The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-05-31

White. Cornelia Is SuCh desperate
old maid and no cook or housekeeper
at all, and he's so good looking and
we'll off that he deserves a better wo-
man to take care of things. Well men
are queer. and she certainly must have
been awfuly pretty once"
Mrs. King snorted
"She was never d mite pretty, to my
mind. She set her cap at Johns father
when we were girls bat she didn't get
him. Oh must you go?"
Nelly said goodby and went her way,
seemingly unconscious of the storm of
wrath she awakened In the widows
bosom. Johns mother knew he would
marry some day in spite of her, and
she dreaded the day.
Toward evening Sylvia went to see
Alice White. though she knew perfect
ly we'll that the girl would be at choir
practice. She fingered a moment on
the porch where Alice's father sat
smoking. He was q straight, blue eyed
old man. Sylvia sat down on the steps
to rest
II been awful busy" she remarked
Folks will get married, and that
means weddin dresses. I'm just fin
ishin' Nelly Deans and next 1t will be
Annie Paine's. If what | hear Is so.
perhaps it'll be your AIice's before
long" The old man squrmed and
asked what she meant. He wanted no
son-in-law. though he could not object
to John,
why. you won't believe it, but that
half blind, hobbling old Judson is max
ing up to the Widow King. they say.
She's handsome and young lookn' and
well heeled the best cook in town and
economical too. She's good tempered,
except about Johns marryn' Alice,
and kind of hate to see her throw her
self away. But Judsons a sly old
coot. Anyhow. | hope she marres and
leaves John free. He and Alice have
waited long enough-it amt right!
Well, | got to he goin'. You tell Alice
| was here" She walked off, leaving
the old man with new fear-and with
new idea in his head That Judson,
He and Judson had always conficted.
He grunted and lit his pipe
Spring passed into early summer,
and in June Nelly and Harry and An
ME and Richard were married. Alice,
sweet and grave and dark eyed, sang
at the weddings Her rich soprano
was Indispensable. John watched her
in love and despair and began to Won
der if, after all, prudence and caution
were not sometimes vices us well as
virtues. Would he never be free to
take Alice to his own home? Would
she never leave her father to come to
him? He went to see her much oftener
than had been his habit, and. strange
to say, of evenings her father disap-
peared, no one asked where. and left
them to themselves. John and Alice
were again almost the boy aud girl
lovers Of ten years ago. They took
twilight walks and long drives unmo-
Tested and unqnestioned and We're very
happy.
With surprise John began to realize
that his mother no longer nagged him
about his engagement nor had fits of
weeping, during which she declared
that he was going to make her a stran-
ger and dependent in her own house,
Then one evening he took courage
and masterfully laid before Alice Il
plan to brave everybody Finally she
yielded though she dreaded the ex-
PLANTATION that would have to follow
one soft September evening John.
with a license in his pocket, drove to
her door and told her father he was
going to take her for drive to Lynn
vile, ten miles away, and that they
would not be back till evening. The
old man was used to their driving and
said nothing In fact, he seemed al
most anxious 10 have Alice go.
Late in the evening they returned
man and wife John tied the horse
and went in TO have 1t out with Alees
father. But the old man, strangely
enough. was not to be found They
waited awhile, and then John left her
to 20 tell his mother.
When he had gone Alice sat, silent
in the big chair on the porch, happy in
spite OF the probable trouble Johns
mother would make, happy in the face
Of her fathers certain anger At any
rate, nothing on earth could make her
anything but Johns wife SO she wait
ed for John and wondered where her
father could possibly be. In half an
hour she heard Johns quick, eager
footsteps. He swung In at the gate
and almost ran to take her in his arms.
He kissed her, and he laughed-aetual-
ly laughed-llke a boy. Then he ex-
planned:
Hes at my house-your father. 1t
seems they took advantage of our alb
sence to marry each other, Alice.
How's that for sly? They braved me
to my face, but they were so afraid
that we would be angry that they were
positively relieved when l told them
what we'd done. They are coming
over here tomorrow, dearest, and then
our home will be our own"
Then John, being a man, could not
Just see why Alice could declare that
she was perfectly happy and still
should weep on his shoulder. But
Sylvia was woman-she would have
Known the reason