The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-03-13


at all She kept putting me of till at
last 1 told her that believed she was
fooling me and would not marry me
at all. / gave as reason t'sai she
wanted my uncle's fortune ~ Well as
myself and she would not take me
without 1t.
can never forget that beautiful, re-
proachful look she gave me. 1t seemed
that had touched a sensitive plant
and had bhghted it. l caught her in
my arms and implored her forgiveness.
She forgave me.
But our wedding was not a whit
nearer than before.
1t was about this time that began
to notice change In my uncle His
TRADES against women were less fire.
quent. He surprised me one day by
saying that IL a 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.
How young, Uncle Ted" / asked.
do you think it necessary to begin
with girl?"
THAT / don't know. Perhaps eight
cen would not be too late" was bis re-
ply.
1t seemed to me as II my uncle had
been tanned at the age Of forty-six, for
every day noted some new evidence
that he was becoming domesticated
animal Then there came a period
when he seemed very Ill at ease with
me. Up to this time he had been very
chummy with me. Now be 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 l
saw him going into a flower shop.
What business he had there / did not
know, and I was not of sufficiently
small caliber to try to find out. No
flowers came to the house. No woman
hater could be sending them except to
funeral and / was not aware that
any Of my uncle's relatives or friends
had died.
One morning after breakfast my I'M
Gle took me into his study and said
that he had a very important commu-
nication to make. After great hem
ming and having and getting 4 ~ 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 win remember that | have said
to you that If woman could be caught
young she might be tanned and turned
from devil to something that could
be lived with. have decided to try
this plan. ] am about to marry a
young woman, a woman twenty-five
years younger than myself But l will
not disappoint you. I win ON the day
Of my wedding settle on you third
Of my estate without conditions. II I
have no children you win eventually
get the whole"
/ was relieved and delighted. A
third of an estate was far better than
none, and If my uncle had adhered to
his original intention l would get moth
ing unless / resigned Alice. l CON
graduated my uncle, and from that
moment we were again In perfect rap
port. asked him when / should be
introduced to his fancee, and he told
me that she would dine with us the
next evening.
At 6 O'clock on the appointed even
ing my uncle and / were in the draw
ing room waiting, A carriage stopped
at the door, the maid answered the
summons and a lady stood before us.
She was Alicel
While my uncle and were much en-
barrassed, especially So she was as
cool as If she had not been confronted
by two men to both Of whom she was
betrothed Ignoring me, she took her
older lover by the hand. led him to a
sofa and between layers Of soft candor
convinced him that he had been max.
ing guy Of himself. She was long
while at the job. but when she got
through with him she had gained his
consent for marriage with me. and
without conditions. BE was to live
with us as our mutual papa so long as
he wished or did not marry.
He never made a second attempt at
matrimony. Alice now possesses his
fortune that is, possess 1t, and she
spends the income.