The Press., 1903-08-06
WAY Of A
GUARDIAN
BY -HIberf Fosfer
Copyright, 1905. By I. C. Mcclure

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My friend Thatcher was very incon-
Biderate OF my feelings in the time that
he chose for his departure for the next
world If he could only have waited
until his daughter Ellen was little
better able to take care OF herself,
should have been saved a lot of worry
and bother. As 1t was l had to post
pone my trip to Egypt for a whole
month until l could get her settled
with Thatcher's two maiden aunts, for
OF course he had made me her guard
ian The fact that l was only thirty
while she was fourteen was Of no Inn
portance In his eyes
When once appetite for wandering
has laid hold on a man, he knows no
time nor place to rest, so my year Of
travel dragged itself out to six. Let
tiers came at intervals from one or the
other of the aGnts telling me that FL
len was well and happy. Once or twice
In the earlier years l had brief and
very conventional note from the young
lady herself thanking me for all that !
had done for her. l suspected Ellen OF
symptoms of irony in those expressions
Of thankfulness. for the only thing
that had done was to take myself or
to the ends OF the earth and leave her
to the care OF Providence and her
aunts, not always synonymous terms.
In the course OF time I drifted back
again to the land of the stars and
stripes. My first days passed drearily
enough. 1 visited my old club, but the
best chairs were occupied by men who
had been striplings when l was last In
the land Of civilization. My old chums
had drifted away or into matrimony
and only dropped into the club now
and then to shed a few drops OF pity
ON their single brethren.
Finally l bethought me Of my long
neglected ward and determined for the
lack of something better to do to pay
the child visit, so sent note to the
aunts to apprise them Of my coming.
1 have received many severe shocks
In my life and have. l trust, borne
them with Christian fortitude, or at
least with pagan stoicism. have been
turned out of my berth In an ocean
liner In the middle of the night to shfv-
er and scorch by turns In an open boat
In the middle of a sailless ocean, l have
been held up and courteously relieved
of all my valuables by Greek brigands.
I have even withstood with equanimity
the charge of a brigade Of Swiss hotel
keepers, but all these were as a fall Of
dew compared with the surprise which
I experienced when Ellen. my little
ward. came into the parlor of the cot
tage to give me dutiful greeting. / had
left behind me scraggly little girl,
awkward and frightened. l found my
self shaking hands with a beautiful
young lady. slender, erect, with calm
ness and self possession infinitely
greater than my own.
In the days that followed my Won
derment only deepened. A French
count marked genuine the son and
sole heir Of railway magnate, a min
ing baron from Denver Of slightly adj
vanced years, but undiminished ardor,
and newly risen but still rising politi-
clan with his eyes on the United States
senate and his feet planted firmly on
more valuable real estate than the
finite mind could we'll comprehend
were the major planets which con-
stantly reyolved around Ellen. Then
there was a countless number Of satel-
lites, young college fellows. bankers,
lawyers and merchants. l was regard
ed rs fatherly old chap whose favor
was worth having only by virtue of the
relation In which | stood to the young
l. Il. 81
me. as | Was ready TO take my oath
that ut least half of the idiots would
never see my age again. think Miss
Ellen OWNED my resentment or else
the quizzicai twinkle playing about
the corners of her eyes belied her
thoughts.
/ went prepared to stay three days.
The end of a month found me still
there. had fallen head over heels in
love with my own ward. When l had
in diagnosing the case to my
own satisfaction-and despair-I con-
cluded that l must take myself out Of
the way OF danger. Accordingly an
nounced my intention at luncheon one
day. The aunts were politely sorry,
and l could almost have sworn that
Ellen looked sad for at least thirty
seconds.
After luncheon the aunts cornered
me in the library and asked me fatty
what thought about Ellen's matrimo-
NAL future. l protested that l hadn't
thought about 1t, didn't know that she
had to have one and didn't know that
1t was any concern Of guardians
anyway.
"Of course it's some concern Of
yours" said Miss Henrietta, the elder,
taking up the last point that had
made and going through my argument
backward, woman fashion. "She must
marry, naturally, and she must marry
WELL" meaning. as guessed. that she
must induce Dan Cupid to lead her in
count. ..#... #rttH
''Well. what do you think OF, the
countT asked Miss Angela, the youn-
ger. i replied that l would rather not
think of him II she didn't mind
didn't object to counts for people who
liked to spend their money that way,
but preferred men for myself. Miss
Angela shifted and then asked my opin- |
ion Of the offspring Of the railway |
magnate. | replied that considered |
his whole claim to the respect and |
mankind to lie In the fact |
that he was not twins. Two Of kind,
OF that kind at least, would have been
altogether too much for a long suffer
Ing world to bear. The mining baron,
as ! Informed the good ladies. might |
much better be preparing for the next |