HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1896-02-28, Page 21 11
y4 x .e ^ •r
a �r,,•
• :• i`:'','l:d
•
ry ObQTI eF
..i •..,y.f v ,),
, away, tor'llis eyes pact suc.(lenly grown
I full of grateful tears.
- I CONCLUSION.
My tale is told. The adventnre of the
Caravan has ended. Little more re-
! mains to be said.
Monk, of Monkhurst, was not brought
' to trial for his iniquities, but he wee
sorely enough punished 14 the loss of
' his ill-gotten estates. Before the elaim
nen. of the foundliug was fully proved he
eeene
• )4, 41, "a,- • loft England never to return. Whether
is alive or dead I cannot tell.
William Jones, too, escaped legal
Yee, it was the artist himself, looking
a little paie and carrying one arm in a
sling, but otherwise, to all appearance._
in good health.
Mole.: had strong nerves, but he could
not prevent himself from uttering a
wild cry of horror and wonder, At the
same moment Matt went to the young
man's Fide, and with an air of indescrib-
able trust and sweetness, took his hand
-the hand which was free -and put it
to her Iips.
"The proof is here," he said calmly;
"here upon my person. I ams not quite
dead, you see, lair. Monk of Monks-
hurst,'tmd I thought I should like to
bring it to you myself. In consists, as
you are aware, of Col. Monk's dying
message, written on the fly -leaf of his
prayer book, and of the marriage certi-
ficate of his wife, both these having
been placed upon his child's person, con-
cealed by the unsuspecting and Miter -
ate Jones, and found by me after a lapse
of many years."
Monk did not speak; his tongue was
frozen. He stood aghast, opening and
shutting his clinched bands spasunodi-
eally and shaking like a leaf. Reassured
to so extent by the sound of his voice,
unmistakably appertaining to a person
of flesh and blood, William Jones grad-
ually uplifted his face ac(, and looked in
ghastly wonder at the speaker.
"Yon will be anxious to ascertain,"
proceeded Brinkley, with his olcl air of
lightness, "by what accident, or special
Providence. I arose from the grave in
which you politely entombed. me? The
explanation is very simple. My young
friend here, Matt, the foundling, or, as
'should rather call her, Miss Monk, of
Moukhtlrst, calnie to my assistance, at-
tended to my injuries, which were not
so salmis as you imagined, and enabled
me, before daybreak, to gain the kindly
shelter of my Caravan. Tim and a cer-
tain rural doctor did the rest. I am
sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Monk, bat
I felt bound to keep my promise -to
• interfere eeriously with your little ar-
rangement:.; if you persistently refused
to do justice to this young lady."
As he sluake, Monk uttered a savage
oath and rushed toward the road ; but
Marshall was after him in a moment,
and sprang upon him, There was a
quick struggle. Suddenly Monk drew a
knife, opened it, and brandished it into
the air ; t'o that it would have gone ill
with his a::atilant if the herculean Tian,
coming to the rescue, had not pinioned
bim Lone l)ellit.:(1. 1a another moment
the knife wee; lying on the grass, and
Monk was neatly handcuffed by the de-
tective.
'`Now, cover:tor, you`cl better take it
quietly!! ci id Marshall, while Monk
i
strug,k'and gnashed his teeth in im-
potent raga. "You're a smart one, you
are, but the g meta up at last."
Moak recovered himself and laughed
fiercely.
"Lel ate go! Of what do you accuse
me? It was murder just now, but since
the niarden.'ti /;anon is alive (d -ii him!)
I shoeld Aire to know on what charge
you arre••i .nae."
"Oh, there's no difficulty about that!"
said Brinkley, looking at lulu supercili-
ously. "lit tan that place you have by
fraud mad rte :dere- lutssessed yourself of
what nrs'r legally belonged to you. In
the secalacl phioe, you attempted murder.
at any rate. But upon my life, : don't
think you a:'e worth prosecuting. I
think, Mr. 2,farehall, you might let him
go."
"It's letting a lnacl dog loose. 'ir," re.
plied Marshall. "Hell hurt rolnebody."
