The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1915-07-08
His Fiancee
"a
He Had Intended to
Be a Father to
to Her. :
BY ESTHER VANDERVEER

when a mans fancy is liable to great
p changes"
II shall not change in my feelings to-
ward you"
eve shall see. Now, come and kiss
baby; then you must be off,
Hugh Edgerton, twenty years old,
had become enamored Of young wild
ow, Mrs. Clara Pomeroy, two years his
senior, with a child, girl in her third
year. He had been offered a position
in banking house in Hongkong, Chi
ma, and was about to proceed there.
Full Of the hope Of youth, he was in
ing to spend what remained to him of
life with Clara Pomeroy for his wife.
He followed her into an adjoining
room where the child lay asleep in her
crib. Bending down, he kissed her.
Dear little thing!'' he said. when
return will be father to her."
He took the child's hand in his, and
so soft, SO dear was it that he could
hardly bear to release it, but the moth
er admonished him that his time was
limited, and drew him away.
"Goodby," she said; "whatever is in
store for you and me in the FUTURE
And baby"
Eyes, and baby. will say this, you
are a fine fellow and deserving of
good wife,"
1t seemed to Edgerton that the kiss
she gave him lacked the fervor of a
woman deeply in love. But it had
always been so between them. The
widow, though but few years his Sc
nior, had a far wider range Of ex-
perience than he, and a woman of
twenty-five is usually much more ma
ture than man Of twenty. When he
regretted this lack Of fervor she al
ways said to him, 'When ten or TWEEN
ty years have passed it will be I who
will have cause to reproach you for in
difference"
While on his voyage to China Edger-
ton spent the most of his time writ
ing letters to his fancee. If an anal
ysis of his feelings were possible it
might show more distaste for leaving
home and friends for foreign land
than love, but no one has yet been
able to isolate love-as they say of
germs-and, after all, our affections are
largely matter of association. Never
theless Edgerton pinned for his widow
and the time when he would be united
with her, and the dear child he had
seen sleeping SO peaceful and innocent
in her crib was ever present in his
mind.
Edgerton on arriving in Hongkong
was given position of some impor-
lance, for he had had several years.
experience as a subordinate in bust
ness and was advanced rapidly. But
unfortunately when he reached status
in which he might begin to accumulate
the house he was with made some i'm
portant losses and wound up their
business. Edgerton joined forces with
others and formed an independent
house. They made money for a time,
but one Of the partners proved dis
honest, and after getting him out OF it
they had considerable deficiency to
make up.
Meanwhile Edgerton wrote regularly
to his fiancee and received letters
from her. It was due to her encOur-
agement that he was able to stand by
what he had undertaken, for when i'll
luck befell him he was sorely tempted
to give up and go home. He had with
him likeness Of his fancee, and,
though the years were passing and
each year added to her age, he con-
tinued to think Of her as she had ap-
peared when he parted from her. He
always referred to her little girl as
the baby and forgot that while her
mother had passed the climax Of youth
and beauty the daughter was ap-
\ preaching it.
Years passed before Hugh Edgerton
came to status wherein he could close
out his business in China and return
to America with the fortune he had
set out to win. Indeed, it was due to
fortunate rise in an article in which
he had made an investment that at
last enabled him to do so. 1t was a
happy day that he announced to Mrs.
Pomeroy that he was Independent Of
the world and in a few weeks would
return to claim her as his bride.
Sixteen years had passed since Ed
gerton had left his native land. He
had been so engrossed in business that
they did not seem to him more than
: six. Nevertheless he realized that there
must be some change, especially in
"baby." He pictured her as a girl
playing with her doll, but nearing an
age when she would lay it aside. Her
mother doubtless would not have
changed so much. True, she would be
older, but not SO very much older AS
to Edgerton himself he was now thir-
ty-six, an age wherein a man is sup
posed to be in his prime His associ-
atoms with women in China had been
thus far with those who had not yet
passed out Of young ladyhood. Indeed
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