The La Jara chronicle., 1905-02-03

MY dears," said Mrs. Clark, looking
up from a letter she had been read
ing, "Mollie Milford is coming to pay
us a visit. She will be here next
week"
But, Mamma" said Jane. with elon-
gated visage. Uncle Thomas will be
here then"
There's no danger" replied Mrs.
She's not Designing"
Jane shrugged her plump shoulders
and Lydia turned up her pretty nose.
but Mrs. Clark needed not these man
ifestations of disagreement and went
on with her breakfast.
1t was Mrs. Clark's plain duty in life
to prevent designing women forcibly
marrying her brother-in-law. He is
not fitted for the matrimonial state"
she would say to friends and when
Captain Bascom spent his time at her
snug cottage, as he always did be-
tween voyages, he was carefully
guarded against feminine attack. A
rampant of sister-in-law and nieces
sheltered him from even a glance from
some spins:cr ind while he honored
the cottage with his presence it was
ware hawks" to all unmarried la
dies. They never crossed the thresh-
old of the Clark residence
Captain Bascom liked his sister-in-
law and his nieces and enjoyed his
visits though he was bored at times
over the presence of ancient matrons
who were occasionally invited to tea
He sometimes asked, plaintively, If
there were no well favored young
women in Pugsford, but as he never
ruseGseeliy,sed sely,edi.a, a eMetisfasetory M aso answer he
strangers.
Captain Bascom had two thousand
pounds invested in consols. or a
verify this sum would come to the two
Miss Clarks on the captains death
provided-but then, Mrs. Clark was
resolved there should be no "provid-
ed" If she could help 1t. Hence mar
riageable and well favored spinsters
were rigidly excluded from the Clark
Invitation list during the captain s
stay.
With Miss Milford 1t was different.
She was not by any means bad look
hng nor unatt-active, but she was
crushed. Years before she had been
engaged to be married and on the
wedding day the groom had disap.
peared as il the earth had swallowed
him. 1t was entirely proper that Miss
Milford should be crushed, and crush
ed she was. Young girls viewed her
with intense interest as having a halo
of romance around her head and spin
sters while averring that 1t served her
right for putting any sort of trust in
man admitted she was most becoming.
ly crushed in her manner.
1t was an odd coincidence that Miss
Milford and Captain Bascom should
come down from London in the same
carriage and become acquainted on the
journey, but Mrs. Clark gave little
weight to this happening. She did,
however. note change in Miss Nit
'ford's manner. There was a faint
,gleam of hopefulness about her which
puzzled Mrs. Clark. Miss Milford had
long ago forsworn man, s-d it was
scarcely possible that she had become
interested in someone. That some
thing had happened. Mrs. Clark felt
sure and she resolved to watch close.
ly for developments. The captain was
as of yore He shook the house with
his roars Of laughter and joked with
his nieces. He drank with gusto the
bowl of punch which Mrs. Clark, with
prayers for forgiveness, mixed with
her own hands. Mrs. Clark went to
bed relieved. Evidently Miss Nit
ford's change of manner did not re-
suit from anything the captain had
said to her in the railway carriage.
In the morning the development