Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-12-09

as be explained. the only thiifg which
remained was runaway marriage.
Confronted with sthe fait accompl,
Papa Roberts would bow to the ines
liable. They could get married quietly
in town. 20 away for short trip, and
when the senator had got over his first
disappointment they would be well
coined back with open arms.
Kate listened willingly enough to this
specious reasoning In her heart she
was piqued at .Iefferson's Indifference.
and she was foolish enough to really
believe that this marriage with Brit
ish nobleman. twice removed. would
be In the nature of a triumph over
him. Besides. this project of an elope-
ment appealed strangely to her frivol-
Gus Imagination; 1t put her in the same
class as all her favorite novel heroines
And 1t would be capital fun.
Meantime Senator Roberts. in bliss
full ignorance of this little plot against
his domestic peace. was growing i'm
patient. and he approached his friend
Ryder once more on the subject of his
son Jefferson. The young man. he
said. had been back from Europe some
time. lie insisted on knowing what
his attitude was toward his daughter.
If they were engaged to be married.
be said there should be a public an
nCunceMent of the fact. It was unfair
to him and q, slight TO his laughter to
let matters hang fire in this unsatisfac-
tory way. and he limited that 10th HIN
sc!f and his daughter might demana
tier passports from the E-der man.
sion unless some explanation were
forthcoming.
Ryder " as liz quanG3ry. I-e had
no wish 70 quarrel With his useful
Washington ally. He recognized the
reaeonabieLess of his complaint. Yet
what could he so? Much as he him
self desired the marriage. his son gas
obstinate and showed little inclination
to settle down. He even limited at at
fractions in another quarter. He did
not tell the senator of his recent inter-
view with his son when the latter
made it very plain that the marriage
could never take place. Ryder senior
had his own reasons for wishing to
temporize. 1t was quite possible that
Jefferson might change his mind and
abandon his idea of going abroad. and
he suggested to the senator that per
haps if he, the senator. made the en-
gagement public through the newspa-
pers it might have the Salutary effect
of forcing his sons hand.
So few mornings later there ap-
peared among the society notes in sew
eral Of the New York papers this para
graph:
TIE engagement is announced of Miss
Katherine ROBBERS. Only daughter of Sen
ator Roberts, of Wisconsin, to Jefferson
Ryder, son of Mr.. John Burkett Ryder
Two persons in New York happened
to see the lem about the same time,
and both were equally interested, al
though it affected them in different
manner. One was Shirley Kossmore,
who had CHANGED to pick up the news
paper at the Breakfast table in her
boarding house.
80 SOOnT' she murmured to herself
Well, why not? She could not blame
jefferson. He had often spoken to her
of this match arranged By his father,
and they had laughed over it as q
typical marriage Of convenience mod
eled after the continental pattern. JEFF
ferson. she knew, had never cared for
the girl, nor taken the affair seriously.
Some powerful influences must have
been at work to make him surrender
so easily. Here again she recognized
the mastery hand of Ryder senior, and
more than ever she was eager to meet
this extraordinary man and measure
her strength with his. Her mind, in
deed was too full of her fathers trou-
bles to grieye over her own however
much she might have been inclined tC
10 so under other ci-cumstin noes, and
all that day she Gil her best to ban
ish the paragraph from her thoughts
More than a week had passed since
she left 3LassaDeGua and. what With
corresponding with fnanciers. calling
on editors and publishers. every mo-
ment of her time had been kept busy.
She had found a quiet and reasonable
priced boarding house off Washington
square. and here Stott had called sew
eral times TO see her. Her correspond
ence with Mr.. E.T1er had now reached
a phase VIXEN il was impossible to in
vent any further excuses for delaying
the interview :. 2led for. AS she had
f0reseen, Il Gay Or two after her arriv-
al in town she had received note
from Mrs. Ryder asking her to do her
the honor to call and see her. and Shi7
ley, after waiting another two days
had replied making an appointment for
the following day at 3 O'clock Tbs
was the same day on which the para
graph concerning the Ryder Roberts
engagement appeared in the society
chronicles CT the metropolis
Directly after the meager meal which
in New York boarding houses is digGi
/ fed by the name of luncheon Shirley
proceeded to get ready for this porten-
tous visit to the Ryder mansion. She
was anxious to make favorable i'm
preston on the fnancier. so she took