Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-12-18
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He stood on the broad veranda and gaZed down on the long slope of lawn. Yes, there they were, just emerging from the wooded path which led to the lake. Hand in hand they walked his nephew and his ward, evidently in very earnest conversation, as the girl s eyes were bent upon the ground and the young man s hand was very near hers The watcher sighed, then shrugged his shoulders vigorously to shake off some feeling which possessed him. He was a tall, splendidly proportioned man of 40, with a square cut jaw, grave dark eyes and hair very slightly touched with gray.
 ''I have never gotten over the won der of it, " he murmured. "That plain, shy little girl has developed into such an attractive woman, If only l were not so old
 1 Wallace!" called querolous femi- nine voice.
 The tall man on the veranda gave one last look at the approaching couple and turned to enter the house, where his sis ter evidently desired his help with her troublesome household accounts.
 The two young people drawing near the house were good to look at. The man, who would become of age on the morrow. somewhat resembled his uncle, Wallace Grant, with whom he and his mother made their home, except that l his figure was decidedly boyish and his hair was not cropped so close to his head as to prevent it's curling slightly from | his broad forehead. Esther Charles, who made her home here for the last year ] since completing the course of education laid out for her, would reach her 21st birthday the following week Esther's blue eyes were bent upon the ground to hide the laughter in their merry depths, | but in sympathetic voice she mur- mured
 ''Yes, Harry, dear; but which one are you in love with now? You haven t told me the lady's name,
 She was accustomed to having liar. " s affairs of the heart confded to her, | but the weather vane of his affection sometimes veered so rapidly it was quite impossible for her to be absolutely sure of whom he was speaking. 1 "It is Madge Clereford," he replied reproachfully; and then mpetuously, "Any other attachBent I have had, Esther, was as nothing compared to the love I have for Madge, Esther Won t you manage somehow to prepare unclel I think l can manage mother, all right, but for some reason Uncle Wallace seems to avoid any conversation relat- 1 ing to love and marriagen
 The girls face grew grave. and her ! lips trembled slightly The departing sunlight rested lovingly upon the shin. ing golden braids which crowned her head. She did not smile now, but said slowly: "Do you not think, Harry, it would make a better impression if you presented the matter to your uncle your sef?'
 "Oh," he remonstrated, CT do not mean for you to tell him everything;" then hesitatingly "'just casually men ton how things are.
 That evening Wallace Grant sat in his library, deep in thought. He had never been in love until now and could scarce understand the pent-up emotion within him whenever his eyes rested on Esther s face. He sighed as he mentally compared his age with hers and then i thought of Harry.
 "Those two young people were meant for each other,D he thought, "and have evidently discovered the fact I doubt if Esther could ever regard me in any other light than as her guardian.
 At this juncture there was a light tap at the door. He was ashamed of the rush of blood within him.
 Come in, ." he called
 The girl entered hesitatingly. She seemed at loss how to begin, and he remembered that for some time she had ceased to call him "Guardy," her old pet name for him. He duly wondered why this was. Lately she had not ad- dressed him directly.
 Finally she said in low voice:
 |" Harry desired very much that break to you the news of his engage ment. |"
 She faltered and her eyes dropped be- fore the'steady gaze of the man before her. With an effort he strove to conceal he said, My dear child, I have been expecting this, and congratulate Harry and wish you both happiness from the bottom of my heart.
 Bewildered, she raised her head and looked at him.
 "But you don't understand" :" she gasped "It is Madge Clereford.' -
 "Madge Clereford, he repeated af- ter her in. dazed way, "but Esther, I thought it must be you. '
 ooh, no indeed, I" so vehemently that she caught her breath as she realized He looked more closely at the beautiful troubled face and downcast eyes. "Is it someone else, Esther2" he asked gen fly.
 For a moment sRe hesitated then slowly nodded. He took both her hands in his and, trying to confde in father Ily way, asked her to confde in him. He could not eliminate from his voice the intense feeling within hlm, and the girl, suddenly experiencing what this meant, grew more courageous. I "You know him well" she whisp- cred.
 Who is he, darling?" The name escaped him quite naturally Then, as the golden head inclined toward him, almost roughly he placed his hand un- der her chin and raised her dropping face. The rioting blushes told him the