If she expected any passionate declara
ton on the part of Eargrave Denton, sht
was disappointed. Neither his manne]
nor his looks, much less his words, were
those Of lover. The weather, thu
theaters the last new novel-all the usua
topics were gone over in the vapid SO
| ciety way, and there the conversation
n ended.
He was neither very regular in hi
visits nor particularly attentive when h
Of love making, If not quite what love
making is represented in books, was a
least not embarrassing.
But soon it began to dawn upon her tina
fif Hargrave Denton could not be at
tracted by her money box, neither wa
he attracted by herself, for at times h
was decidedly rude, at others, irritable
and not infrequently was he plunged in (
silence, during which he seemed quite t.
forget she was present.
Then came the climax. brusque1y intro
duced by Hargrave with the remark h
thought 1t well there should be no mis-
understanding. The rest Linda Clara ha
told us.
II don't know what to say" exclaime,
Mrs. Denton, smoothing her skirts alb
! stractedly. II am sure there must b
some mistake somewhere, and word o
two from me to Hargrave will set
right
.'Please don't speak to him. I woul
rather you did not" said the CIR
piteously 1T was mistake altogether
I believe Mr. Denton was right when h
said an arranged marriage was not likel
to turn out well. Perhaps it is all for tn
. best. Suppose we had discovered afte
we were married we were not suited
! each other, and that there was no love
: That would have been worse, wouldn
, it,"
, Mrs. Denton bithe lips with annoyance
{ Linda Clare was actually defending Har
J grave in his reputation Of the carefully
laid scheme. She heartily wished no,
| she had never attempted anything of tn
t kind
LET me clearly understand" she wen
E on, impressively. do you distinctly ave
that during the whole time you were en-
D gagged"
e 1--WE never were engaged, Mrs. Denton
B you know we were not" cried the gil
with something like heat.
. Ind heiphtane6 M a