Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-02

he had realized the gulf that separated
them, and how quick had been his
awakening!
1t was Wayne wayland who had
shown him his folly. He had talked
to the young engineer kindly, If
firmly, being too shrewd an old diplo-
mat to fan the flame of headstrong
love with vigorous opposition.
Mildred is rich GIRL" the old
flnancier had told Boyd, "a very rich
girl; one of the richest girls in this
part of the world; while you, my boy
what have you to offer
"'Nothing! But you were not always
what you are now" Emerson had re-
piled. Every man has to make a
start. When you married, you were
as poor as ami"
Granted! But married a poor
girl, from my own station in life.
Fortunately she had the latent power
to develop with me as / grew; so that
we kept even and never outdistanced
her. But Mildred is spoiled to begin
with. l spoiled her purposely, to pre-
vent just this sort Of thing. She Is
bred to luxury, her friends are rich,
and she doesn't know any other kind
Of life. Her tastes and habits and In
clinations are extravagant, to put IT
plainly--yes, worse than extravagant;
they are positively scandalous. She Is
about the richest girl in the country,
and by virtue OF wealth as we'll as
breeding she Is one Of the American
aristocracy. Oh! people may say
what they please, but we have an
aristccracy all the same which is just
as we'll marked and just as exclusive
as If it rested upon birth instead OF
bank accounts"
'You wouldn't object to our mar
riage If were rich and Mildred were
poor" Emerson had said, rather Gym
ically.
Perhaps not. A poor girl can marry
rich man and get along all right II
she has brains; but very rich girl
can't marry a very poor man and be
happy unless she is peculiarly con-
stituted. I happen to know that my
girl isn't so constituted. She Is ut
terly impossible as poor mans wife.
She can't do anything; she cant econ
omize, she can't amuse herself, she
can't be happy without the things she
is accustomed to; 1t Is in her blood
and training and disposition. She
would try, bless you! she would try all
right-for a while-but I know her
better than she knows herself. You
see, I have the advantage of knowing
myself and of having known her
mother before her. She is hot
house flower, and adversely would
wither her. Mind you, I don't say
that her husband must be millionaire
but he will need running start on
the road to make her happy, and-well
the fellow who gets my girl will make
her happy or I'll made him damned
miserable!" The old fellow had
squared his jaws belligerently at this
statement.
"You have nothing against me-per.
sonally, mean?"
Nothing"
"She loves me-"
"She seSms to. But both Of you are
young and may get over it before you
reach the last hurdle"
"Then you forbid it.?' Boyd had
queried, his own glance challenging
that of her father.
"By no means neither forbid nor
consent / merely ask you to stand
still and use your eyes for a little
while. You have intelligence. Don't
be hasty. am going to tell her just
what I have told you, and think she
is sensible enough to realize the truth
of my remarks. No! instead of for
bidding you Mildred's society, | am
going to make you free at our house.
/ am going to see that you meet her
friends and go where she goes.
want you to do the things that she
does and see how she lives. The more
you see of us, the better 1t will suit me.
have been studying you for some
time, Mr.. Emerson, and | think
have read you correctly. After you
have spent few months with us,
come to me again and we will talk 1t
over. may say yes by that time, or
you may not wish me to. Perhaps
Mildred will decide for both of u.s.
"That is satisfactory to me-"
Every well! We dine at seven to-
night; and we shall expect you"
That Mr.. Wayland had made no mis-
take in his Judgment, Emerson had
soon been forced to admit; for the
more he saw of Mildred's life, the
more plainly he preceived the barriers
that lay between them. Those months
had been an education to him. He
had become an integral part of Chi
cago's richer social world. The
younger set had accepted him readily
enough on the score of his natural
good parts. while the name of Wayne
Wayland had acted like magic upon
the elders. Yet it had been a cruel
time Of probation for the young
lover, who continually felt the search
ing eyes of the old man reading him;
and despite the fact that Mildred took
no pains to conceal her preference for
him. there had been no lack Of other
suitors, all of whom Boyd hated with
a perfect hate.
Thed had never discussed the mat
ter, vet both the lovers had been
conscious that the old mans words
were pregnant with truth, and after
a few months, during which Emerson
had made little progress in his pro-