"'What deo you. say, Miss Monk?" said
Brinkley. "'i'his amiable -looking per -
eon is your father's cousin. Shall I re-
lease ytaur leicl(;groom in. order that you
may go with him to the altar of Hymen
And coioi,ita• the ceremony?"
"I hely Mian!" 5x111 Matt; "I should
like to td' wen hint in the sett."
Winkles- lrughod.
"yam seet?tne'llts are natural, but tall•
ehristien. 1(11dl the gentle! Jone)e, in,w,
who is 1,.',1 -1,q.; -a t you ser affectionately,
what wanal 1 y eat do with hint? Droeti
hint in t l: e :1 too'!"
"No, 11:a, Matt," interposed Wilki.bltt
Janes, a!eeec.ly; "speak u,) fu: tele, .,i ; a.
Ilea' beren t e'.:)er to y(1t all t!lese ware."
Matt i- "t'Ined perplexed what to sap.
l o Briny again took up the conversa•
tion.
"On ref!' tion we will refer ilriliiatll
,'ones to Ilie friends, the 'coast-gtinard
chaps.' C think he will be punished
enough by the distribution of his little
property -in the cave. Eh, Mr, Jones?"
alio"' t, ` - r"r3(1tt Ws hands and.
Nese: t „, „eel, his precious treasure.
"And so, Matt,"continued Brinkley,
"006,11111 be no wedding after all.
not ere: yoat". moray disappointed?"
Abet ' .:,•• t t • taking his hand again,
fsa ; " r' lips, and kissing it fond
men , tttrlyttl Iris head
puuislimeut, .A. severer retribution
emelt upon him in the seizure and dis-
persal of the hoards in the great cave.
So sorely did he take his loss to heart
that he crept to his bed and had an at-
tack of brain fever. When he reap-
peared on the scene of his old plunder -
nags his intellect was weakened, and
he showed curious evidences of imbecil-
ity. But the ruling passion remained
strong within him. I saw him only last
summer, rambling on the seashore, talk-
ing incoherently to himself and watch -
inn the sea in search of wreckage as of
• old.
i And Matt?
Well, her title to Monieshurst and .the
property was fully proved. For a long
time she did not realize her good for-
tune, but gradually the pleasant truth
dawned upon her in a sunrise of Mee
dresses, jewelery and plenty of money.
Chancery stepped in like a severe footer-
( parent and sent her to school. There
she remained for several years; but
• Charles Brinkley, who had first taken
131 hand the vindication of her claims,
and who never ceased to be interested
in her, saw her from time to time and
took particular note of her improve-
ment in her grammar and in the gentle
art of speech.
ia "Matt,"ho said, when they
met last
Christms
in London, and when he saw
'before him, instead of a towsy girl, as
bright and buxom a young lady as ever
wore purple raiment and fine linen,
"Matt, you are `growed-up" at last!"
Matt blushed and hung her head,
with a touch of the ",lel manner.
" Yes, I am grown, as you say. I won-
' der what William Jones would think if
1 he saw me now,"
And if hp noticed these pretty boots
Matt, and heard you play the piano and
prattle a little in Fronk Upon my
word it's a transformation! You al-
ways were a nice girl though."
" Do you really think so ?" asked Matt
shyly. " Dial you always think so ?"
- " Certainly,"
"Even when I told you I liked you so
much, and you told me ' it wouldn't
do' ?„
It was Brinkley's turn to blush now.
It was clear that Matt, despite other
changes, still retained her indomitable
frankness.
"Even then," he replied, laughing.
"But I say you wero a precocious
s-ot:ngster, You proposed. to rue, you
know!
"I know I did," said Matt, " and it
wasn't leap year then."
• She added still more slyly:
"But it's leap year now!"
Their eyes met. Both blushed more
and more.
`Matt, don't! It won't do, you know!
Yes. I say so still. You're a rich woman
and I'm only a poor devil of a painter.
You must marry some great swell."
But Matt replied:
"I shall never marry any one but
Sou!„
"You won't? Do you mean it?"
"Of coarse Ido."
He caught her in his arms.
