Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-03-24
A Marriage ty Proxy
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factory worked a girl named DAISY.
! Daisy was entered by surname on the
!! rolls Of the company bat it was fc-
! titious, for she was a waif, and it is
| doubtful if she was even entitled to be
called Daisy. There was something
well bred about her that led people to
suspect that she had been born in h.gl
/ life, but if this was so the fact was
never proved. She was a very pretty
girl, barely sixteen, though she might
have passed for much older. Every
| body liked Daisy and said what nity
! it was that she should have to work for
| her living, for her delicate physique
! made it very hard for her
! There were two young men in the
company's employ who, unknown to
each other, cast longing eyes on Daisy.
! These We're Enoch DevIin, thirty-fve
years Old, and Philip Bowers. about
! twenty-three. Devlin had been with
| the concern since he was fifteen and
| considered himself entitled to any re-
! sp0nsible berth with good income at
tached in the gift of the company.
! When, therefore, one morning it was
announced that Phil Bowers was to be
| placed in charge of the company's in
| terestS in South America, residing at
Rio de JaneirO, Enoch was green with
envy. However. he smothered his
wrath and congratulated Phil with
every appearance of sincerity. Phil.
who was a modest fellow and much
surprised at his advance, knowing that
| or oh ~,
promotion, was much touched with the
good wishes he expressed.
There was happy factory girl that
evening when Phil Bowers called upon
Daisy and asked her to go with him
to South America as his wife There
was no time for preparation, for Phil
was ordered to start for his new field
the next evening. Indeed, the deter
minatiOn to send him had arisen from
| complications that needed to be
/ Strengthened out at once.
Daisy spent half an hour before go
ing to bed packing her meager effects
and was ready to be married any time
the next day. As soon as Phil could
spare a moment from business prep
arations he hurried to the city offices
to get marriage license. He was re-
fused without the consent of Daisy's
parents or guardian, since she was not
of age. Daisy had neither, but the
clerk told Phil that guardian might
be appointed. Phil left the Office to
meet coming down the street, Enoch
| Devlin. Phil made a confidant of Dew
lin and asked if he would serve as
Daisy's guardian. Enoch colored,
coughed and hesitatingIy consented.
Phil took him to a lawyers Office and
paid a large fee to rush the matter
through, then arranged with Daisy for
a wedding at o'clock in the evening.
At he was notified that Enoch Devlin
was appointed Daisy's guardian, and
he hurried to EnOch's rooms to get his
consent to her marriage.
'Phil," said Devlin. 81 have decided
that it would be wrong for me to CON
sent to the marriage of a girl two
years under the legal age"
Phil was quick to take in the situa-
ton. He knew that he had been caught
in a trap and without a word turned
on his heel and walked away. Going
straight to Daisy, he told her what had
occurred.
Meanwhile it had been decided that
Phil should spend few days in New
York upon a business matter before
sailing. Daisy told him to leave the
guardianship in her hands, and she
would see what she could do. AS soon
as Phil had gone she wrote her guardi-
an note thanking him for consenting
to serve and agreeing with him that she
was too young to marry. Devlin, sur
prised, called upon her at once to gain
further information. The sly puss coy
~ pretended that native modesty
prevented her opening her heart, but
delicately led him to believe that her
real choice was her guardian. Enoch.
thus encouraged, told her that he loved
her and had acted as he had because
he could not bear to see her pass to
his rival
When Devlin left Daisy she had con
sented to be his wife provided the mat
ter could be put through with as much
dispatch as had been intended in her
marriage with Phil pretending she was
afraid Phil would return and claim
her. Devlin was carried away with
the idea of snatching her from the man
he hated. The next day he resigned
his guardianship and Daisy nominated
his successor, who was appointed by
the court at once.
Daisy having received the consent Of
her guardian to marry Phil had moth
ing further to do in the matter exceDt
go to New York, meet him, be married
and sail with him to their new home
but Daisy proposed to punish Enoch
Devlin in her own way. She appoint
ed an hour to wed-6 o'clock in the
evening the same hour she was to
have been married to Phil-ant. he was
enjoined to be punctual.
When the hour arrived DevIin was
on hand, as was the clergyman whom
Daisy had herself invited to perform