Evening star., 1903-10-03

When the lawyer had finished looked at
him in utter desperation. Mr.. Mason,
exclaimed, almost crying, do you mean TO
tell me that Uncle Jim's money will all go
to a set of alley cats unless | marry man
i never saw in my life-a man who, accord
ing to all accounts, is one of the most re-
pulsively ugly creatures that ever existed!
Mr. Mason looked distinctly sympathetic.
I'm afraid that is the state of the case
Miss Williams he answered Your uncle
insisted on leaving it that way, and in
structed me to tell you, If you protested
and he seemed tolerably certain that you
would protest-that beauty was only
skin
It's monstrous! Horrible, It's carrying
a joke too fer.''
"a joke!" the lawyer repeated, feebly. Il
shouldn't exactly call it
That's what it iS-a pOsthumous joke!
knew Uncle Jim would get even with me in
some way, but l never dreamed he would
do anything cruel as this. 1t was pos
itively wicked of him. when he knew how
much mother and l would need the money!
E But perhaps | had better explain. Every
man has his own fancy. l suppose, and
Uncle Jim's for practical joking. To
say that Uncle Jim would rather joke than
eat is to put the thing too mildly, since he
had invented and worked out this last al
legged joke on his deathbed. He owed me
one in return for a trick L had played on
him some months before. Uncle Jim al
ways made 1t point of paying such debts,
usually with interest.
j was on the watch for his revenge for
long time but forgot all about it one day
when the dear old fellow was brought home
knocked down by runaway horse, and so
hurt that he died a week later. Mother
and | took his fate a great deal harder
than he did. In fact, he made, or at least,
pretended to make, jest of it, telling me
and OVpr again that the only thing he
regretted was that he couldn't live long
enough to get even with me. At the very
last he glanced at me with twinkle in his
eye. TOO bad l couldn't get even with
you. Bessie he said.
When his will was read I understood the
twinkle. He had left all his fortune in
trust the income to be divided between me
and my first cousin, Philip Stacy, for three
years, and the principal to come to US at
the end of that time, provided we married
each other in the interval If either mar
rled anyone else or definitely refused to
marry the other the entire fortune was to
vest in the other. We were to spend the
month of June each summer at a certain
watering place in order to get acquainted
with each other. If either of us stayed
away, the money was to revert to the one
who came unless the meeting was waived
by written agreement. If the three years
ended without our marrying. the money was
TO go to a home for friendless cats.
Now, neither the Stacy nor the Williams
family was especially we'll to do. A fortune
of $5oO00o was not to be despised. and our
family as well as our Stacy cousins would
hesitate for some time before giving it up;
yet what girl could would rejoice in be
ing deliberately told off to marry a man
whom she had never seen, especially one as
repulsively homely as Uncle Jim-who was
the only one of us who had even seen our
Missouri cousins-had told us that Philip
Tracy was.
Philip Tracy has a heart of gold" said
Uncle Jim, again and again. "A heart of
gold. but a face ugly as that of the
devil himself. However. you don't mind
that when you know him" Thinking of
this afterward l felt sure that Uncle Jim
was trying to prevent the shock he knew
that l. with my ideals of manly beauty
must experience when l should meet my
cousin. If this was his hope. however, it
was not realized for a long time for it was
nearly three years before either of us laid
eyes on the other,
This postponement of the inevitable came
about very naturally. Philip was very i'll
just at the time of Uncle Jims death or |
suppose he would have come on for the
funeral When he recovered, he stayed
away on purpose l suppose he didn't relish
having a girl pitched at his head any more