The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-12-02
PART ONE.
CHAPTER l.

about It. You see, Agatha" l said,
.4rs going to be rough on old Arch
he doesn't After all. she's always
,romised him the property; it should
30 to him.
The secretary, that is. my wife-I
.ometimes refer to her in that way
In memory Of a certain six weeks |
and my friend Terhune once spent at
Castle Wyckhoff, during which she
bore that title and fell in love with
her-my wife put down her sewing to
answer me. She was doing me a
United tie, by the way, green, with at
least six different stitches in it. Aw-
hly clever at that sort of thing, my
vie
YES, see" she said; but, Wilfred,
&nt 1t a little--a little sudden? How
can he expect to get married In so
abort time as ten days?"
It vas sudden, surely, and unusual.
BIT for the matter Of that, the whole
hing was out of the ordinary. You
zee the point was that an eccentric
old aunt of my friend Archibald Ter
hume, Mrs. Georgiana James of Es-
sex, had written to acquaint her
nephew with the fact that she intend
ed to leave a certain piece of property
which she had long ago promised him
10 third cousin of hers who lived in
America II Archibald did not immedi-
stely get married. In fact, she gave
him exactly and only ten days from
the receipt of her letter in which to
accomplish the holy estate, or, rather,
% which to get himself engaged. The
actual ceremony she would leave to
follow as soon as possible when the
proper order Of things should permit.
Arch, when l saw him in London
That morning, was in the widest state
Of mind imaginable. He had only Just
received the letter. and he'd be bless
ed if he'd take unto himself a wife at
all, merely to humor the impossible
whims Of his Aunt Georgy, much less
accomplish the deed with any such in
hecorous haste. She had always
badgered him to death on the subject
VI getting married, and now he sup
Missed this was her way of Furnishing
MIN for his systematic disregard of
her wishes.
Wants to jolly well push me to the
wall and force my hand!" he told me
Indignantly. Shed do anything to
get her own way, that old woman!
and the reason she says she's bring
ing things to a climax now is Just be-
cause I'm forty years old today! She
says that If don't get married soon,
rs be so old no one will have me!
Fancy that!" His tone was positively
shrill with spleen and disgust. Just
ss If that were so very old!" he went
On, twitching about on his chair and
piucking angrily at his eye-glass
string. why, lots of men don't even
begin to think Of marrying till they're
Sorty-fyei"
! smiled. The old boys weak spot
IS lis love of admiration. and l often
feel convinced that If it were not for
nis delight In being considered one
q London's most eligible bachelors,
ind his pride in being one of the most
popular dinner guests in town, he
would long ago have entered the
Bonds Of matrimony.
She says" he continued, Jerking
ever page of the closely written let
Ter that he held in his hand and glanc-
ing down 1t as he spoke. "that al
though she has always looked forward
with pleasure to leaving that piece of
property which represents the bulk
OF her fortune, to her nephew, that she
cannot allow herself to do so unless
ne complies with her wishes and be-
comes married man. To bestow so
Eleh an Inheritance upon a single man,
sne says, Is like putting a premium
ca selfishness!" Terhune snorted with
lnpatience when he had read that last
sequence, but l couldn't help but adj
mlre the old lady for it. I thought she
must have been something of a char
acter to express herself so forcibly.
She goes on to explain" said Arch,
Fesuming his reading after letting his
eye skim down the page to the close
81 the letter, that the reason she
hinits the days of grace in which am
supposed to persuade a girl to prom
iae to marry me, to ten, is because
sne thinks I deserve to have to hurry,
having thwarted her wishes so long.
ana that little anxiety will do me no
aarm. His face was a picture as he
'ead this, and his voice trembled so
win a sense Of outrage that he could
hardly go on.
she concludes by saying that will
- more likely to achieve the result
sne desires, II am put under a GER
am amount Of pressure. She knows
WE'LL"
MS glare was so vindictive by this
sune that | could hardly keep from
laughing at him.
"s no laughing matter!" he growl-
% She means every word of it.
es gone and notified the third
suSin In America about it. so there'll
- no possibility of changing her
~ ne married?" l asked.
VINE children" returned my friend
,O0mlly. And she's even instructed
RI nsohcitor." he added, "Old Bcrnes
barnes. Willoughby & Sons to call
,H me and be with me at one
siock ten days from now, when the
,S, 'a expires, to see that every
ing fair and square about the pro.