The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-20
My Guardian
BY RUTH GRAHAM


During her last illness she worried
great deal as to what was to becom
Of me after being deprived of her car
II wish you were q few years older,
she said to me one day, II would pic
out husband for you. Then Their
would be no need for me to be anxiou
about your future"
would you expect me to marry
man without love, motherT
II should rely on his good qualitie
/ to win your confidence and respect
which would be better than a romanti
attachment Certainly 1t would b
more enduring"
Mother had often told me that sh
had been engaged before she marrie'
my father, but gave me nothing NOR
than the bare fact. / often wondere,
why she had not married this person
instead Of father l knew that he wa
several years younger than she, ant
since q woman prefers a man olde
than herself fancied that this nigh
be the reason of her breaking her frs
engagement.
When mother died and her will wa.
opened learned that her property had
been left to a certain Horace Ogilvie
In trust for me till ! should reach the
age Of twenty-one, when 1t was to bt
paid to me- My guardian was to have
the legal care of me during my minori
ty, to provide a home for me and d.
rect my education. / remember that
a few days after the opening Of the
will very pleasant looking gentleman
about thirty-f1ve years old came to see
me and announced himself as my
guardian. He told me that he lived
with his mother In another city and
was to go with him and make my home
with them.
He seemed to take such kindly In
terest in me and was so sympathetic
with me In my bereayed condition that
/ felt greatly comforted. l accompa-
MED him to his home, where was re-
ceived by his mother, an old lady who
was as cordial as If were her own.
During this first day / spent with
my guardian l constantly found him
looking at me with very singular ex-
preston. 1t was as though / was con-
nected with something beyond myself.
/ fancied that there was tenderness in
his gaze. Could 1t be that he felt that
he was placed toward me in the posi-
ton Of father? l certainly did not
have for him corresponding feeling.
I thought him a very interesting man.
Why my mother had appointed him
was not informed. Somehow since nei-
Their he nor his mother said anything
about the matter l rather shrank
from asking. Mrs, Ogilvie took entire
charge of me, and l soon came to look
upon her as my second mother. Mr..
legal guardianship treated me with a
certain reserve which / did not relish.
I wished that he would not keep a
barrier constantly between him and
me. At twenty l left school and was
certainly not the half child, half wom-
i
live In my second home.
The difference between a man Of
thirty-eight and a woman of twenty
is not what it is between a man of
thirty-f]ve and a girl Of seventeen.
When l came home from school for
the last time my relations with my
guardian had changed. His treatment
of me was more reserved than ever
had no acquaintapces among young
men near my own age, and this seemed
to trouble him. He hunted up several
youngsters and brought them to the
house for my companionship. They
seemed very boyish to me.
One day one of these youngsters in
vited me to go to play with him that
evening. Mr.. Ogilvie came home to
dinner tired and respondent about |
something that had gone wrong during |
the day. His mother suggested that
he go to some place Of amusement. he
demurred on the ground that 1t would
not benefit him to go alone.
why not take me?" suggested.
II thought that you had an engage
ment" was his reply.
'I'll break it."
He looked at me, surprised. and said
be would not have me do that on any
account.
/ assured him that preferred to 60
With him, but could not make him IN
lerstand that / would choose to spend
In evening In company with an old
elbow like himself to a young man
lear my own age.
Half an hour afterward L received
wo tickets with a note from the donor
'tating that he was unavoidabiy pre-
'ented from escorting me to the thea
er and Loped / would find some one
o take his place I went merrily to
dr. Ogilvie. waving the tickets over
ny head. and asked him to be the !
ubstitute.
That broke the ice between US. Mr..
)gilvie permitted himself to show me
ONE attention. which / received so
ordially that II was rapidly increased.
20 make a long story short, there were
courtship. an engagement and a mar
iage. welded my guardian.
IL was not till i had been married a
ONE time that discovered that mr. (
usband had been engaged TO my 4
,other. He considered me the coun- /
srpart of what she was when he had {
wed her. and from the moment we ;
rst met he renewed that love in me. !.