"My darling Matt -yes, I shall call
you by that clear nalno to the end of the
chapter. You love me, then? I can't
believe it!"
"I have loved you," she answered,
laughing, "ever since I first came-' to
be took! "
And she rested her head on his shoul-
der just as she had done in the old days
when she was an unsophisticated child
of Nature.
"So there's to be a wedding after all,"
he said, kissing her. "Matt, I've an
idea!„
"Yes?"
"When we nearly suppose
0 arrange
"WREN WIi MARRY wi;r'PO.3I:ivVI ARRANGE
'1'0 SPEND OUR IIONR MMOON IN -A
CARAVAN."
to spe ral the honeymoon in ---a Cana -
VAN!"
[e'Im nen.]
a
TflE IN L M TIMES, FEBRUARY S. 1-11;,
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GOD BLESS Otlfl QANADA.
(loll blows our ('aulada,1
UIot'lolt. Paul; u(u'
!,anti of our birtia.
I'roud 11.1 our nation he,
Bk..wd in its mart 'i,t,•,
let ltettire• Wt'shut of then,
(stuns of the earth
T,an 1 Well in st rent; and laJo',
1.tu) I of wild brush and brake,
Moen ,w and t'.: (IV '.
May (rod rich bles,,ila;;s pour,
0n thee. front ..;a•rr toAwl o,
"1&11(nt (x'11o111 on1' hearts adorn,
Land of 0i1 : )j•e.
May thy sons lonorrcl be,
ifar nccu land mu? ?ea,
Tell« here t r they alum).
Poli by their lrearil)' hig h,
Their lyflv i10 of Odra try,
Their io rel of purity,
Tltolt,art thttlr Mule.
Our ('Ottil, "r'' "l5 iters bless!
'(must " greed of gold's" excess,
First let them stand.
Lead them in paths aright 1
I eep theta trout sin' foul blight l
Thou, the X11-111tmito!
(tool bless our 111n,1.
-Chun li. Mountet410 (Claris $data),
A COMPOSITE WIFE.
By Harriet Yrer;cott a3j otrord.
When Mr. Chipperley lost hie wife he
was fur a time vel;y unhappy. He felt
a little angry when'he saw other women
walking in the sunlight. He hissed the
flattery, tho affectten, the object of love.
And perhaps all that furnished him with
sufficient reason : for =laying again,
which he did very speedily. He lived
very happily with the next venture, al-.
though now and then the pale and
pretty yelling face of her predecessor
slipped in across hie mental vision of
the other, and it leas a little difficult to
separate them, And when a third
young venhen 1 e'l:,a his affections it
I vas an effort for him to say if it were
May's lower lip that looked as if a bee
had stung it, or if it were Mary's upper
lip that had the aadlo-bow curves, or 1f
it were Maria that; smiled with the deep
Grecian eornsr in the mouth ; and in
his memory gleans of Mary's eyes shot
through 'May's glance and were veiled
with Maria's long lashes. May's pale
cheek wore the rose bloom of Mary's;
the outline of Mary's broad brow melted
into the oval of Maria's Madonna -like
forehead; and in this composite memory
of a wife May's frown and Maria's smile
were fast becoming indistinguishable
when ho fust laid eyes on Honor
Humphreys. and overshot the whole
picture with her • great shining hazel
eyes and Bieck brows, her full red lips,
artd the faultless teeth that flashedwith
white light in the dark countenance
where the rare red only now and then
blossomed -a tall and superb young
creature, whose health and vitality and
lustros completely wiped out the whole
mental photography of poor May and
Mary and Maria.
"Gracious!" said Honor to her gentle
cousin, Marian Marcy. "Don't talk of
him! He's married; all to pieces. So
you suppose I will take a fragment of a
husband. Ain I going to make one of a
harem? What does papa mean? The
idea of my marrying, an old mail like
that!"
Poor Mr. Cbipperlcy was only 43, but
jJ such is the point of view of youth that
40 was all the same to her as 1413.
"1 keit care if he is made of money!"
cried Donor. "He looks as if he were -
of old bank bills."
