The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-06
An Unronantic
Love Story
By SADIE OLCOTT

daughter OF MS mothers brother, who
had been taken into the Thorpe family
when she became an orphan. When
the two were grown Mrs. Thorpe, who
was then widow, was possessed of a
fortune. One day when her son was
about to start on a tour she said to him:
1T is time, Ned, that | should take
thought as to the disposition of my
property. 1t was accumulated by your
father. who left it to me. expecting
that l would leave it to you. Helen
has been brought up as one of our
family, and l would like to divide it
between you. but | feel it incumbent
upon me to leave it all to you. There
is a way. however. by which you could
relieve me of the embarrassment"
How is that, mother?"
by winning her for your wife"
Ned Thorpe had never thought of his
cousin in this light. Both sexes seem
to prefer to mate with some one they
know nothing about than one they
know all about. This is a requisite of
romance. At any rate. without know
ing it this was exactly the view he
took of the matter. From a boy he
had had his dreams of some beautiful
girl whom he should find in a bower of
roses. who should greet him with a
blush and a smile and after he had told
his story should confess that she had
been dreaming about his counterpart
since she was a child.
For this reason he received his moth
er's announcement coldly. He was
very fond of his cousin, whom he had
regarded rather as Il companion than
a future wife. but his mothers sug-
gestion was rather too businesslike to
commend itself to one who had had
such romantic dreams of the girl he
should love not only on earth but
through eternity. So he told his moth
er that he would think about it and
nothing would give him greater salts
/ faction than to meet her wishes.
/ He was gone six months. during
/ which the lady of the bower of roses
+ did not appear. The girls he met were
/ all flesh and blood of an ordinary tex
\ ture. some of them possessing unat-
| tractive traits and some of them be-
ing positively disagreeable. The only
/ person he saw during his tour, it is
! true, he first saw in a bower of roses,
/ but she arose therefrom in 4 dress
/ cut very low above and very high be
/ meath. and pirouetted out toward the
| footlights before an audience of thou.
| sand persons. His Imagination was
captiyated, but not his common sense
At last he returned to his home
thinking that. since he would please
I his mother by marrying his cousin and
he had tired of waiting for the lady in
the bower of roses to appear. he would
consent to his mothers plan. Indeed
he admitted that it was a good plan
He did not like the idea of taking al
the family belongings to himself anC
he didn't like dividing them between
himself and some one else. He mucl
preferred that it should be Helen's As
well as his own
Helen had improved during his alb
sence. having passed out of what t,
some girls is an awkward age. Sh,
received him with the accustomed wei
come. and his resolution received ;
new impetus. As soon as he was aion
with his mother he said:
Mother. I've come home with tn
intention of acceding to your wishe
in the matter you spoke about to IA
just before went away"
What matter?"
why. in reference to Helen and
inheriting the family fortune as one
'Oh. | remember now you speak o
z it. That plan fell through immediate
1 ly after you left us. I preached it {
D Helen. and she said that on no nc
count would she accept an inheritanc
! that your father had accumulated an
1 intended should 90 ut my death to hi
n son. She is now studying to he
teacher But she won't have TO teach
b Why not asked the young ma;
= taken quite aback by the turn i'll tn
e affair
+ We'll, certain man is attentive
+ her whom it is supposed she wi
t marry.
supposed, Don't you know" e2
d claimed Thorpe. getting up from n
seat. thrusting his hands into his pool
d cts and stridinc back aud forth on th
< floor.
e Only Helen knows. my dear DO.
lie But what means this change in you
When 1 proposed this union you Iii
y not appear to fancy it."
a We'll. suppose didn't. I've got N
D. mind made up to it. and now fin
If I've made it up for nothing 1t ism
:. treating a fellow right"
is Mrs Thorpe was looking at him o,
Z, of a corner of her eye. She did u,
FL seem at all hurt at his utterances.
d. the contrary. she seemed to be endea
It oring to conceal satisfaction.
t. We'll. dear she said presently, Il
ce send her in to you and you can sett
d. 1t with her
n When Helen appeared the young ms
said to her:
t, Helen, why have you upset this pl;
IN of my mothers to-
it ITO what?"