Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-05-22
A Well Constructed
Plan
Conceived Ia Life and Car.
rled Out After Death
By P. A. michel

80 WAl W.
taken care Of. He lived with the
family OF a clergyman who took espe.
cal palms to bring him I'D properly,
and. AZ for education. most Of the time
he taught the boy himself When Ned
passed to an age where IL might be
expected he would be curious as to his
~antecedents be asked the clergyman
about them. The only reply be no
celyed was that bis father had left
detailed instructions with regard to
the course 10 be pursued with his son.
but they were to be communicated to
him only az each link In the chain Of
the plan came up
One day the man who had thus far
had the care OF the boy said to him:
"You are now prepared for college and
my work In your education Is ended.
1t was arranged on your coming to
us that when your college preparation
should be completed | was to notify a
certain person to that effect, who
would provide the means to give you
a university education"
"Must I go to college7"
"You must follow the course laid out
for you OF provide for yourself. II
you refuse to do the former you will
make a sacrifice. 1 have written the
person It Is my duty to notify that you
will enter college In June next You
will hear from her within a few days"
Herr Who Is sheT'
Il have only her name, Miss ArabeIla
TwitchelL Your father. / have been
told, was a very methodical business
man. who thought out every step to
be taken in what concerned him In ad-
vance Those about him never thought
Of asking him questions. but followed
his directions to the letter"
Ned received this information with
deep thought. Ho did not ike being
ground out through a mill like a pound
OF coffee. He waited impatiently for
q communication from Miss Twitch.
ell. When It came 1t brought no
more information than wal absolutely
essential. II informed him that he was
TO enter a certain college, where he
was to follow a certain course of study
which had been infinitely laid out for
him. He noticed that the subjects
would give him a general though not
CLASSICAL education.
One thing Miss Twitchell warned
him against-the forming Of any matrI-
mOniAl alliance. Your future career
Is provided for in every particular"
She wrote. "even In the matter Of a
wife But this can only be in case
the young lady It has been arranged
you shall marry Ia living when you
have reached the age of twenty-one.
If she Is dead, you win be aG liberty to
marry whom o please"
Young Travers was not more affected
by this part OF what had been provided
for him than any other. At the time
he was informed Of Il he was seven
. years old and had no sweetheart.
Consequently the effect upon him was
different from what It would have
been had he been older and not fancy
free. There was romance in there be
ing a girl In the world who was to be
his wife. He wondered what she was
like. He pictured her according 10 his
fancy, a willowy creature with golden
hair and mild blue eyes. She was
amiabie. kind, loving. The likeness he
had drawn In his Imagination was the
last object be saw before going to
sleep at night and the first when he
awoke In the mOrnlng-that iA, when
he was not especially interested In
something tangible.
Edward Travers during his student
days was in no great danger OF break
ing In upon wiiat his father had pre-
arranged for him 30 far as marriage
was concerned. College students are
az a mating age. but they seldom mar
~. In the irst place. they are not al
lowed to marry by the college laws; in
the second, their time is spent with
members Of their W sex. and in the
third few OF them have the means
with which TO support a wife. Be this
az 1t may. Ned Travers went through
the course without forming any espe-
cal attachment with a girl, though he
had hosts Of friends OF his own seq.
Just before graduating he wrote to
Miss Twitchell to ask what was the
next thing on the program that had
been laid out for him. To his surprise
the reply came back. Marriage" why
b should be married before entering
1874 Ae ~ WOtA Nc EDuIu uOI uu-
derstand. And what means would ho
have on which to support a wife?
Surely some income would be provided.
But would II come from the girl he
was to marry or property that he
would inherit?
This matrimonial part Of his career
now began to loom up before him in It's
true Importance. IL had ceaaed IN h
a romance and had become a reality.
He had begun to dread lest he nnd the
girl who was intended for him unat-
tractive. She might be homely; she
might be some old maid whom be Was
70 marry because she had money and
nothing but money 10 recommend her.
Another feature was d~ispleaSinR.
Suppose the girl did not wish to marry
him. Nothing had been said about this,
but be had often thought about II. He
did not see how q girl could be forced
10 marry him Ar aha dia ma wfah a