, "Old bank bills," said Marian, "snake
! a slag, you know, almost as splendid as
I precious stones," •
"He hasn't reached the slag stage.
The fancy of his daring to trend me
roses!" as her cousin opened for her a
box that had just cone In. "Put them
all back in the box, Maddy, right away;
I won't touch one of them!"
. "But, Honor, look at these great
beautier, au armful -the stens more
than half if a yard long. Why, they cost
a dollar and a half apiece,"
"I don't care if they cost a fortune
apiece. Wear his roses, indeed! I'd
rather have a green leaf of Ted's pick-
ing. Here, Flukey, take them away;
throw them cut, every one!„
*What a gorgeous twenty -five -dollar
breast knot Pinky will wear out with
her best young plan to -alight. 1 hope
Mr. Chipperley will see her then. Make
haste "rack, Pinky; you must have the
rose -ted chiffon out presently -there! I
declare what can papa be thinking; of,
not only to be willing I should. accept
that old Mormon, but to want 111e to!
Why, I alight as well go crit to Utah
where they drive their wives forty
abreast, and be clone with it!'
" But, at any rate, Me. Chipperley
has the decency to drive his wives tan-
dem,"
" Ivo, he hasn't. The law compels
him. Oh, you snake inc shiver!" she ex-
claimed, with a nock smolder, as she
turned over the laces and ribbons in the
drawer before her. •` The idea of going
tandem with three ghosts! Poor ghosts
--poor dead women! They nutist have
lost all identity b3• this time. Mrs.
Chipperley—Mrs. Theodore Citipperley
-winch of tilc`ne-all of them -none of
then! Aud to be a fourth, and pit on
their mune.. 1 ahonid feel that I was
putting on their shroud! Olt, oh, o11, I
nate the grocc:td he walks on'."
"Ault move; the gttrnud Ted dances
on."
" Poor Ted! Pew. Ted! ()b, I%Zacldy,
what (1oee male, all the i!iegnality?
'1'hat horrid Chipperley plan with mil-
lions, and Ted, tun: deli:der:l, the ori-
ginal. the good. the brilliatht Ted, with-
out ti ',89iuly to his inane!"
" :til. Caipl,rr'ley has been brilliant
enough to ulnae a fortune."
" ell. be may keep it." smoothing
out 0, I?louitotl flounce. " 1 don't waist
it."
"• As if you ('0111(1 co without a for-
tune. IMOaor, you who have always had
50 !natty luxuries that you don't know
what the necessities are, Look et that
"I know it, I should never have an-
other Mel, of read Mee 12 I married Ted.
:Lttrt rve]1-. twill yoit tell elle, eladdy,
why Te<I ioreti t sayauything I I can't
ask a man to marry 111e----
" I could, if need were."
"You! Well, for a denture little eat
that dares to look at a king you would
take a prize in a tabby sho)v," said
Honor, folding away the flounce, and
leaning both roluld elbows anima the
rings a11d piens of the toilet euel:ions,
while she looked at (t (lark and hand-
some siren in the glass, " I shall rwver
o1•g('t. Mael(t3', how yon went haat/ took
enni1' 311e)t ('V a necklace (al: 11(y 111otheree
neck. I think, that diel papa good to the
core of his heart. And when mamma
got over beim.; startled the always
rather admired you for it. Only site
will be (ver with you some day." And
then she fell to tying I(OWS andsnipping
ribbons with twinkling fingers. " I
shoibt11na1ke a capital milliner if -oh,
it! Well, Teel does everything except
say the word,"
"lIow can 11e say the word? What
would he (lo with a wife? Just think,
• Honor! Why, he'd be a wretch if he
did sneak! A plan with no more possi-
bifida; than Tett and with so many at-
tractions, ought not to come where you
and Helen and Teresa and the rest are --
you butterflies who Have only fed on the
roses and lain in the lilies of life."
"Marian, you are just an old maid, a
puritanic, conscientious, cantankerous
old. maid! There -don't you think these
little lavender and uliguonette bows add
to the butterfly appearance of this par-
ticular butterfly?'
"Tent are perfectly hopeless, Honor.
