The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1915-12-22
TOO GOOD
TO KEEP.
A Story of Intentions
Turned Awry. !
By EUNICE BLAKE


Edgar Beverly, from the time he
was born, was all boy. There was alb
solutely nothing feminine about him.
When he was three years old doting
aunt presented him with a doll. His
father was not in sympathy with this
gift, averring that dolls were exclu-
sively for girls. But the aunt insisted
that boys, as well as girls, in their in
fancy played with dolls. So a doll
| was provided, with china head, flax
en- locks and pair of beautiful blue
eyes. Edgar accepted it, but showed
| a lack Of intelligence as to what it was
for. Ten minutes after it had been
given him he took it by the ankles
and brought the head down on q stone
step, scattering fragments Of the china
head over the garden walk. p
When Edgar was ten years old he
lost his mother and was turned oversto
q bachelor uncle of thirty. Robert
Coolidge, the uncle, had been a wild
fellow and was just beginning to re-
alize the chances he had taken and the
time he had wasted in sowing his wild
oats. He had barely escaped losing at
the gaming table fortune he had in
herited and had just in time put a
check on himself in too close associa-
ton with the bottle. He had madly
loved three different women, any one
Of whom. If he had married her, would
have wrecked his life.
When Robert Coolidge assumed the
care of his little nephew he had be-
come fully aware of his own imperfec-
lions and realized by what narrow
margin on many occasions he had es-
capped calamity. His experiences with
the women he had loved, or thought
he loved, had caused him to believe
that he was very poor judge between
good and bad women. Nevertheless he
considered matrimony, the wife being
good woman, as sheet anchor for
men. Having convinced himself of his
own inability to discover the good or
the bad in woman, and being horri-
fed at the mistakes he had made, he
eschewed matrimony for himself, while
he advocated it for others.
For these reasons he determined that
Edgar Beverly should be brought up
very carefully, that some woman, who
knew her own sex perfectly, should Sc
lect a wife for the boy and that he
should marry the girl selected, whether
he loved her or not, when he came to
manhood. He would bring the boy up
to consider him more as a companion
than an uncle, and in this way would
be the better able to shield him from
the dangers through which he himself
had passed.
When Edgar came to be eightee4
clivities his uncle had displayed in hiy
youth. He was not bad, but reckless
He was very generous, and when hib
own interests came in collision with
those of any one weaker than himself
he would invariably give way. al
did not conceal what he was dQin,
from his uncle, and Coolidge had every
advantage in guiding him, having from
the first invited his confidence.
But it is one thing to have an ad-
vantage and another to attain success.
Edgar benefited by the advice of his
uncle SO far as to escape certain pit
falls, but the trend of his disposition
could not be turned. He had inherit
ed the same wild oats fever as his uncle
and it must run it's course.
For several years the uncle was in a
constant state of anxiety with regard
to his nephew, for such was the rela-
tionship between them that Coolidge
knew exactly what Beverly was doing
Finally he determined to make an ef-
fort to put in practice the expedient
he had intended from the time when
Edgar had come to him as little boy
He would try to marry him to some
good girl.
But, since he had failed to manage
his own affairs in this respect, he did
not see how he would have better sue
cess in managing those Of his nephew.
He determined to consult the wife Of
a friend of his, a Mrs. Jernegan. The
lady heard his story and promised to
think the matter over. Matchmaking,
she said, was risky and thankless
task. In the case Of young man in
clined to be wild it was very difficult.
However. she would try to think Of
some young woman Of good sense,
good character and amiable DISPOSE
ton for the purpose.
Mrs. Jernegan was herself a woman
possessing what is commonly called
horse sense. She did not especially
relish advising any girl to marry a man
for the purpose of reforming him. He
might make an excellent husband after
being reformed, but suppose the ref
ormation never took place? Mr. Cool
edge had passed safely through the
danger period of a mans life and had
arrived at an age wherein he saw those
dangers in their true light. The fas-
cination Of danger inherent in manly
man had passed and left him a splen-
did fellow. But that was no reason
why his nephew could run the same
course and escape ruin. @a
These were some Of the thoughts
that passed through Mrs. Jernegan's
mind before she acted upon Mr. Cool
edges request Then when she had
the matter all thought out she sent for
a young lady friend of hers, Miss Lau-
"a Dudley, and the two had long con-
versation on the subject of snatching
young Edgar Beverly as a brand from
the burning.
The next day Mr.. Coolidge received
an invitation to call on Mrs. Jernegan
and upon doing SO was informed that
she had fixed upon young lady who
would be fit person to reform his
nephew. The only question was, Would
she consent to make the effort? She
was three or four years older than Ed
gar, but Mrs. Jernegan recognized the
fact that very young men are more
easily won by women older than them
selves than by immature girls She
proposed that the young woman upon
whom she had decided meet the uncle
and the nephew, and after the meeting,
if she consented to mako tho dosirod