Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-11-11
WAY of A
GUARDIAN
By Hilbert oSfer
Copyright, 1909, bp 7. c. Mcclure


he chose for his departure for the next
world. If he could only have waited
until his daughter Ellen was a little
better able to take care of herself, !
should have been saved a lot of worry
and bother. AS it was / had to post
pone my trip to Egypt for a whole
month until | could get her settled
with Thatcher's two maiden aunts, for
OF course he had made me her guard
ian. The fact that | was only thirty
while she was fourteen was of no Inn
portance In his eyes.
When oIce appetite for wandering
has laid hold on 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 aUnts telling me that FL
len was well and happy. Once or twice
in the earlier years / had brief and
very conventional note from the young
lady herself thanking me for all that
had done for her. | suspected Ellen OF
symptoms of irony in those expressions
of thankfulness, for the only thing
that had done was to take mysek OFF
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 drifted back
| again to the land of the stars and
stripes. My first days passed drearily
| enough. I visited my old club, but the
| best chairs were occupied by men who
bad cfrfr.lfprS xxrh 7 xx-a 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 few drops of pity
on their single brethren.
Finally bethought me of my long
neglected ward and determined for the
| lack of something better to do to pay
the child visit. so sent a note to the
aunts to apprise them of my coming.
| | have received many severe shocks
| in my life and have, | 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 shiy-
| 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,
have even withstood with equanimity
the charge of brigade of Swiss hotel
| keepers but all these were as a fail of
dew compared with the surprise which
experienced when Ellen, my little
ward, came into the parlor of the cot
| tage to give me dutiful greeting. ! had
left behind me a scraggly little girl,
awkward and frightened. found my
self shaking hands with 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 a railway magnate, min
ing baron from Denver of slightly ad-
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 revolved around Ellen. Then
there was countless number of satel-
lites, young college fellows, bankers,
lawyers and merchants. | was regard
ed as fatherly old chap whose favor
was worth having only by virtue of the
relation in which | stood to the young
lady in question. This was CALLING to
me. as l was ready to take my oath
that at least half of the idiots would
never see my age again. I think Miss
Ellen OWNED my resentment or else
the quizzical twinkle playing about
the corners of her eyes belied her
thoughts.
l went prepared to stay three days.
The end of month found me still
there. | had fallen head over heels in
love with my own ward. When | had
succeeded in diagnosing the case to my
own satisfaction-and despair con-
cluded that must take myself out of
the way of danger. Accordingly | an
nounced my intention at luncheon one
day. The aunts were politely sorry,
and / 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 it. didn't know that she
had to have one and didn't know that
it was any concern of a guardians
anyway.
"0f course it's some concern of
yours" said Miss Henrietta, the elder,
taking up the last point that l had
made and going through my argument
backward. woman fashion. She must
marry, naturally, and she must marry
we'll" meaning. as | guessed. that she
must induce Dan Cupid to lead her in
the direction of well grown bank ac-
count
well, what do you think of the
count?" asked Miss Angela, the youn-
| COR / ranlfaf that I xsould rather NOT