Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-08-02
Wanted
A Husband
He Was Obtained Through
a Singular Courtship
BY HARRIET c. BONSALL
By HARRIET c. BONSALL
;yyyyyvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

>YVvVVVVVVVVVV
Helen Trevor had the misfortune tt
be an heiress. Her father. Donald Ire
yor, had accumula% ed a large fortune
and Helen, being his only child. would
at his death possess it all. Heapins
up riches becomes passion. Rather
II Is a habit, and we all know that q
habit once fixed on an individual Is
hard to break.
Mr.. Trevor illustrated this as fol
lows: Since his daughter was to take
his place he laid out course for her
This course involved her marriage; fol
he not only laid out for her her future
concerning the estate. but for her he'll
or heirs. The man his daughter should
marry did not so much concern him
as that she should marry. He made
a will tying up the property to her
and her children. excluding the hus.
band and father entirely. Therefore
it made little difference to him wheth-
er Helen married good man or q
stick"
out lie found Helen hard to manage
In this matter Of matrimony. She be-
ing twenty and he sixty, the two look
ed at it from opposite standpoints. He
thought he was giving her great
deal of leeway when he told her thai
he didn't care whether she married
Tom, Dick or Harry so long as she
chose a husband. A girl who would
not be satisfied with that must be
very unreasonable. Helen expressed
herself as content with the conditions
but since she was either not in love
or the man she wanted did not pro-
pose to her she did not choose any one
The old man fretted and fumed and
scolded till the poor girl was driven
nearly distracted. Feeling obliged to
encourage some man. she hit upon
Tom Fisher. who would not only have
been glad to marry her for her money,
but for love After months dawdline
with Fisher she tired Of him and took
up with Archie Briggs A fair trial
with Archie convinced her that per
haps, after all. she could stand Fisher
better. Fisher was recalled and dis
missed. Briggs was reinstated and
dismissed. and so the game went on.
The one least injured by it was Miss
Trevor Both her suitors were kept
on tenterhooks. while her father was
made positively Ill by her indecision
He was ordered to his bed by his ply
sician. who said that he must not be
troubled about anything. He must be
given his own way in everything. Ii
this rule were not observed the doctor
would not answer for the conSe-
quences.
With the perversity Of girlhood Hell.
en- Trevor gave her heart to n man
who showed no disposition whatever
to return it. Dick Thurston. young
lawyer. bright. attractive and in many
respects a scapegrace. was the uncon
scious recipient of her preference. But
unfortunately she as woman coulc
not plead her cause with him. 1t was
hard that. while she might be salts
fed with a husband and her fathe,
might be restored to health by this
young man. he showed no disposition
whatever to marry her.
Mr. Trevor grew worse, and his anx
iety to see his daughter married be-
came so serious that she began to feal
1t would break her down as well as
her father. He called her to his bed
side and questioned her about her in
tentions. She told him that she was
deliberating whether she should mar
ry Tom Fisher or Archie Briggs and
promised him that she would make ur
her mind as to which she would ac
cept as soon as possible. The look OF
appeal he gave her went to her heart
that is. 1t would have gone to her hear
had 1t not gone out Of her possession
into that of Dick Thurston.
A week passed. She came to nc
conclusion. and the doctor told hei
that the subject Of her marriage was
affecting her father so seriously that
If he did not get it off his mind he
would die. Something must be done
Perplexed beyond endurance, she was
driven to seek q confdant. She went
to Thurston, told him of the situation
excepting that part Of it which con
cerned himself, and asked him as g
lawyer If there was no way of being
married so that after her father
should recover she could be unmar
ried. In other words. could she ap
pear to be married without being mar
ried?
Thurston asked her If there was
any one with whom she would enter
upon such q contract. and she tolc
him that there were two most favored
individuals-viz. Thomas Fisher and
Archibald Briggs. Thurston with thai
reserve lawyers are accustomed to put
on when interviewing client made
a note of the names, put on look IN
dicating that his brain was stagger
ing under the weight of the problem
and said that 1t would be necessar!
to look the matter up. He would d.
so and give her reply within few
days. Just before she left his Office
he asked one more question.
as there any one who stands above
these two most favored gentlemen?'
IF they are most favored how coult
any one be more favoredT was he
reply. There Is nothing beyond the
superlative."
VERY true. very true. That woult
be impossible. And with low bow
he softly closed the door behind her.
Miss Trevor did not hear anything