Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-09-11
= AN :.
UNFINISHED
PROPOSAL.
By c. b. LEWIS.
Copyrighted. 1875. by Associated
Literary Press

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When mothers put IL the way they
do we must sympathize with them
more or less. especially when the moth
or Is a widow. II isn't through any
spirit OF avarice that she would have
ter daughter marry rich. Ii Is simply
that the money may be in the house
when the man comes around with the
gas bill. II isn't because Of snobbish-
ness that she would prefer 10 be the
moiher-in-law of a duke rather than
a commoner. but dukes are said never
TO call their mothers-in-law old cats.
II isn't from any desire TO smash ro-
mances or break hearts that they las
the daughter of twenty of To Europe
I'm hopes she will forget the man of
twenty-five to fall in love with a
sutton Of sixty. Ii is that the dear
girl may have grandfather. father
and husband all In one.
Such were the guiding principles OF
Mrs. Deland. relict OF Judge D"land,
and 1t is requested that a fair per
cent of the readers of this story be.
come her partisans and give her fair
show.
OF course the daughter. Clara. had
received the education given TO all
young girls whose fathers or mothers
are able to pay for the same by the
square foot, and she had arrived at the
age of twenty without causing any
particular worry to anybody when she
met young Albert Lee. They called
him young Lee because he was only
twenty-five and because there was an
old Lee who was sixty.
Young Lee was still at college, and
1t was still an unsettled question as to
what profession he would select to
make his way through life. In an i'll
definitely definite way he had been
paying his attentions to Miss Clara
for several months before the widowed
mother, with woman's intuition,
aroused herself to the realization that
her lamb might be stolen away. Then.
like a dutiful mother. she began max
ing inquiries and scolding her daugh-
ter at the same time
1t did not take long to exhaust the
schedule Of inquiries. Young Lee was
all right socially, and his sixty-year-
old father would leave him COM
Portable property when the reaper
came, but there was no telling wheth-
er he would pass away at sixty-one or
eighty-fve.
1t was long odds for a mother with
a business head on her to take. She
at once put her foot down. and Of
course 1t was the wrong foot. She
began by criticising the sutton and
ended by announcing that she would
rather see her daughter In her grave.
There were arguments, prOtesta-
lions, tears. girl who is beginning
to feel the impulses Of love may be
argued or bulldozed into silence. but
to convince her is quite another thing.
After few minutes Clara had moth.
ing further to say, and in her exuber-
ance over her triumph the mother an
nounced an early trip to Europe.
Young Lee would not follow. The ex-
elements and enjoyments Of London.
Paris and Berlin would quite drive
him from the daughters mind. and
some day that daughter would kneel
at the maternal feet and excIaim:
BLESS you, mamma, that you have
caused me to forget that penniless
young man and engaged me to the liv-
ing remains Of an ancient lord. duke
or count!'
The living remains appeared in Lon
don. He was Lord Somebody or 9th
er. The only certain thing about his
age was that he was over sixty. The
only certain thing about his attentions
to the daughter was that he believed
the mother far richer than she was
and that he had several mortgages
on several ruined castles that he wish
ed to repair.
After the first meeting, which came
about through accident. Milford was in
evidence at brief intervals during the
tour. lasting three months and more.
He received all proper encouragement
from the mother, and there were times
when the daughter sat and looked at
his dyed hair and false eyebrows and
pasted wrinkles and was amused.
In due time, which was day or
two before the ladies sailed for home.
he made his proposal. 1t was first
made to the mother, who received it
smilingly; then to the daughter. who
lo1 hut nj tod
by saying that she didn't know her
own heart.
Milford was in duty bound, as gal
liant remains are, to say that he would
give her time, and Clara looked back
at London from the decks of the
steamer and congratulated herself that
this ended 1t all.
That was where she was Just as
much mistaken as her mother had
been. They had been home only four
weeks when Milford put in an appear
ance at the American manor house
1t was no ones business but his own
how he had managed to raise the cash
for the trip. There are money lenders
in London who will take long chances
His love had not grown cold with the
departure of Miss Deland
Just as the mother had figured on.
young Lee had not followed the cou-
pie abroad. There are postoffices all
over the civilized world. however, and
slangy girl might have said that 1t
was a cold week when Clara didn't
receive and answer letter from a
certain New England college town.
She may have even met young Lee
after her return. They may have met
and strolled on the broad highway