Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-06-13
Substitution
AID Weddings
BY Martha
MeCulloch-W Williams
COPYRIGHT. 1905. BY ". n. caldrea

( deep green footprints atliwart the dew
grayed grass. The line was blotched
1 here and there where she had stopped
and half turned about. but from the
I last and lightest of the blotches 1t ran
straight to the wicket gate 10 the
hedge. The path to the gate led around,
almost under the library windows.
Therefore she had avoided 1t. She did
not want to be spied upon, and. though
the library commonly was empty until
long after sunrise. she had come to be-
lleve there was no counting on where
Miss Prudence Weir would be at any
special hour.
The wicket gave upon a lane shady
and secluded, yet public passway
Notwithstanding both sides of 1t be-
ionged TO Elizabeth's uncle, Dan. He
had been trying to close 1t ever since
he bought the old Mears place, but his
rustic neighbors bad held stoutly to
their right of way. So the young man
walking Slowly along the lane was no
trespasser. albeit he walked warily.
keeping close to the hedge. Elizabeth
smiled shameIessly 70 see him. Now
that she had really brought herself TO
n clandestine meeting she was all In
happy fiutter and amazed at her own
hesitancy.
Yet she said. smiling up at her tall
sweetheart: You must go right back,
Bllly-must Do you hearf Miss Pru-
denee Weir sleeps with both ears and
one eye open. Besides, she gets up
early more than half the time. And
you know she can make Dandy believe
anything In the world. except that he
ought TO marry her"
HIM! That's pity! Skepticism
on any other point would be less In
convenient" Billy Medwin painted.
hurrying Elizabeth along the lane to-
ward the woods beyond the main trav-
eled road. II was not at all the way
be should go to go home. but some
how Elizabeth made no protest.
Soon they were walking through dew
sweet shade. with birds singing thin
and sweet above their heads. And
presently Billy had his arms about
Elizabeth and was saying, with his
lips in her hair: Honey girl. I've been
thinking-hard Miss Weir is the lion
In our path. and there's just one way
TO get round her.
"whatfr Elizabeth interrupted. lift
ing her head n little. Billy looked up
among the leaves and colored family
as he answered: "oh, we must show
Dandy how deceitful she is. She's
made him believe II would be sin to
let me have you. Don't you think II
would shake his faith in her II he
knew she was willing to take me her
selfy''
Billy" Elizabeth exploded. shaking
with laughter. you wouldn't dare pro-
pose TO her, Can you live through a
breach of promise sult7 II only you
could do 1t, But you never In the
| world can"
"Sure you won't be JEALOUSY" Billy
asked. pinching her ear
She made face at him as she an
swered; Just you try II. Why. even
II the worst happened-if you got tan
gled past getting out-I should have at
least the heavenly satisfaction Of know
ing she had showed herself TO Dandy
the cat she Is"
Trust me not to get tangled" Billy
protested. What else he said is not
strictly material TO this narrative, al
| though 1t sent Elizabeth home at last
with happy eyes and the color of
| wild rose.
| Outlines fortune favors the daring.
The execution began with his rescue
of the pudgy Miss Weir from run
1 away that was not In the least dan
| gerous, but which gave her a mortal
scare. or course he went back with
her to the gate. stopping there to ex
plain deliberately that he had some
how incurred the displeasure OF Mr.
| Daniel Goodwood and been forbidden
| the premises. That. of course, gave
him excuse 10 ask IL he might Inquire
by letter after Miss Weir's health.
One letter quickly and easily bred an
| other, and from writing IL was but a
step to meeting. either in the lane or in
the wood beyond. and talking of many
things.
Miss Weir was rising thirty. Just five
years Billy's elder. but so light colored
and plump she fiattered herself IL look.
ed the other way. She loved ease and
consequence-witness that for five
years past she had been trying deli
cately to marry Uncle Dandy. She had
only succeeded in becoming after a
sort his social watchdog.
He had great opinion OF Elizabeth.
his heiress. and wanted to match her
well IL she was to be matched at all.
Miss Weir had about lost hope OF Tn
Gle Dandy when Billy came on the
scene. Billy knew pretty well all there
was to know of lovemaking. This time
he chose to make II in hypothetical
fashion. He began impersonally by de-
scriblng a young fellow who had set
his eyes and heart upon one so far
above his dessert he had become quite
i - -.