You forget there is a future. You just
dance in the beaus to -day. Your father's
interest in the Hhrnphreys estate cues
with loin. It's a big interest to -day;
but it reverts to the co -residuaries, and
all that his children inherit is the Moe
little family quarrel that has given the
General occupation ever since lawyers
anti ;!!!rr0rtes and the rest tete up the
whole of j ui,t' mother's fortune and a
parcel of most expensive tastes and
habits. And hero is Mr. Chipperley-a
nice young mail—"
"Old Chipperloy 1" dropping the scarf
over her hair, while Marion colored and
coughed.
"Young -ah -comparatively," stam-
mered Marian.
"Twice my ago. at all events," tying
the scarf with a bewitching knot.
"A worthy ;'cntlenlan!" exclaimed
Marian, the color still enlivening her
fair cheek, "againet gainet whore there is noth-
ing to be said, and who offers an ante-
nuptial settlement of a million dollars.
And you have been out three years, and
have -let Ted keep every eligible elan
away. And your father feels his life
insecure -and you've all lived so at the
top of the wave that there won't be a
dollars left the clay after his funeral."
"Marian Marcy."" turning to her with
a diamond stick -pin in each hand.
"How can you talk so? My dear old
father! How can you be so indelicate,
so, so cruel!"
hope ycr're not going to stab me.
I am not ceuel. I am epea inn for yopi
good---"
"Great good!" .Iivith half an sob aur
half a laugh. "I shall have a hysteric
if you don't take care!" anti 'the eyes
were flaming and the teeth flashing.
- "have twenty if you want to." And
lt:[c..Ti.^.t eteetl ftp 1,?_;.le her and looked
lea in the gray eyes
that1
had a �L-eep�5���1p.oint bellfnd their
dewey softness. 'When it comes to the
point," she said, "an.: - :t_o married
to a pcor man, and :our mother and
Helen and Tere.e ' "'"l the boys are
homeless ana peaarase, 110 yon believe
you won't regret Mr; Chipperley?''
"What a mercy its would bo, Maddy,
if you were struck dumb.'
Marian laughed, "I'm riot angry,"
sae said, "because your temper shows
that you are beginning to listen to rea-
5e11. You 1t1811'y Ted to -day and have a
happy year or two ; and. presently you
are shabby; and presently care and
anxiety about Making bricks without
straw have taken off your bloom and
given your face lines; roll go nowhere -
balls and dinners and operas for you
with nothing to wear; yon grow irri-
table; he finds other places pleasanter
than home; he reproaches, you cry; you
reproach, lin goes off. And. you are
more lucky than I think you'll be if you
settle into anything like tolerable con-
tent with hila at last, if you don't leave
him and go off and earn your living as a
milliner or a lady's maid."
"Marian!"
"But you marry 11Ir, CIlipperley-you
Cti
have,possibly, o. i)1 al)ad<u quarter of an '1, a l hell,
regrtting a handsome face and a dash`
ing planner. But you meet with abso-
lute devotion, you tread on rose leaves
and eat and (!rink nectar and ambrosial,
and wear purple' 31nd fine linen, you
have your palaces, your horses, your
servants, and your path through life is
a perfect milky way of diamonds."
"I never knew you could be so elo-
quent, Marital."
"And the long and the short of it is
that you become aecnstomled to the way
its which your husband 5111'r0L1I1(IS you
with mweet observances, and you •0l'e
grateful to him and have it friendly feel-
ing for the refit of your etfe; and tlrtet is
about all you would come out on in the
endef you had married your ideal.'
"And you leave out all the . campnn•
io 15111 ), t11e 011011085, t11e--, the-•---
"Three uncommonly nice women have
folulcl companionship with Mr. Calliper -
ley very. satisfying.
"Yes, they had all they wished of it
early and left for parts lulkuown. Oh,
how bored they must have been!"
"Bored! With Mr. Chipperley!"
"I believe that you are In love with
that 1111131 yourself, Meekly!"
"Well, now, Honor, I've said all Thad.
to say. If roll. thin.: it over seriously
a11c1 roaiemlier that all this time Ted
hasn't whispered a word----"
"Oh, yes, 11e hits -whispered -a
Amity "
"Ile hasn't spoken dolt."
