The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-03-06
Waiting For
a Title
A Girl Takes a Legal
Husband TO SaUe
a Fortune
BY ALAN HINsDALE

make competency, but despite all my
efforts could not get any money
ahead. It was plain to me that could
not make money without money tc
make it with, and bemoaned my in.
ability to save enough to enable me to
| get start
One day an uncle of mine telephoned
! me asking If l would like to make q
thousand dollars very easily. replied
that certainly would like to make a
thousand dollars, even If / had to work
for II, whereupon he told me to come
to his house at once When / reached
1t he said to me:
81 am guardian for young lady
whose fortune is considerable. Hel
mother is ambitious that she should
marry an English nobleman who is
likely to inherit title. His father has
recently died, and his older brother.
who inherits, went to the big war
and after recent action was reported
! among the missing. If he Is dead the
title falls to the man my ward is think.
ing of marrying. If he Is alive the
match viii not take place.
"The girl can't wait to learn II her
sutton Ia really the Earl of Arrasdlling,
because her fortune, which came to heI
through her grandfather. Is secured by
the win to her firstborn son, and, to
make it more probable that she shall
have son, 1t Is stipulated that she
must be married by certain date
that lie, tomorrow noon. But there ia
nothing in the win to compel her to
live with the man she marries. In
this respect the document is lame In
carrying out the testator's intention.
Bertha Tiverton. or, rather, her
mother, being in a quandary about
what to do in the matter, | have sug
gesbed that the daughter comply with
the win technically by marrying some
one who will leave her after the cere
mony and consent to divorce when
required This plan has been agreed
upon, and thousand dollars viii be
paid to such person as will fill this po
sition Of temporary husband"
My uncle ceased to speak at this
point, but there was no more to be
said. / understood him perfectly. II
was to marry girl with fortune II
her sutton was the Earl of What-dy'e
call-him was to resign her in his IA
vor; II not was to resign her In some
one else's favor. But since had never
seen the girl and was not expected to
see her after the wedding she person
ally did not enter into the matter. One
thing | was sure off, would have a.
thousand dollars, and | knew just
where to put that thousand dollars to
start fortune. Tasked my uncle how
long time would have to make al
decision. and he said till o'clock the
same evening and If decided afirma-
lively the wedding would take place
at8
There was but one drawback in the
matter, and that was my becoming a
divorced man. But divorces are not
stigmatized as they used to be, and inl
case should later fan in love the wo
man loved would not be likely to OBJ. |
1ect to me on that ground. / conclud
ed by O'Clock in the evening to sub. |
NIT to the ceremony and so notified
my uncle He instructed me to be at
bis house at a quarter to s and he
would take me to my brides home for
the ceremony.
found my uncle waiting for me, and
he took me In his car to handsome
dwelling, before which we alighted. |
Entering. we were shown into a room |
where an aristocratic looking woman
OF fifty awaited us, and my uncle took |
from bis pocket document, which she |
read carefully Then she handed It to |
me, and glanced over it Since it was
what / had been led to expect sign
ed 1t, and my uncle and the lady. |
Mrs. Tiverton. witnessed my signature |
Then we all went into another room. |
! where we found the bride waiting.
She was a pretty and otherwise at |
tractive looking girl, without the slight |
est appearance of worldliness express
ed In her countenance. made up my
mind that her mother was alone re
sponsible for this marriage of tenn
porary convenience and that the |
daughter Ii left to herself would be
likely to marry for love alone. She
cast a glance at me which denoted an /
interest In the man who was to be /
tied to her temporarily. above what
seemed to be called for Naturally |
cast similar glance at her. noticed |
something between a pleased and re
lieved look In her. and | have no doubt
she saw admiration In me.
So far as the others were concerned.
1t was all mere matter of business.
and was regarded In the same cate
CORY as a legal document We were
instructed to stand side by side, and
the ceremony was performed by civil
officer who was empowered to marry
couples Though a igurehead for a
husband. | resolved to have one taste
Of my wife's pretty lips. and the mo-
ment we were pronounced man and
wife stopped and kissed her
Both my uncle and Mrs. Tiverton
looked daggers at me, but my wife
submitted without protest, slight
tinge of color coming to her face. /
was hurried out Of the room. a check
for $1,000 thrust into my hand. and
was shown to the door, which was
closed behind me with bang by my
beloved mother-in-law.
My first act after my marriage am
going to state without any explana-
ton. For such things there is no ex-
PLANTATION that can be expressed in
words. l went straight to a jewellery
store, bought solitaire diamond ring,
for which paid exactly $1,000, and
sent 1t by express to my wife.
Since the package was addressed to
her there was chance that she would
open it without her mothers knowing
Of its reception. and If she did was
curious to learn whether she would
return it or not. The express agent
gave me receipt signed by my bride,
and after week had elapsed and my
gift had not been returned concluded
that it had been retained without Mrs.
Tiverton's knowledge. l was in hopes
that / would receive a note from the
recipient expressing her thanks, but I
did not.
A year passed before j was informed
that was expected to take certain
steps that 1 had agreed to take which
would enable my wife to secure di-
vorce. At the same time / learned
that proofs that the soldier in Belgium
who would have inherited the earldom
Of Arraskiliing was dead had been Of
fered in England and his younger