The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-03-26
Waiting For
a Title
A Girl Takes a Legal
Husband to Soue
a Fortune
By ALAN HINSDALE

l was young man struggling to
make a competency, but despite all my
efforts | could not get any money
aheaG 1t was plain to me that / could
not ae money without money to
make 1t 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 | would like to make a
thousand dollars very easily. | replied
that | certainly would like to make a
thousand dollars. even If | had to work
for it, whereupOn he told me to come
to his house at once. When | reached
1t he said TO me:
Il am guardian for young lady
whose fortune is considerable. Her
mother is ambitious that she should
marry an English nobleman who is
likely to inherit a title. Ills father has
recently died. and his older brother.
who inherits, went to the big war
and after "A recent action was reported
among the missing. If he is dead the
title falls to the man my ward is think
ing of marrying. III he is alive the
match will not take place
THE girl can't wait to learn If her
suitor is really the Earl of Arraskilling
because her fortune. which came to her
through her grandfather, is secured by
the will to her firstborn son, and, to
make it more probable that she shall
have son, it is stipulated that she
must be married by a certain date
that is, tomorrow noon. But there Is
nothing in the will 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 quandary about
what to do In the matter. have sug-
gested that the daughter comply with
the will technically by marrying some
one who will leave her after the cere-
required. This plan has been agreed
upon, and a thousand dollars will 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 l understood him perfectly |
was to marry girl with fortune. If
her suitor was the Earl of What-dy'e-
call-him was to resign her In his ia
yor; IL 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 of-I would have a
thousand dollars, and | knew just
where to put that thousand dollars to
start n fortune. ] asked my uncle how
long q time | would have to make a
decision, and he said till g o'clock the
same evening and If | decided affirma-
lively the wedding would take place
at g.
There was but one drawback in the
matter, and that was my becoming a
I divorced man. But divorces are not
stigmatized as they used to be. and In
case | should later fall in love the wo-
man | loved would not be likely to oh
| ject to me on that ground. l 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
ht. M n N
| would take me TO my brides home for
/ the ceremony
found my uncle waiting for me. and
| he took me In his car to a handsome
I dwelling, before which we alighted.
| Entering, we were shown into u room
| where an aristocratic looking woman
| of fifty awaited us. and my uncle took
from his pocket document. which she
read carefully. Then she handed IL to
me. aud glanced over it, Since il was
what | had been led To expect | sign
| ed il, 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 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 if left to herself would be
likely to marry for love alone. She
cast a glance at me which denoted al
interest In the man who was to be
tied TO her temporarily. above what
seemed TO be called for Naturally
cast a similar glance at he-. noticed
something between a pleased and re
lieved look in her. and have no doub
she saw admiration in me.
So far as the others were concerned
it was all mere matter of business
and | was regarded in the same cate
CORY as a legal document We wer'
instructed TO stand side by side, ant