The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-09

isn't my fault that Leon-Mr. Masters
desires to break the engagement-s
Desires? What are you saying.
Agatha? Declines to marry a Penryn.
with the invitations all out, the bishop
invited to preside and with a beauti.
full bride, such as you will be-" .
HE Does" l faltered, with a sudden
| determination to see Leon Masters at
once and make him tell Aunt Penny
1t was his wish to be free. Why had
come to the decision not to marry
LeonA4why 1 had sent him b letter
breaking of the marriage at the last
moment, l could hardly explain.
| felt that his being younger than L.
Leon was twenty-two-al at once sep.
arated us. We had played together in
childhood, we had been s~weethearts
in early youth, but with the wedding
day a week of I felt that I was taking
a mean advantage Of a child to marry
Leon. 1 did not love him.
But I might have known better than
to tell this story to Aunt Penny. born
fighter that she was. Since / could
remember, Aunt Penny had never
been so happy as when she was do
ing battle with some one. l loved her
warlike spirit, but when she changed
in a minute to the soldier she was,
and declared, Agatha, this shall be
looked after immediately" saw Tar
consequences Of my rash conduct.
She left me with her line eyes glow
ing with battle light, and l fed in the
limousine that had waited for me for
an hour to the office of Leon Masters.
He had received the letter b q
morning, l knew, IL the mails had
done their usual work. He took me
to his inner sahctum and I hurried
my explanation:
"Leon-Mr. Masters-Tve told Aunt
Penny that you-that you are the
one who didn't wish-she Is hurt,
very much hurt, Leon, and angry
and I thought that perhaps you would
tell her that 1t is you who decided
that 1t isn't best!"
Leon looked %unutterably relieved.
"Is that all, Agatha? he said. II
was afraid-very much afraid-that
you did not mean-that you might
have reconsidered your letter-that
you were not-that you wanted to go
on, you knowl" ae
His blunt words, his evident salts.
faction with what I had done brought
the hot bushes to my face. AndEsI
had expected to find him over
whelmed with griefAhad even pic7
tured his efforts to win me back!
80" l stammered, "you really
didn't"
mo, Agatha, l really didn't, but l
would not have caused you any-er-
embarrassment-not for a kings ram
SON. And dad had set his heart on
it-he thinks you are perfection,
Agatia-and you are. l didn't want
you ever to suspect how had really
begun to feel about it! Dear old
Aunt Penny! OF course, I'll see and
tell her that 1t Is what / wished TO-
dot" or I
Worse and worse! Home went,
hot and trembling. I shut myself In
my room and would see no callers.
Toward evening, when I had reasoned
it all out, and had begun to be glad
we had both been saved from our
friends and from the great mistake,
Aunt Penny> came to me with a tri.
umphant light in Ter eyes. 3
Agatha, my poor lamb" she said.
Icons father has come to set
things right. You must come down
and see him."
When I reached the drawing room.
where he waited, l could not help
thinking how young and handsome
Icons father looked. He might have
been forty-fve-he had been a Wild
ower for many years. He took my
hand in his.
Agatha! Miss Penryn!" he said,
what a I say to you-what can /
do?"
Sitting there with my hand in his,
1 told him the whole bald, disagree
able truth. He bent over me when
I had finished. 49, -
"Agatha!" he whispered. "Dear!"
Love that had fed from a long
courtship came to me that instant
without any courtship. I loved
Icons father, and I knew 1t. I
found myself swept, unresisting, into
his arms. Aunt Penny came in soon,
and we told her Of the change, and
restored her to normal afterward.
There was to be a wedding on the
day set. I would marry Icons
father. There would be a little Cos
sip, of course, there Is always a
buzz Of excitement over the marriage
Of an elderly man who writes checks
sometimes in seven figures,
When l went upstairs or that night
of my second betrothal I glanced
along the wall at the faces Of my
ancestors. They seemed to smile ap.
prevail at me, all but one. My great
uncle, Peter Penryn, lay face down
on the floor, a perfect ruin. When
he fell, or why, l lever knew. Was
he ashamed of me, I wonder, or was
he overcome with Joy?