Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-22

fused him."
 Her husband pushed away his plate; the omission of even one regretful glance at its treasures betrayed the strong emotion under which he la. bored.
 This Is serious" he said, quietly. Let us get at 1t. Tell me, if you please!"
 : "She came to me and cried half the night. She refused him definitely at first, but he begged her to consider, to take month to think it over"
 Milbrey gasped Shepler, who com. manded markets to rise and they rose or to fall and they fell-Shepler beg ging, entreating a child of his! Despite the soul-sickening tragedy of it, the situation was not without It's element of sublimity.
 She will consider; she will reflect ?"
 You're guessing now, and you're as keen at that as I. Avice is not only amazingly self-willed, as you intimated a moment since, but she is intensely secretive. When she left me could get nothing from her whatever She was wretchedly sullen and taciturn." !"
 But why should she hesitate? Shep- ler-Rulon, Shepler! My God! is tho girl crazy? The very idea of hesita. ton is preposterous!'
 q can't divine her. You know she has acted perversely in the past ! used to think she might have some affair of which we knew nothing something silly and romantic. But If she had any such thing I'm sure it was ended, and she'd have jumped at this chance a year ago. You know yourself she was ready to marry young Bines, and was really disappointed when he oldn't propose" .1
 But this is too serious" He tin- kled the little silver bell.
 Find out if Miss Avice will be down to breakfast" -.
 "Yes, sir"
 "If she's not coming down l shall go up," declared MT. Milbrey when the man had gone.
 She's stubborn" cautioned his wife.
 Cad! don't I know it?"
 Jarvis returned.
 Miss Avice won't be down, sir, and I'm to fetch her up pot of coffee, sir." r
 Take it at once, and tell her I shall be up to see her presently" Jarvis vanished.
 T think I see way to put pressure on her, that is if the morning hasn't already brought her back to her senses"
 At four o'clock that afternoon, Avice Milbrey's ring brought Mrs. van Geist's butler to the door.
 "Sandon, is Aunt Cornelia at home"
 "Yes, Miss Milbrey, she's confined to her room h'account h'of cold, miss"
 Thank heaven!"
 "Yes, miss-certainly! will you go h'up to herr"
 And Mutterchen, dear, it was a reg ular bombshell," she concluded after she had fluttered some of the Novem- ber freshness into Mrs. Van Geist's room, and breathlessly related the facts.
 You demented creature! I should say it must have been."
 Now, don't lecture!" <! rBut Shepler, is one of the richest men in New York" f.--~'
 Dad already suspects as much"
 And he's kind,, he's big-hearted chap, 8 man of the world, generous A"
 GA woman fancier,' Fidelia Old aker calls him."
 My dear, if he fancies you"
 There, you old conservative, I've heard all his good points, and my duty has been written before me in letters of fire. Dad devoted three hours to writing 1t this morning, so don't. please, say over any of the moral maxims I'm likely to have heard"
 But why are you unwilling?"
 "Because-because I'm wild, fancy Just because I don't like the idea of marrying that man. He's such big, funny, round head, and positively no neck-his head just rolls around on his big, pillowy shoulders-and then he gets little right at once, tapers right of to 8 point with those tiny feet"
 Tt isn't easy to have everything"
 "It wouldn't be easy to have him, either"
 Mrs. Van Geist fixed her niece with a sudden look of suspicion.
 "Has-has that man anything to do with your refusal?"
 "No-not a thing-I give you my word, auntie. If he had been what I once dreamed he was, no one would be asking me to marry him now, but do you know what I've decided? Why, that he is joke-that's all just joke. You needn't think of him, Mutterchen-I don't, except to think it was funny that he should have i'm pressed me so-he's simply a joke"
 "I could have told you as much long ago."
 Tell me something now. Suppose Fred marries that Wybert woman"
 Tt will be a sorry day for Fred"
 '"Of courseI Now see how I'm pinned. Dad and the mater both say the same now-they're more severe than I was. Only we were never in such straits for money. It must be had So this is fhe sist of if. | ousht