And not to do that?",
"Is veal ilnmltullr'," +r
"And if he Itad?'a I'
"It would be very se am(1re11y."
"Marian Marcy, I'1 never speak to
yon again!"
„mitt next time." said 1.tcrian, as she
left the room. "There 1"she murmured,
as the door (•]used, "I believe I've said
every word 1I1y 1113('10 asked 111e le,‘, relay."
Aud Honor burst into tees, tore 811:
her lace scarf, and ilia, her face in it,
and snatched it away„ con8010ne in the
midst of her trouble that every tear was
at
Slat 311)021 the ribbellts, and 801113ed out
to 113e image of herself in the mimeo
"Oh! oh! 1 am 80 afraiel I shall be
tempted into marrying Mr. Chipperley t"
And 5118 rummaged out :L photograt11i of
Ted from a chaos of sachets and beads
and. ribbons and laces, =Hooked at it,
magnified and halved through the inist
of her tears • and then 5110 hadto bathe
1 1 h , t
her eyes in the hot water and then in
cold, and to pow eier the lids, and to pale
them,' by comparison, with 0 little ruugo
3311021 her cheek t, before Pinky returned
and clothed her in the g01V1) the color
of the heart of a damask ease, in which
she went off to dinner, where she was
to meet Mr, Chipperley, who hated the
color of the heart of al darnask rose.
]li . Chipperley's wives had all been
pallid women, (dressing in pallid colors..
One or two of them would have liked to
wear a grass -green gown, 0r one even of
sea blue; one, 131o1'e daring than the
rest, had appeared in a primrose -colored
silk, but it aroused such uncomfortable
remarks that eiie only wore it once.
No; soft grays and Mauves wero the
only wear for them; and now when
their likeness rose ort. his memory, the
only distinct thing about it, were the
:awns and drabs of their garments.
Those, too, as delicate eyebrows had
merged into dark positive lines, as blue
oyes had become gray and now darted
forth hazelleauls, were swiftly suffus-
ing themselves with deep reds and
dazzling pinks and glowing purples.
And ho felt as though he had forbidden
it, and May and Maly and Maria were
wearing these colors in spite of his
expressed will. It had the effect of un -
marrying hien, more than death itself ;
, and he' was decidedly displeased with
himself to find that he was more wildly
and passionately. in love with this bril-
liant creature Irl her burning reds and
yellows than 11e had been with all his
tender little pearl-gray and indistinct
wives put together. It seemed to Mr.
Chipperloy that he had been an indistinct
man -himself till now ; he found himself
growing to the measure of his love: ho
had had to stoop before; now he must
climb; this gorgeous, glowing young
woman was like a light in the sky; one
must aspire to her, not stoop ; that was
a uow* sensation. She spoke of politics;
and the kingdoms of the earth made
new combinations, and the. destinies of
nations r arran
e$ themselves. She
talked a little theosophy -he felt this
world enlarged to Jail the borders of the
vast unknown. She spoke of a symph-
ony ; ho entered into the secs Cts of
music that he had not dreamed existed.
She sang, and he /mew how the trum-
pets on heaven's eamparts sound. Yet
p1i e knary next to nothing of politics or
theosophy or music; ho retie only to the
demands of his imagination concerning
her. If sometimes he fouizd the exer-
cise a tribe e, d:L:isoilie, there was
Marian's gentle densenese to fall back
en and find restful:
One thing, however, concerning Bo -
nor, ho hall not yet learned how to ex-
plain, and h arclly to endure. How could
she love animals in the way she did
Four great Persian cats haunted her
every footstep in the house ; there trey
lay ou their cushions in the (ll.3lwi:lti
100333, in ±110 m11ri01'00111, in the library ;
a sleepy snowy creature like e'rnc l)tli'-
i f111LT11atOC1 ostrich p1111ne; a mata1'110 black
thing With fiery oyes that to Mr. Cl;1p-
perley's perception wero ill$amod with
the very bottomless flame;,; another like
a golden-•.tleeco, fawning, caressi.lg, half
hlunan; a_td to little mouse-colersd imp,
whose bounds and agrings and feathery
tail -lashings not only fad infinite dain-
age among the Venetian and Dre.denl
knack-knackerie, but among Mr. Chip-
perloy's nerves. And Mr, Chipperley
hated cats. They gave !him. 1131118031 ;
they made hint sneeze; he hadan in.
describable antipathy to then! ; ho was,
as Honor said to Malian, afraid of them.
