Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-02-12
HER CRUEL DAD HAD HIS WAY
And She Had Hers-But viii Fred Have
His Way, Ever Again.


gin at the beginning. Where have you
been this last fortnight"
We'll, you know"
mo l don't know but 1 want to, badly"
I've been busy and couldn't get about
much, and anywhere l have been have
not happened to meet you"
Betty Moncrieffe raised her eyebrows
when a man makes it his business to
meet a girl every day in his life-some-
times two or three times a day and
then all al once he doesn't happen to meet
her for whole fortnight, it looks a bit
queer, doesn't it? Be man, Fred, and
own up You were skullIing."
What the dickens could l do? I'm
only human. II your father had let me
| come into the house your mother would
have frozen me out double quick"
Never mind that; they were not in to-
day. However, Wen let that alone
What is all this row between your father
| and you about?'
Il suppose you have heard"
"Oh, I've heard a dozen different stories
and now | want the true version"
None of them would be particularly
tlattering to me. I'll bet" Fred st. Johns
tone was decidedly savage
NO Betty answered serenely, they
were not; and everybody has been so anX-
ious that l should know. The first tale
was that he put you to the door because
you would not marry that Chicago pig
stickers widow, which l thought was
rather to your credit than otherwise:
there might have been trouble in another
direction, you see. If you had UNDER
taken to help her to spend her dollars
The last one was that he kicked you out
because you made love to your sister 5
maid and that he caught you kissing her
| object to that Fred"
AS If the old man could afford to be
so squeamish Hes not above kissing a
nl l. ,trl,a, D..
| chance, I'll swear"
Then you did kiss her"
Never looked at the girl in my life
His face was red. nevertheless. 1T was
the Jews
Il thought as much" She was all sym
PATTY now. But why did you let him
know that you Were in with them again?
| would"
1t wasn't my fault; he would have been
as old as Methusaleh before / had told
him the last time. l got money from
old schmidt. y fellow can't live on air,
ana my pay and my allowance would just
about have kept a respectful canary.
Wen, the wretch turned crusty and order
ed me to pay up How the dickens could
pay up when | had nothing to pay up
with? lie got cheeky, and told him to
So-any place lie liked He chose the
family mansion, and toddled down and in
torviewed the governor; then the govern
dead off.
When got home from Bedford's
dance at 8 o'clock in the morning the
old man was waiting for me. How on
earth he managed to keep awake is
more than | know. He was freezingly
polite and it's time to look out when
the governor becomes polite but he was
determined. and | was out of the house
a half hour after / went in. | went
across to Uncle Fred's and he put me
up
What does he advise you to do?"
oh, he reads me a lecture every morn
ing. He stole a sidelong glance at the
girls face to see if evasion would be of
any use, but the look in her eyes warned
him. and he went on bravely. He de-
cares that there is nothing else for me
than to marry the American. tell him
she would not have me-"
she might; there is no accounting for
tastes. But you see you have promised
to marry me, which complexities matters
bit"
Freds color rose again. The only
thing for it that l can see, is to cut"
And whore do you mean to cut to.
pray?"
Il think of going off to Jack St. John.
Hes doing well out there, and know he'd
he glad to have me-"
'''ro Canada" Betty stared into the fire
and nerved herself for her next words
And where do | come in?'
That's n facer. Betty"
Have YOU never given me a thought"
Have | not? have not given a thought
TO very much else for the last fortnight
If you ask me-" Something rose in his
throat, but he choked it back manfully
I'm not such a cad as to ask you
to wait years for me, perhaps a lifetime
I've been careless, selfish. bounder all
my days. but I'm a long way too fond
of YOU for that"
The girl blinked away "a tear or two
before she spoke again, I would not de-
scribe myself quite so accurately If
were you; nobody is dsputing the point.
But there is to be no crying off about it;
if You go to Canada, | am going too"
But Betty"
ION, you need not be shocked. Since I
was six and you We're nine we have prom
ised to marry each other. l am "a now.
and surely after IS years of courtship |
can tell YOU"
Don't child. Heaven knows I'd give
the best part of my life to he able to
take YOU at your word, but after my pas
sage money is paid I will have hardly a
penny to bless myself with, and l cant
take you out to rough it,"
'You are going to marry me- ANYHOW.
and we will take our chance of the rough
ing. You have asked me often enough. I
am sure. IT you try to back out of 1t
now I'll marry Tom Bedford right away
ms very season; see if | don't"
Your father would show me the door
If | suggested such a thing to him"
"Of course he would. You could not
blame him, either; but you are not to do
anything so foolish, my dear. You make
the arrangements and leave the rest to
me; I'll square dad. There, not another
word; | would not have married YOU for
the next five years if you had not been
down on your luck; but it is time some
one was taking you in hand"
She was determined. and he was very
much in love, and when he left her an
hour later they had settled to be married
within n week.
Either Tuesday or Wednesday morn
ing then he said, as he babe her good
by' and she looked up at him with a glee-
full laugh.
Yes And, Fred, dear. II you should
not be very much about and don't han
pen 10 meet me, you might send me a
note will you?"
"A mans extremity is his girls on
DEANS Rheumatic Pills absolutely cure |
m nraI