Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-09-29
PART ONE.
CHAPTE Err I.


about it. You see. Agatha" I said,
it's going to be rough on old Arch
if he doesn't After all, she's always
promised him the property; it should
60 to him"
The secretary, that is. my wife-I
sometimes refer to her in that way
In memory Of certain six weeks I
and my friend Terhune once spent at
Castle Wyckhof, during which she
bore that title and I fell in love with
henry wife put down her sewing to
answer me. She was doing me a
knitted tie, by the way, green. with at
least six different stitches in it. Aw-
fully clever at that sort of thing, my
wife
Yes, I see, she said; "but, Wilfred,
isn't it little-a little sudden? How
can he expect to get married in so
short time as ten days?"
It was sudden, surely. and unusual
But for the matter Of that. the whole
thing was out Of the ordinary You
see the point was that an eccentric
old aunt Of my friend Archibald Ter
hume, a 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
to third cousin of hers who lived in
America if Archibald did not immedi-
ately 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,
In 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 I 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
decorous haste. She had always
badgered him to death on the subject
of getting married. and now he sup
posed this was her way of furnishing
him 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,
III be so old no one will have mel
Fancy that" His tone was positively
shrill with spleen and disgust Just
as if that were so very old" he went
on, twitching about on his chair and
plucking angrily at his eye-glass
string. why, lots of men don't even
begin to think of marrying till they're
forty-fivel"
1 smiled The old boys weak spot
is his love of admiration, and 1 often
feel convinced that If it were not for
his delight in being considered one
Of London's most eligible bachelors,
and 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
over a page of the closely written let
ter that he held in his hand and glanc-
Ing down it 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
30, IL bp- ;rh nd 40
comes & married man. To bestow so
rich an inheritance upon a single man,
she says, is like putting a premium
on seIfshness!" Terhune snorted with
Impotence when he had read that last
sentence, but | couldn't help but ad-
mire 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,
resuming his reading after letting his
eye skim down the page to the close
of the letter, that the reason she
limits the days of grace in which am
supposed to persuade a girl to prom
Use to marry me, TO ten, is because
she thinks / deserve to have to hurry,
having thwarted her wishes so long,
and that a little anxiety will do me no
harm" His face was a picture as he
read this. and his voice trembled so
with a sense of outrage that he could
hardly go on.
She concludes by saying that l will
be more likely to achieve the result
she desires, If l am put under a GER
tain amount of pressure. She knows
my procrastinating habits only too
we'll"
His glare was so vindictive by this
time that could hardly keep from
laughing at him.
It's no laughing matter" he growl-
ed she means every word of it.
She's gone and notified the third
cousin IN America about it, so therell
be no possibility of changing her
mind"
rs he married." I asked.
Nine children returned my friend
gIoomily. And she's even instructed
her solicitor" he added, odd Barnes
of Barnes, Willoughby & Sons to call
upon me and be with me at one
o'clock ten days from now, when the
period expires, to see that every
things fair and square about the pro-
ceedings and that I do not oyerstep
the prescribed time by so much as a
minute!"
Capital l cried unguardedly, full
of an iu-timed, fear. enthusiasm for
the business-Iike methods of Mrs.
James.
You'll have to invite him to lunch!
Why, it's as good as a play! What
an old sport your Aunt Georgy must
be-"
20, hang my Aunt Georgy!" ex-
claimed Arch peevishly, not appre-
chatting my point of view. NEEDLE
some old busybodyi"
And that reminds me- I said alert
1y, how old is she, anyway, Arch?'