Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-10-30

StHSt, VI is IL HOT
Hard common sense" said George.
$50 it is" said David. Its always
hard common sense when he takes an
other mans land"
81 am sorry for you, George" the old
man went on; yet his face expressed a
certain satisfaction. Nobody will blame
you. I'm sure: or me either, for that
matter; and when your poor father Dor
rowed the money the land was worth
three times as much as it Is now, so
that nobody will blame him. l don't ex-
pect ever to get the value Of my money
back. SO we're all losers by the hard
times. l shall want a tenant, George"
the old man went on, "and we will not
quarrel about the rent. Easy terms you
shall have, and when you've got your
head we'll above water again, We will
consider about you and Mary. Don't
think | shall be hard upon you"
NO." said George; II am going to
emigrate"
ITO foreign lands. George? Has 1t
come to that? Dear-dear"
II am going to Tasmania"
'"Tut, tut; this Is very bad. To for
eign lands. David went to foreign lands.
and see how he came home. George,
you had better stay at Sidcote and be my
| tenant"
NO" George said, shortly. "Well, the
long and the short of it is that we are
here to-day-Mary and Ito ask your
consent to our marriage"
mo. George; l shall not consent.
What. let Mary marry a man who has
lost his own land and is going to foreign
lands? Certainly not. not on any &C.
count"
when your sister left Mary all her
fortune"
at was mine by rights. made 1t
for her."
She put in the clause about your
consent to protect her. You know, as
we'll as |, that she herself would never
object to me for Mary's husband"
'She began with a thousand bounds.
| BY my advice she made 1t into six thou
sand pounds. DO you mean to tell me
| that l am to have no voice in the dis
posal of all this money!
This kind Of talk will not help any.
| body. Well. l have had my answer, !
suppose. Mary, dear, 1t Is for you to
| choose between your uncle and me-"
II have chosen, George. you know
well. Uncle. you will have to give that
money to David or to me. Here is Da.
vid, and here am I. To which of us
will you give it,"
Suppose, Mary" David interposed-
Suppose there was secret arrange
ment-l don't say there is, but suppose
there was-between your uncle and me.
Suppose that | was to sell my chance
! s, H. 4
the rest"
Uncle. you would not-you could not
do such a thing" Mary cried.
Suppose, l say'-David went on
that arrangement was to exist. Then,
you see. George and Mary'-David put
the thing in his slow and elaborate man
ner SO as to bring out the full meaning
of the transaction-"you see that if you
| don't marry without his consent, he will
lose the money he's got to pay me; but if
| he does not pay me that money before
you get married. he will have to pay me
the whole afterward. Therefore he nat
urally wants you to marry without his
consent. You are going to play his game
for him."
At this unexpected blow Daniel was
covered with confusion. When two peo-
pie make such a treaty, secrecy Is the
very essence of it; and for one of the par
ties concerned to blurt out the truth Is,
| in sense. a breach of contract The
old man actually turned red-at seventy
| he had still the grace to husband hung
his head but he could not speak.
"Oh. you have speculated on our mar.
rying withouty our consent You have
actually bought David's chance, and now
you want us to marry. SO that you may
keep the whole to yourself'
Not the whole" said David "What
will be left after he has bought me out.
Mary" her uncle replied, evadng the
question. "why do you want to get mar
ried yet? Stay with me. Let George
stay at Sidcote and be my tenant. And
| will consider will consider. Besides
think. Mary; l am an old man now, and
you will have all my money and all my
land when | die"
Have you bought up David so tina,
you may keep the money as long as you
please. by always refusing your consent
Answer that" said George. hotly.
II shall answer nothing" Daniel re
piled angrily- nothing-nothing. YOU
have come here and asked for my con
sent to your marriage. Very well; l re
fuse it. Now you can CO."
Mary" said George, "it Is no Longer
possible to leave you in this house. You
uncle has deliberately set himself to rot
you. Come with me. dear; my mother
will take care of You till we are mar
ried" Mary hesitated. go, Mary, pu
on your hat and come with me. AS fo
you, Daniel Ieighan''-he waited til
Mary had left the room-"we leave yo'
alone. Nothing worse can happen to you
When you have no longer Mary to pro
vide beforehand all your wants-wher
you are alone all the day and all thu
evening. you will remember what yo'
have thrown away. Oh, you are sevent.
years of age, and you are rich already
and you rob your sisters daughter in or
der for year or two to call yoursel
richer still"
The old man crouched among his pill
lows and made no answer. Mary wa
leaving him. But II she stayed he mus
give his consent, and then he would los
the land. Ten minutes later Mary re
, turned. carrying a small bag in her hand
II have come to say good-by. uncle.
Her eyes we're full Of tears. II knew
that I must choose between George an
you. l knew that you would refuse be
, cause George could save his land If h
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