Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-05-05
A Well Constructed
Plan
Conceived Ia Life and Car.
ried Out After Death
By r. A. mitchell

s><>><<>>>>>>>><>>>><>><<>
Edward Travers was left I'm orphan
when he was unable to take any care
Of himself whatever. but he was we'll
| taken care Of He lived with the
family Of a clergyman who took esI'e-
cial pains to bring him up properly.
and, as for education. most Of the time
be taught the boy himself. When Ned
passed to an age where II might he
expected he would be curious us to his
antecedents he asked the clergyman
about them. The only reply he re-
ceived was that his father bud left
detailed instructions with regard to
the course to be pursued with his son.
but they were to be communicated to
him only as each link In the chain OF
the plan came up.
One day the man who had thus fur
had the cure Of the boy said to him:
lyon ore now prepared for college and
my work In your education Is ended.
It was arranged OIL your coming to
us that when your college preparation
should be completed was to notify u
certain person to that effect who
would provide the means to give you
university education"
Must 10 to collegeY'
"You must follow the course laid out
for you or provide for yourself. II
you refuse to do the former you will
make q sacrifice. have written the
person 1t is my duty to notify that you
will enter college In June next. You
will hear from her within few days
Her? Who IL she?"
II have only her name. Miss Arabella
Twitchell. Your father. have been
told, was very nethodical 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. He did not like being
ground out through mill like pound
Of coffee. He waited impatiently for
communication from Miss Twitch.
oil. When 1t came 1t brought no
more information than was absolutely
essential. 1t 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 q general though not
q classical education.
One thing Miss TwitchelI 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 q
wife. But this Gun only be In case
the young lady It has been arranged
you shall marry IL living when you
have reached the age Of twenty-one
II she Is dead. you will be Mt liberty to
marry whom You please.
Young Travers was not more affected
by this lart Of what had been provided
for him than any other. At the time
he was Informed VI 1t he was seven
teen years old and had no sweetheart
Consequently the effect upon him was
di!Y, rent from what It would have
been had he been older and not fancy
free. There wus romance In there be-
ing II girl In the world who was to be
his wife. He wondered what she was
Ike. He pictured her according to bis
fancy. n willowy creature with golden
hair and mild blue eyes. She was
amiable. kind, loving. The likeness he
hud drawn In his imagination was the
last object he saw before going to
sleep ut night and the frst when he
awoke in the morning-that is. 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 what his father bad pre-
arranged for him SO far as marriage
was concerned College students are
at a mating age. but they seldom mar
~. In the first place. they are not al
lowed to marry by the college laws; In
the second. their time Is spent with
members Of their own sex. and In the
third few Of them have the means
with which to support wife. Be this
us It may. Ned Travers went through
the course without forming any espe-
1 II. N oil ri no
had hosts Of friends Of his own sex.
Just before graduating he wrote to
Miss Twitcheil to ask what was the
next thing ON the program that had
been laid out for him. To his surprise
the reply came buck. Marriage" Why
be should be married before entering
upon blk life's work he could not IN
derstand. And what means wOuld he
have on which to support wife?
Surely some income would be provided.
But would 1t come from the girl he
was to marry Or property that he
would inherit7
This matrimonial part Of bis career
now began to loom up before him in its
true Importance. It had ceased to be
romance and had become reality.
He had begun to dread lest he find the
girI who was intended for him unat-
tractive. She might be hOmely: she
might be some old maid whom he was
D. marry because she had money and
nothing but money to recommend her.
Another feature was displeasing.
Suppose the girl did not wish to marry
him. Nothing had been said about this.
but be had often thought about 1t. He
did not see how girl could be forced
to marry him II she did not wish It.
Miss Twitchell In her letter Informed
4 him that on taking his degree he was
TO como to her for further instructions
He wrote her to ask what would hap
pen II the girl lie was to marry would
not have him. Her reply was that pro
vision had been made for such con
dngency. but since 1t did not concern
him she had no Information to Impair
on the subject.
Travers wondered more than ever
This was going through life In
groove. He might as we'll have beer
car travelling on steel rails. Truly
that father Of his must have been 9
a