The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1917-01-11
FORBIDDEN
FRUIT
By WILLARD BRAKEMAN

ny Iafhef DIED when ] was twelve
years Old. leaving me good property
10 the care Of my uncle. John BrOugh.
His name should have begun with a
c. for he was the eruffesg spoken
man ever knew / was sent 70
boarding school til Was seventeen
and then 70 college. Upon graduating
received letter from my guardian
uncle TO come 10 his house
When ! reached 1t. leaving the auto
ia which I arrived with my hand bag
gage. / saw looking 1t me through an
upper window a young girl evidently
about seventeen. the sweetest face
had ever seen. ! was thrilled at the
idea Of being IN house with such a
lovely creature being Of an age 10 be
easily struck by a pretty girl
On entering the house | saw another
face. the antipodes or the first IL was
that Of my uncle His face was
square. bis mouth curved down at the
corners. his eyes set deep ia his head
and orerhnng By beetiing br0ws
How old are your Was his FIRST
remark 20 me
~ win be twenty-five next septem-
ber.r
by the term Of your fathers WI
you are 70 have $4,000 the dag you
are twenty-five years old: 10000 the
day you are twenty-five and the bal
ance when you are thirty. In the mat
Ter ~ marriage. you can't take q wife
o. whom do not approve You may
i've III this house with me as long as
you like. but I have q warning for
YOU ] have a ward who has been left
b my care By her father who was a
bosom friend Or mine. lie left her a
fortune with the provision that she
should not inherit Il II she married
wiAl0ut my consent and her father
charged me 70 bring about. II posi-
lie. marriage with a young man who
Is part owner Ia certain property which
viii fall 70 her. I care nothing about
the wife you select except this girl
~ her case Il Is hands of =
With the last words my uncle looked
n me 50 savageiy that believed n
married bis ward there would be IN.
finite trouble. This gave me deep con-
eern. for It struck me thar the girl
had seen NJ the window was this same
ward. BY whom ! was already stricken.
Ny nncle's bark proved worse than
IFS bite that is. on ell subjects except
my interfering with the plans laid
down FOR his ward. or course the for
,idden fruit Was altogether too tempt
ing for me. aud I soon learned that
she had received a warning similar TO
mine, which had like effect on her
|Ru9 our guardian seemed singuiarly
obfnse 10 the interest with which
and Edith Sterling inspired each 9TH
Ter Al any rate. he made no effort 70
prevent our being much together We
irore. played tennis and rode on horse
sack together without a word Of re
monstrance from him. Edith and
talked over bis action. or rather.
want OF action. and came to the con-
lnsion that since By the terms OF our
inheritances be held the whip hand or
as be did not propose to interfere
with our temporary relations. When
The time for action came we would
Feel his power
When September came and with Il a
legal age Tor me received $4,000 OF
my estate Nothing could have been
more adverse to the plans laid down
FOR me and Edith Sterling. The pos
session OF this money brought with Il
an added temptation. sounded Edith
10 learn II she would give up her for
tune for me and this first payment OF
my patfimony. which. II ] defed my
guardian. was an could hope for.
She was not only willing. but eager
to do So I should not have permitted
this. but was young and deeply In
love. Indeed. / felt guilty in having
suggested such a thing. and found Il
difficult 70 look my uncle Ia the face
This feeling was enhanced from the
fact that bis harshneSs was all on the
surface. and was often used 10 render
more effective certain bursts of humor
Well the Inevitable result OF putting
two youngsters OF opposite sex under
the same roof f0rblddlng them to love
each other. followed. One morning ] /
took Edith cut to ride. and driving to
a town across the border Of the state
We were married. I telegraphed my
uncle Of the fact. and awaited his re
niy. Il was very short. simply. 'shall
expect you FOR dinner" which
MEANS / said to Edith. III you, too.
choose TO give up wealth for love. 1t Is
no concern of his.
We reached my uncle's house half
an hour before dinner. He was net at |
home. but expected soon When be /
arrived he found as Ia the library
waiting for him. He shook hands cor
daily with me and kissed Edith. then
ted the way Into the dining room
The moment We entered Il both /
Edith ana myself were astonlshed. II |
seemed to have been set for wedding
feast. A bottle Of champagne was in
a cooler beside my uncle's chair and
as soon as we were served with food
II was uncorked. aud our glasses being
alled my uncle raised his glass
"To the folly Of youth" he said.
Those who put you two under my
mana cement found one who, under