He schooled himself to lay a very gin-
gerly hand on the white one, feeling a
chill up and down his cpine as he aid-
s° ;
id -so; to softer the yellow one to rub
against his shoe, although that also
made his flesh creep; he .)aid nothing
about certain scratches given hila by
the little gray Astarte devil, as he called
it, for Honors eye was on kiln ; but
when the black Asmodleus looked hint
in the face, Mr. Chipperley quailed.
Then, too, there Nyasa great buff -bodied
and black -nuzzled mastiff, and a spitz
and a poodle, and goodness knows what
else; a parrot, an Owl no bigger than
your fist, a little silken marinosette.
Sometimes when Mr. Chipperley fiayr
her, in a gown the hole of a pomgr'anate,
with her cats in her arms or on her
chair, and her dogs fawning around. her,
he had a moment of such feeling as ho
might have lead were she Circe and Iie
another lover just undergoing the en-
chantment and about to become one of
them himself.
"Well, it's of no use," Circe had saki.
"He admires the colors he hates ; he
caresses the cats he fears; he loves the
dogs he (retests. It (does look as if ho
were hypnotized. Can't I tendo the
spell ?
"You talk like a Billy girl," said her
father. "Mr. Chipperloy sloes you the
honor to make you a proposal of mar-
riage--"
"A proposed ? Twenty proposals!"
"And 3. wish you,aI order you, 1 com-
mand you to accept it." • And Gen.
Humphreys looked at her with eyes ac-
customed to command gleaming from
the shadow of a pail of brows like
epaulets that gave a military force to
hie glance. But his (laughter luta seem
that glance before and ltnew just how
much it meant.
"The Humphreys, papa," said the
Yount.;rebel, "'have not been in the habit
of being .tonin tended. I should hardly
like to break the fancily traditions."
"You are a disobellient and in801031t
girl"
have the llunnphreye been
bought and sold, ha the fast—do you.
think I will be thin firth o23e,g)lacetl upon.
the Market? I wouldn't marry Mr.
Chipperloy if 1neweremade, of diamonds
and set in the sky's"
"I don't knowinew you, eould in that
case," said bel' father. ''habit you know,
without any more word about it, what
the circumstances of the case are, what
is likely to become of your mother and the
rest of the children at my deatb,auul that
it is in you!; power, with the settle-
ments I call for, to make their condi-
tion a1I that it has been."
"That Is to say, you sell me and m
]tappiuess for their ease and comfort. It
pleasant 51 ] which you '
1s (a.alltto knowetre o
I
l for
the most.. It leaves me quite free. No,
Mr, Papa Humphreys,• you needn't pro-
mise to deliver what you can't get,
!told of! You will have to go very:
long, indeed on this particular block,t
I heard De Fuy say once it was a good
plan to go short on a rising Market."
And just then the name of Mr. Theo-
dore Dane was announced, and the
father's eyes flashed fire at the daugh-
ter, and the daughter's eyes flaashedfire
in rattan, and Conde, Marian was not
the only one who, knew how much lir, •
Theodore Dane had to do with the for-
tune of Hono<."
"Oh," said Honor to Marian„ when
this conversation and struggle with her
father had been reported, and stemmed
up with her mother's dark flints that
supplies should bo cut off, that she
should be sent into the country or shut
up in her 1 u1 till she promised differ-
ent fashions, and balanced against her
own declaration that ne(liatval cus-
toms were irupossible in this fin de
siecle period -"Oh," said Honor, "if I
could only dress you in my clothes and
make you pass for me, atel marry you
oft to Mr. Chipperloy, how I should like
it1"
"And I, too," said the poor Marian.
