The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-11

up your IaCncE.
 q said they were from Sledge!' cried Fern. Molly. it was awfully crude of him, but I love him for it-don't you?' "What did father say?" demanded Molly.
 "He is Investigating" Molly marched straight to the tele- phone and called up her father. He | talked to her kindly, wisely and with deliberation, also like a man who had ] given himself plenty of time for | thought. Bert stood at her elbow, lis l tening to one side of the conversat tion 1 and piecing out the other with painful | ly knotted intellect. Molly turned to | him with calm satisfaction. Father says that I am to consider | the cars as gift from him. she pride l fully announced. i Fern executed the full figures of minuet and sang a merry tra-la-la all 1 the way through. Molly helped her sing and dance the last figure.
 sfThree cheers!'' she exulted. "Now we may keep our cars" q never intended to give mine up,' 1 Fern affirmed.
 Bert walked Molly back into her i fathers den.
 "I have nothing to say about what Fern does,' he firmly announced, but I have something to say about your | conduct. You can't shut your eyes to the fact that Sledge has given you this car, and he has no right to do so.'' My father says that I am to con slider the car as a gift from him. re- peated Molly primly, but with a snap in her eyes.
 That is only an evasion,e Bert in
 
 s1edge into the belief that you intend 0 put yourself in the position of re-
 eiving presents from him, and either his thing must be stopped or there will e unpleasantness between you and 1e."
 There is one way we can head that f.. Molly quietly assured him. "We
 Fl break our engagement
 '1mpossibler' immediately declared ert, frightened. ''I didn't mean any
 ling like that, Molly and he attempt l to take her hands and perform a ittlc of the Iovemaking which he had
 ather neglected.
 f'T mean it, though she insisted fraWing her hands away from him Our engagement has only brought trouble to everybody concerned and has subjected me to more than one in L.. If we declare it off both you and fa- ther can go right back to where you were in a business way.''
 fEIt's too late for that he assured her, sitting down to reason it out with her on the commercial plane since she seemed to insist upon it. "tI could never regain the political friendship which is necessary to my style of busi- ness. My commercial career in this city is at an end, and my social stand ing would be also. Knowing this, I have been in correspondence with my people in Baltimore. They have a magnificent business opening there for me, but it takes $1OO,OOO. to obtain con trol of 1t. I laid the matter before your father, and he investigated it. Our conclusion is this-if we can close up our business satisfactorily here and he can sell this place We shall have in the neighborhood of $15O,OOO clear be- tween us. You and are. to marry, go to Maryland with your father, enter into business and take up the sociaA> position to which we are entitled When I take you there as my bride Molly, everybody's going to be very proud of you, and I am quite sure that you will like the social atmosphere there much better than here. I've dwelt on this so often to you that it must seem like an old story, and yeti this is the first time that it has seemed very near to us.''
 Molly felt herself wondering why this glittering promise failed to thrill her as it had used to do.
 H"1'n be the proudest Glider that was ever in the family when can take you home as my wife, he went on. "tIt's all cut and dried, Molly, and we ex- pect to have everything closed up be fore our wedding day if we can hold S1edge off that long,
 And yet you scold me for helping you hold S1edge off when you couldn't do it yourselves" she retorted. ''Why, you actually suggested to me that I should see what could do with him.''
 'sI don't like the way you're going about it. he confessed
 t'You should be proud of me- she re proved him. ''I think that Fern and have done beautiful job of it, and she began laughing. We're going to put on our very best frocks tonight and be credit to you. You're ungratefuI,' and she began to look indignant again
 Lets forget it, offered Bert, laugh ing, and took her in his arms. You're the girl for me, Molly, and there won't be any more envied couple in Maryland than we.'
 He kissed her and held her while he talked to her of the social triumphs which awaited them. the topic which had always pleased her most in their plans for the future After all, they would make a splendidly matched cou- pie. Moreover, she did owe it to her father and Bert to give them another business start.