Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-07-13

count Of how be had been ruined In
Iis brothers affection by a designing
woman. and ! gave Alice the story.
She seemed much interested, much in
,ensed, against the "horrid thing who
lad so foully misrepresented her sex.
Meanwhile | had given my enchan-
-ress to understand that ! was to in
1erit my uncle's estate in trust for the
lext man to inherit 1t after me, and
hat could only do so by giving a
pledge that would never marry
Alice could not very well object to
this till after had come so far under
her influence. or the devil within her,
As to resign a fortune for her. She
was willing TO take me with the for
tune and. being still quite young, de-
clared that she would take me with
put II. But she admitted that it would
be q great del nicer II we could IN
nerit my uncle's wealth. The mink
had conceived q scheme for getting
hat fortune. but she said nothing about
1t to me.
Ny affair drifted on till was Of a
proper age to be married and Alice
was a grown woman. Since had de-
termined to put my head In the lion
ess' jaw was in a desperate hurry
10 do so. But Alice was In no hurry
At all She kept putting me of till at
last told her that believed she was
tooling me and would not marry me
At all. gave as a reason that she
wanted my uncle's fortune as well as
myself and she would not take me
without It.
can never forget that beautiful, re-
proachful look she gave me. 1t seemed
that had touched a sensitive plant
and had blighted II. | 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 q change In my uncle. His
Trades against women were less fire.
quent He surprised me one day by
saying that II a man could capture one
Of these creatures young and train her
In a man she might be changed. as q
Wild cub is changed, to domestic uses.
How young, Uncle Ted" asked,
do you think 1t necessary TO begin
with a girll"
That l don't know. Perhaps eight
cen would not be too late" was his re-
ply.
1t seemed to me as II my uncle had
been tanned at the age OF forty-six, for
every day l noted some new evidence
that he was becoming a domesicated
animal Then there came a period
when he seemed very I'll at ease with
me. Up TO this time be had been very
chummy with me. Now he would sit
at table reading his newspaper, and In
the evening when we had smoked at
home or gone out to play together he
would either 80 to his room to read or
would go out alone. One morning I
saw him going into a flower shop.
What business he had there did not
know. and ! 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 l was not aware that
any OF my uncle's relatives or friends
had died
One morning after breakfast my un-
Gle took me into his study and said
that he had veW important commu-
nication to make. After great hem
ming and having and getting very 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 VIII remember that ! have said
to you that II a woman could be caught
young she might be tanned and turned
from a 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 will
not disappoint you. | will on the day
or my wedding settle on you q third
Of my estate without conditions. II
have no children you will eventually
get the whole"
was relieved and delighted. A
third OF an estate was far better than
none. and II my uncle had adhered to
bis original intention / would get moth
Ing unless | resigned Alice con-
graduated my uncle, and from that
moment we were again In perfect rap
port. | asked him when I should be
introduced to his hancee, and he told
me that she would dine with us the
next evening.
At Q 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 lady stood before us.
She was Allcel
While my uncle and were much en-.
barrassed. especially so. she was as
cool as II 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. brt when she got
through with him She had gained his
consent for a marriage with me. and
without conditions. He 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. ! pSa. Ass Il. tbd she
anenda tina incomA