•'Mariann! Could you r'tally endure
the thought of marrying that Ulan, for
one instant?"
"What an idiot I should be if I
couldn't?"
Honor looked at her a moment, large -
eyed and silent. "Marian Marcy e' silo
c11ed then, "You shall: You shall
marry Mr. Chipperley, you shameless
dear!"
• How strangely fate moves," said,
Honor to her mother a little later,
"Here is Marian Marcy, pale and drab,
just like all the rvomell ho naturally
prefers, wearing pale and drab gowns,
thinking pale and drab thoughts, doing
Sale and drab things -exactly the one
Mr. Chipperley ought to marry -she
would melt into that composite wife of
his without a wrinkle, And here he is
possessed to marry one who sets aLll his
,.
idealsclefiaL. • 1
at defiance, whose whim; and
ways v; ill eventually drive him nland,
whoa) colors will startle him blind, who
will be as 11111011 a blight on his life as
etrong s1I11 on tender grass."
"I nee-er• heard such indelicate and
improper remarks from a young girl's
mouth before. Marian think of marry-
ing Ml'. (.lhipperley when 1e, bas net
"112y r witness! Ohl, � nt a ' Goofiness!"
„flea Honor, teeth and e3 -es flashing out
of that brown face in one d813110 of light
along witai her tinging laugh. "01.1"
she cried, miming from the room, "if I
died''he next minute I shall have had
n1;' share cf satisfaction! I mean to
make Marian do the one thing •in her
life that shall bo neither pal's nor. drab!"
But if Marian was a timid an, 00117
r-elitional p :t:0 1 i:l the !:main, she hand
1 more than once !:roved herself canable
of ea-i+,e. to the occasion, and certainly
Stale (ioillg something ienuetlt11 and
daring '311'411 emanated she tools T.ir1
Dane's arm ono nig;let 161110 etood, rather
dark and down of z see, '1eil licit against
a win a w, and walker with hilt into
13i 3. Eobel•n's oreiiirl house. "Oh,
there is honor," she said, as they paused
where a swarm of rosy flower -butterflies
fluttered in their faces.. "Is it not
wicked that such a girt should be sacri-
ficed---"
"Should be seal!" paid Ted, suddenly
beaming (81 her, with his blue eyes shin-
ing and his manner for the first time
showing; AS he bout from his lofty
height, that hero was an unexpectedly
delightful person in that Hulnpin•eys
family. ''It is infamous."
"I dare say he would make a very
goon husband"
• "Ho ought. He has had enough expe-
rienee in the line,"
"Then I should think he'd see how
very nfit e i"
"Unusll
fit! 1'urs.
that± beggar? No, no;
Chippc rley's as good fellow ---but there's
no one good. enough for 11e11'
"eat any rate, she doesn't love hint."
"She doesn't? Look at her, then!"
gazing at Honor clown a vista, where
she stood graciously extending her hall(1.
lila 80111e young queen with Mr. Chip-
perley bending over it like some seigneur
swearing fealty.
".Very well. They are obliging her.
It isn't worth while for her to quarrel
with amall on whole ehe may be forced
to rely for all the happiness she can
have."
"Forced! Who can force her?"
"Father, mother, a whole household.
And break her heart."
"Has she an heart?" biting his mous-
tache as if he meant it an injury.
"Heart? Honor Humphreys! Sho-
well, you are the last person to deny it!"
"1? What have I to do with it?"
"Oil, certainly -•if you have been
meaning nothing" -frightened into the
propriety she had forsaken in her desire
to help both Honor and herself.
"Meeting nothing.? I? What do you
mean?" exClailnle(1 Ted, suddenly facing
her, "You know I am gleaning( some-
thing! You know I love Honor with all
111y heart aalld soul! You know I would
spend my life for leer! You know I
haven't a dollar in the world—e"
"I know she loves you, whetheryou
have a 401101 in the world or riot!" A11d
the next instant Ted Dane, in a thought-
less, breathless ecstasy, had clasped
Marian to his heart for one swift second.
O11 stall an avowal it was impossible not
[TO 111: oneert.ente]
•