The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-06-22

IL
Ishin' Nelly Deans. and next If vii, no
Annie Paine's. If what | hear is so
perhaps it'll be your Alice's before
long The old man squirmed and
asked what she meant. He wanted no
son-ln-law, though he could not obiect
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 loolln' and
we'll heeled, the best cook in TOWN and
economical too. She's good tempered.
except about Johns marryln' Alice
and kind of hate to see her throw her
self away. But Judson's a slv old
coot. Anyhow, l hope she marries and
leaves John free He and Alice have
waited long enough-it amt right,
Wen, | got to be goin You tell Alice
was here" She walked off. leaving
the old man with a new fear-and with
a new idea in his head. That hudson,
lie and Judson had always confIicted
He grunted and lit his pine.
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
We're not sometimes vices as we'll as
virtues. Would he never be free 70
take Alice to his own home? Womb
she never leave her father to come TO
MN! lie went to see her much oftener
than had been his habit. and. strange
to say, of evenings her father dfsan-
peared, no one asked where. and left
them to themselves. John and Alice
were again almost the boy and girl
lovers of ten years ago. They took
twilight walks and long drives unmo-
Tested and unquestioncd and were 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 a
plan to brave everybody. Finally she
yielded, though she dreaded the ex-
PLANTATION that would have to follow.
One soft September evening John.
with license in his pocket drove to
her door ana 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 to have Alice go.
Late in the evening they returned
man and wife. John tied the horse
and went in to have it out with Alice's
father. But the Old man, strangely
enough, was not to be found. They
waited awhile, and then John left her
to go tell his mother
When lie 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 ut the gate
and almost ran to take her in his arms.
lie kissed her, and he laughed-actual-
~ laughed-like 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 I 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.