The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1917-07-12

foot all the axioms that my uncle had
instilled into me. She might be dew
! Il, but to me the fact that this devil
was incased in very attractive body
| made it all the more acceptable to me.
| Now, this girl was really a devil.
and I am going to tell you how she
proved herself one.
When we came to that period in a
courtship where couple can sit side
by side from Z o'clock in the evening
till 8 in the morning 1 told Alice all
about my woman hating uncle. By
| this time he had given me a full &C.
count of how he had been ruined in
his brothers affection by a designing
woman, and I gave Alice the story.
She seemed much interested, much in
censed, against the ''horrid thing who
had so foully misrepresented her sex.
Meanwhile I had given my enchan-
| tress to understand that I was to in
herit my uncle's estate in trust for the
next man to inherit it after me, and
| that ! could only do so by giving a
pledge that I would never marry.
Alice could not very well object to
| this till after had come so far under
her influence, or the devil within her,
| as to resign a fortune for her. She
was willing to take me with the for
tune and, being still quite young, de-
clared that she would take me with
| out it. But she admitted that it would
be a great deal nicer if we could in
herit my uncle's wealth. The mink
| had conceived a scheme for getting
that fortune, but she said nothing about
it to me.
My affair drifted on till l was of
! proper age to be married and Alice
was a grown woman. Since I had de-
| termined to put my head in the lion
| ess' jaw I was in desperate hurry
to do so. But Alice was in no hurry
at all. She kept putting me off till at
| last told her that believed she was
| fooling me and would not marry me
| at all. gave as a reason that she
] wanted my uncle's fortune as we'll as
! myself and she would not take me
| without it.
can never forget that beautiful, re-
proachful look she gave me- It seemed
| that I had touched a sensitive plant
| and had blighted it. I caught her in
| my arms and implored her forgiveness.
She fotgave me.
But our wedding was not whit
| nearer than before.
It was about this time that l began
to notice a change in my uncle His
| TRADES against women were less fire.
| quent. He surprised me one day by
saying that if man could capture one
! OF these creatures young and train her
to sense of honor such as is inherent
| in man she might be changed, as a
! wild cub is changed, to domestic uses.
GLOW young, Uncle Ted" 1 asked,
do you think it necessary to begin
| with girl?"
THAT don't know. Perhaps eight
| cen would not be too late,'' was his re-
| ply.
It seemed to me as if my uncle had
been tanned at the age of forty-six, for
every day I noted some new evidence
that he was becoming a domesticated
animal Then there came a period
when he seemed very i'll at ease with
me. up to this time he had been very
chummy with me. Now he would sit
at table reading his newspaper, and in
the evening when we had smoked at
home or gone out to a play together he
would either go to his room to read or
would go out alone. One morning 1
;,,ko
What business he had there I did not
know, and I was not of sufficiently
small caliber to try to find out. No
flowers came to the house. No woman
natter could be sending them except to
a funeral, and I was not aware that
any of my uncle's relatives or friends
had died.
One morning after breakfast my un-
Gle took me into his study and said
that he had very important commu-
n1cation to make. After great hem
ming and having and getting very red
in the face he began:
Il have adopted you and led you TO
expect that on certain conditions YOU
will inherit my fortune. Circumstances
have somewhat changed this intention.
You will remember that I have said
to you that if a woman could be caught
young she might be tanned and turned
from a devil to something that could
be lived with. have decided to try
this plan. I am about to marry a
young woman, a woman twenty-five
years younger than myself But will
not disappoint you. I will on the day
OF my wedding settle on you a third
Of my estate without conditions. fl
have no children you will eventually
get the WHOLE
I was relieved and delighted. A
third of an estate was far better than
none, and if my uncle had adhered to
bis original intention would GET moth
ing unless I resigned Alice. I con-
graduated my uncle, and from that
moment we were again in perfect rap
port. I asked him when I should be
introduced to his fancee, and he told
me that she would dino with TIC thu