Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-09-25

ers Benson. Botany, too, was sealed
book to- them, and they were not sure
If they knew dandelion from hawk
weed.
No." Arthur said to himself; even
Ignorant of these Important facts, Alice
Darrell was the sweetest girl he
knew" But opportunity to tell her
that and other facts was evidently hard
to find.
At last Lady Eustace was breathing
more freely. After much pretty fooling,
the Darrells visit was nearing its end,
and there was no engagement. BY to-
morrow Miss Dared and her sister
would be In their own untidy, ram
shackle home, not to re-enter Castle
Eustace till there was Mrs. Arthur
there, too. The hero himself had not
been very amenable, and had rather
resented his mothers return, ito spoil
the fun" as he undutifully ex-
pressed it.5s -
The pretty plquant face of the
younger Miss Darrell had looked anx-
ious, even sad, on this last day-signs
that were as balm to her hostess
anxious mind. And now, when every
one had gone to bed, and Arthur was
to start early for Galway, his mother,
who had seen the good-byes safely said
in the drawing room, had retired to
rest and to sleep.
At her window, looking out on the
moonllt river, sat the poor little girl
whose hopes had been so high. To-
morrow her visit must end, and yet,
Arthur, though she felt he meant much,
had said nothing. She really liked him,
and would be SO glad to marry him.
Never in her life had she had SO much
of his mothers company; been the OBJ
iect of SO much solicitude. Now 1t was
all over. She hated going back to the
untidy home, the scrambllng meals,
and narrow means; and mother" too,
had had hopes of her marrying well.
The opening of window above, and
the appearance of top-boot dangling
by string outside, alarmed her for a
moment, when a well-known voice said:
"Try and reach it! There is some
thing inside for your -
To seize the tongs was the work of a
moment, but to reach the treasure was
more difficult. AT last the boot was
deftly landed. But, alas, the tongs
slipped, falling with a crash enough to
awaken the dead, or worse still, the
unsympathetic living on the terrace
below.
When all was quiet, and the note,
which said everything his heart could
desire, was answered, there still re
manned the task of getting the tongs
back to her room. Arthur's mother
wit did not desert him, and, sure of his
Alice he crept quietly down and Sc
cured them, leaving them In the hall
to astonish the house-maId. 1t was too
great risk to pass his mothers room;
for she had horrid yelplng cur who
never could distinguish between friend
and foe.
And early walk planned Galway
sent to the winds), and silence de-
scended on the big gray house once
again.
The appearance at breakfast of the
young people together was the first
announcement Lady Eustace lad of
the foiling of her plans. Sir John,
however, had been In his sons conf
dence, and had given his consent. After
all, money was not everything, and
heiresses, he knew. could be "kittle
cattle" to drive, and the young people
were much in love.
Months passed before the secret of
how the proposal was made leaked out !;
and now Lady Eustace thinks, with
King Lear-better the serpent's tooth
than the thankless child.-Phlladelphia
roIx u,