The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-09-21
WHAT CAME
OF A LARK
BY OSCAR cox

by, at the Athenaeum club, do you
know what I'd dor
"What?"
ira hire out for a coachman."
| You'd have to make 1t chauffeur.
There are no coachmen any more"
There are few. have no fancy
for machine, but love horse
"If there were any young women In
the family there'd be one of these Sc
cret marriages that we see so often
mentioned In the newspapers, follow
ed by the customary annulment or d.
vorce."
"Oh, no, there wouldn'tF'
'I'll bet you there would
How could we settle such betT
"By putting the matter TO practice.
Advertise for a position and when you
find one with a pretty girl In the fam
lily take 1t. I'll bet you hundred that
within three months you marry the
girl"
THAT would be interesting. wouldn't
itY said Atwood thoughtfully.
The upshot OF this bit OF dialogue
was that Atwood advertised as sug-
gested and, after answering several In
vitations to call and present creden-
tials, at last found place where there
was the required pretty girl His Gre
dentials were wanting, but fortunately
he was able to initiate the Irish brogue
and claimed to have just come over
from the green ISLE where he had been
chief hostler for Sir Charles O'Malley.
Since his employer was not versed in
literature he did not appreciate the alb
surdity.
The bet stood $500 even that within
three months Atwood would be at
least engaged to Miss Bertha Fosdick.
daughter of bis employer; $500 more
that he would marry her, and $500
more that he would run away with
her.
1t would seem that Colby should have
received odds on such wager, and II
he had been a real coachman twenty
to one would not have been enough.
But Frank Atwood was very at
tractive young fellow and had smile
that no girl could resist Miss Eos
dick was but seventeen, and it was
predicted that when the next year her
introduction TO society should take
place she would prove heart smasher.
why parents will allow their daugh-
tiers 10 pass under the influence of their
drivers is a mystery. From fifteen TO
twenty is an irresponsible age Tor
girl, and in nine cases out of ten where
the sexes are thrown together without
restraint. especially where they are
young, match will be the result At
any rate. Miss Fosdick, being permit.
ted TO 20 out alone driven by the hand
some coachman, at once fell under her
influence. Atwood. being full of the
Old Nick, told her that he was young
err son of an Irish baronet; that the
family had been impoverished by the
loss OF suit In court and he had been
obliged to shift for himself. He had
come to America, got stranded and,
having always been used to horses, had
taken up their handling as vocation
Quite likely some of the low born
drivers who steal the daughters or
their employers tell some such yarn as
this. Atwood's conscience did not trou-
BILE him because he was an American
gentleman with future, and in his
own propria persona an excellent match
for the young Idy. But it served to
enlist her sympathies for him. and
sympathy is akin to love. She wish
ed to inform her father of what the
cabman had told her. but Colby, know
ing that such a story going to his
employer would result In his being i'm
medIately fired. refused permission.
And so the game went on, the hand
some coachman driving the pretty Miss
Fosdick every pleasant afternoon, and
since II was not as pleasant for her TO
have him perched on the box so far
above her she soon came TO select a
cart TO ride in. so that be might sit
beside her. Occasionally they would |
meet some of Atwood's friends. who |
would stare at him, wondering how |
any two men could so closely resemble |
each other as the handsome clubman
and this nveried coachman. But Frank |
would keep his eyes on his horses and
brazen 1t out. On one occasion they |
met Colby driving with party OF
friends, and although Ned, according
TO agreement. did not give the coach
man away, the ordeal was trying.
The outcome of the wager was
compromise. One day Frank Atwood |
appeared at the club mot in livery |
and sat down to lunch with his friend
Colby.
Ned" he said, what was intended
for a lark has turned out seriously. !
am going to propose for the hand OF
Miss Bertha Fosdick and don't wish
the girl l love TO be the subject OF a
bet. propose that We call the wager
or"
Atwood never went back to the Eos l
dicks in livery. He wrote a long let /
ter TO Mr.. Fosdick in which he told |
az much of the truth as 1t would do |
10 tell. gave him references and asked /
permission 10 apply TO bis daughter
for her hand.
II required some time for Mr.. Eos /
dick 10 be convinced that there was
not something wrong about the appli- /