The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-11-30
Legal
MatrirllOny
Ii Was Found Essential
to d Fortune.
By r. A. mitchell

| 't-,-.-.-.-s~..Ygg1f
Either you shall marry Helen Gray
or | viii leave the property 10 your
| Cousin Edgar Here are two wills
one In your favor. the other In favor Of
Edgar. If within one month you are
not welded 10 Helen, | will destroy the
will leaving all TO you. On your wed
ding day / viii destroy the one leaving
the estate 10 Edgar. making you sole
beneficiary"
Thus spoke Martin Travers TO his
son. Walter The elder Trayers was n
man of strong will. and his son had
| Inherited II from him The fortune
had been accumulated by the father
| and his partner. William Gray, largely
hy Trayers' logged perseverance.
| Gray was "A milder man, and Travers
| In time came to regard him as super
numerary to the business. Travers
] had then forced him out. Gray had
| died In poverty, and Travers' con.
science smote him. lie proposed now
| TO make what restoration he could-in
his own way-by uniting the property
after his death in his son, Walter
Travers. and Gray's daughter and
only child, Helen.
How do you know that the girl VIII
have me-" asked Walter.
II don't bpt | have little doubt the
match can be arranged. She viii not
be likely to throw a half interest in
100000 over her shoulder, especially
since she is obliged to earn her own
living"
VERY well, father. ! will think the
matter over and let you know my de
cision."
Mr.. Travers had another reason for
his action in this matter. He knew
that his son was in a dangerous posi-
ton Walter had fallen under the In
fuence Of a woman ten years older
than himself, his inferior socially. in
tellectually-indeed, in every way. I'm
known to the son. the father had tried
to buy her of. but was not willing to
pay her price, she believing that she
could get the boy and the fortune as
well, for she held him enthralled.
Walter was of that dangerous age
when man is liable to become infat-
uated with any woman, good or bad.
Nevertheless there were In him the
germs of good sense. Instead OF going
to the woman who had fascinated him
to pour their mutual trouble In her ear
and ask her advice, he concluded to
go to Helen Gray, tell her the whole
story and make her proposition he
had in mind.
1t was not very pleasant statement |
to make, but Travers had prepared
himself for it and got on better than |
might have been expected He lin !
gered longer than necessary on the pre-
liminary statement In order to get up |
his courage for the main announce
ment.
Miss Gray listened to him attentive
~ and without any especial expression
OF word or countenance until he told
her of his love for another woman.
Then a look Of disappointment came
over her face.
And now" be said having prepared
the way for his proposition, II sug.
gest that we be legally and only legally
married mean to accede to my
fathers stipulation, BY such mar
rage we will obtain fortune, which
we must forego without it"
There was long silence between
the two, which was at last broken by
Miss Gray.
II honor you, Mr., Travers," she
said, "for your frankness, and you are
acting with common honesty In not
laying plan to obtain fortune I'M
der false pretenses. / will take what
you have said under consideration. l
have the advantage of you In this-I
am fancy free"
In due time Miss Gray wrote Mr..
Travers that she had decided TO ac-
cept his proposition. "A statement OF
my reasons for doing so,' she wrote,
would be very hard to make. Be
sides they have not been called for.
Under the circumstances what you
propose is the only alternative both
for you and for me between a fortune
and poverty
Upon receipt Of this note Walter in
formed his father that he had pro-
posed 10 Miss Gray and had been ac-
cepted. Mr. Travers asked II the mar
rage would be bona fide, and Walter
him that it would be legal,
Trayers after some thought said that
II the parties would agree not TO have
the marriage annulled or get a divorce
within five years he would be salts
fed. Walter assented, stating that II
was not his intention TO get either an
annullment or a divorce at any time.
But he confessed that he reserved the
right TO love any woman other than
his wife. There was a suspicion Of a
smile on his fathers face as he as
scnted To this provision.
Walter Travers and Helen Gray were
married without his saying anything
10 his inamorata about his coming
The wedding took place
privately Of an afternoon, and the
bride and groom went TO live In a
house provided by Mr. Travers, Sr,