The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1909-11-20
The WAY OF
A GUARDIAN.
lis Abrupt Selection Of a Hus-
band Fer His Ward.
By ALsERT FOSTER.

ne chose Tor his departure Ior tne next
world. II be could only have waited
until bis daughter Ellen was q little
better able 70 take care Of herself l
should have been saved lot Of worry
and bother. As It was. had to post
pone my "Trip 70 Egypt for q whole
month until could get her settled
with Thatehers two maiden aunts. Tor
Of course be had made me her guard
fan. The fact that l was only thirty.
while she was fourteen. was OF no Inn
portance IN his eyes.
When once appetite for wandering
has laid hold on q man he knows no
time or place 20 rest 90 my year OF
travel dragged itself out to six. Let
ters came at intervals from one or the
ether Of the aunts telling me that FL
len was well and happy. Once or twice
IN the earlier years / had brief and
very conventional note from the young
lady herself thanking me for all that
had done for her. suspected Ellen OF
symptoms of irony In those express
sions Of thankfulness. for the only
thing that had done was TO take my
self on TO the ends Of the earth and
leave her TO the care Of Providence
ana her aunts. not always synonymous
terms
In the course Of time drifted back
again TO the land Of the stars and
stripes. Ny first days passed drearhy
enough. visited my old club. but the
hest chairs were occupied by men who
had been striplings when l was last ID
the land Of civilization. Ny old chums
had drffted away or into matrimony
and dropped into the club only now
and then to shed a few drops OF pity
on their single brethren.
Finally l bethought me Of my long
neglected ward and determined for the
lack Of something better to do to pay
the child a visit. so sent a Dote TO the
aunts to apprise them Of my coming.
l have received many severe shocks
in my life and have, trust, borne
them with Christian fortitude or at
least with pagan stoicism. have been
turned out OF my berth IN an ocean
liner in the middle Of the night to shiv-
er and scorch by turns IN an open boat
IN the middle Of a sailless ocean,
have been held up and courteously re
Heyed OF all my valuables by Greek
brigands, l have even withstood with
eouanimity the charge Of brigade OF
Swiss hotel keepers, but all these were
as a fall Of dew compared with the
surprise which experienced when FL
len. my little ward, came into the par
lor Of the cottage TO give me duttful
erecting. 1 had left behind me a
scraggly little girl, awkward and
frightened. l found myself shaking
hands with a beautiful young lady.
slender, erect, with a caimness and
self possession infinitely greater than
my own.
In the days that followed my won
derment only deepened. A French
count marked genuine. the son and
sole heir of a railway magnate, min
ing baron from Denver Of slightly ad'
yanced years, but undiminished ardor
and a newly risen but still rising poll
tician with his eyes on the United
States senate and his feet planted hrm
" on more valuable real estate thar
the finite mind could well comprehend
were the major planets which con
gtaptly revolved around Ellen. Ther
there was a countless number Of satel
Iites. young college fellows. bankers
lawyers and merchants. 1 was regard
ed as a fatherly old chap whose faVol
was worth having only by virtue o.
the relation in which | stood to INT
young lady In question This wa
calling TO me, as was ready to TAX
NV oath that at least half Of the idiot
would never see my age again. thlni
Miss Ellen OWNED my resentment o.
else the quizzical twinkle playing
about the corners Of her eyes belie'
her thoughts.
went prepared to stay three days
The end Of a month found me sul
there. 1 had fallen head over heels
love with my own ward. When ! haI
succeeded in diagnosing the case
NV own satisfaetion-and despair
concluded that mast take myself on
Of the way Of danger. Accordingly
announced my intention at iuneheo
one day. The aunts were politely sol
fys-Ao0 cOuiu aAnOSe AN'S
that Ellen looked sad for at least THU
y seconds
After luncheon tbs aunts c0rnere
me in the library and asked me hat
what I thought about Ellen's matr
monial future. protested that
hadn't thought about II, didn't kno'
that she had TO have one and didn
know that It was any concern Of
guardian anyway.
~Of course it's some concern {
yours said Miss Henrietta. the eide
taking MP the last point that ! ia
made and going through my argumel
backward. woman fashion she mui
marry. naturally. and she must mari
well, meaning. as guessed, that 81
must induce Dan Cupid 20 lead her
the direction Of a well grown ban