Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-03-30
A Fortune Lost
By EDWARD T. STEWART

'I0m,' said my uncle, I'm going to
leave you all my property. l shall not
live a year, that | know, and I wish to
have an understanding with you before
I go. We hear a great deal about the
advantage of a young man sowing his
wild oats before marriage. There's no
art In sowing wild oats at all, and [
wish you to marry young. So impor-
tant do | consider this that l have put
a proyiso In my will that, in order to in
herit, you must be married before you
are twenty-five years old. On that day
If you are married my estate will be
turned over to you"
Eyes, UNCLE" was all | said, but 1t
was not all l felt. l was then twenty
two, which was old enough to under
stand the peculiar position l might be
placed in by my uncle's will. How
ever, there was still at least three
years In which to find a partner, so l
did not worry.
My uncle lived two years after what
he had said to me. 1t was not known
that | was to be his heir, l alone pos
sessing the secret of the condition.
Naturally If | married | desired that
my bride should take me for myself
alone. This may have been a romantic
view to take of the matter, but in those
days | was given to romance. Since
her l have taken on more practical
views of marriage. Indeed, the day I
was welded l learned this lesson.
l was within six months of twenty
five when I met Jennie Tisdale. She
was very feminine, very pretty, and l
said to myself l had found the girl
with whom l may enjoy my uncle's
fortune. A number of young men were
ready to marry her; but, so far as 1
knew, she had not yet settled on any of
them. | began to show her marked at
t%ention, and she appeared pleased with
It. She didn't cast off others who were
attentive to her, but gave me the pref
erence In the matter of making en-
gagements.
l had been brought up with my
cousin, Kate Chambless, and relied
much upon her judgment. I told her
that / was considering a proposal and
arranged a meeting between the two
girls with a view to getting Hates
opinion of Jennie. But Kate wouldn't
give it. She said hat in such matters
1t vas not wise to interfere. l had
doubtless made up my mind to marry
Jennie If she would have me, and If
b endeavored to persuade me not to
do sc she would surely fail.
This was not encouraging, but true.
AT any rate, despite Hates want of
approval, | proposed to Jennie. She
was some time making up her mind to
accept me, but finally yielded. When
she did so there were four months left
before my t~wenty-ifth birthday. |
was somewhat anxious on account of
this limit of time, for my fiancee seem
ed to find it hard to give up the at
tentions of her other admirers. If she
should fail me l might lose my for
tune.
This state of anxiety lasted up to
within a few weeks of our wedding
day, appointed for a week before l
would receive my fortune. One day,
when I dropped In to see my ~iancee,
I found a note from her stating that
one of her bosom friends had been
suddenly taken i'll and was lying at
the point of death. Jennie had gone
to her, but would return at the earliest
possible moment.
This was within ten days of our
wedding day, and I was worried.
Jennie, not knowing how important
was our marriage within a given time,
might remain with her sick friend. If
-. II .u1,Il - L. L. cl- l.f4 -
address for me or / would have writ
ten urging her on no account to remain
away
One can imagine my feelings at TX
~periencing such an uncertainty. l went
to Jennie's home and asked her moth
er for her address, or that she would
write her; that | insisted on her re-
turn at once for our wedding. Mrs.
Tisdale seemed to be ~concealing some
thing from me, but promised to write
her daughter. No further word came
from Jennie. and the day before my
t~wenty-fifth birthday l was without a
bride.
In a fit of desperation | went to my
cousin Kate and told her of the straits
l was in. confessing that if | were not
married before noon the next day l
would lose my inheritance.
81 would advise you" she said, mot
to rely IN your fiancee. For my part, l
question If she has not gone off with
Seoville."
"Scoviller'
yes. His attentions to her since you
have been engaged to her have been
very noticeable"
"Heavensl What shall I do?"
Select some good, steady girl of your
acquaintance, tell her of your inner
itance and the condition attached to it
and ask her to marry you at once"
l stood thinking for a few minutes,
then, turning to my adviser, said:
"Kate. will you marry me?'