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Show J A WILL AND A WAY. j BY MARTHA IdVCUL LOCH-WILLIAMS. (Copyright, 1904, by Martha McCulloch-Williams.) j .,,. there ought to be a law M ;ia5s m" Jcan sa,d 1,a,f (Jk ''fo I-Blmost." Aunt Mary an- flLV ' i with a little sigh. BfR :sTi I Jcan begun to laugh, a 58' ' 5SS, Mi,,ns peaI- K00tl 10 hcIU'' SJ 'S waf any other time I shouldn't 11 I i Jilt eo very much." Aunt Mary 1 sfS "I'm bound to say it for 1 ,,!se,hcr mi' brother John, he's as J anb3 until he's crowded -4 : . cone out of bis way to quarrel hlUJ Hymes but knowing poor, i .u-cle'jlmmy Jackson as he did. he 3 L fcund to stand up for that will 1 what the old man bad told IDS ftovcr ana over and over" Wkeoff." Jean Interrupted, then with f-J rWh. "I ow, t00' Aunty difrllr,ff-JJre difrllr,ff-JJre distressed because I shall be left i W . r4l K)h, all we want is a chance to have Ltfjpal: for herself," the Major an- iiati B;! t ? Hymes party. .1 do want to a jtB4rradfu)ly Not so much on ac-kMtol ac-kMtol Rob Hymes himself, as to see TMHia-nl1 else Is there and what the """KVons Mrlll do to get a berfu apiece " .W'H-in' I believe you'd like to have a p -jHp trux yourself. Miss." Aunt Mary jBHft'rifj Jan smiled and nodded. X. JB'Ba? 1 wouldn't go gunning for them, Z-JujKirton fashion noL If I prow to the Bt!? But they are bound to murry MMJbhorv they have no money to r.:k of, and can't well do anything jyjnfcvsh ynu couldn't do Anything else ?iil",5'l: 1-1011 ou wou'nt oil your head so high you never see me," somebody some-body said through the open window. It was Rob Hymes, who had been eavesdropping eaves-dropping these last three minutes. He went straight to Aunt Mary, kissed her handsomely, and patted her hand, then turned reproachful eyes on Jean. "If you think mother and I mean to be drawn into this absurd quarrel, you clearly don't know the sort of folk we are. The case is Just this unless you say you'll come, there won't be any-party any-party " "Why, rtob. I'd love to but how can I. with our fathers glaring and breathing breath-ing out threatenlngo whenever they think of each other?" Jean walled. Rob snapped his fingers. "That for all their rows," he said. "I hate to seem wanting in respect to my elders and betters, neighborhood dignitaries, too but Squire John Bascom and Henry Hymes are a pair of spoiled children In spite of their gray hairs, and need to bo disciplined accordingly." "Who's going to do it?" Rob dropped his eyes and answered meekly: "I propose to be an humble Instrument In the hands of divine prov-dence prov-dence and the Claytons." "Indeed! Tell us about It. I don't believe there's anything to tell.'.'Jcan said, propping her toes together, and laying her hands primly in her lap. Rob filliped them delicately, then went on- "Wc all know those old gentlemen gen-tlemen have agreed ever since wc two were born that wc were born on purpose pur-pose for each other. Indeed, my father thinks my main reason for being Is to give him a chance of calling you daughter. To bring them to their senses. We must pretend not only to have taken up their quarrel, but that we are going to marry somebody else." "Toii'll have an excellent chance to do It If you say sweet things to Elsie Clayton," Jean said. "But it's different differ-ent with me I don't know a soul I would dare to propose to " "I know several who arc simply dying dy-ing for a chance to propose to you t1iMiK ' TfnV. nlr1 rnllnnt1v. nlavlllC plgs-went-to-markct with her lingers. Aunt Mary tried to look scandalized, but ended by laughing heartily. Jean drew down the corners of her mouth, and pretended to sigh, asking: "Where shall I find them, Robby. dear? I am simply dying to say 'Yes!' and 'Thanky' to somebody." "There's no time llko the present and you have never accepted me outright." out-right." Rob retorted. "But at the party you are to smile your sweetest on Ben Lloyd and Ben only. I know it'r. pret-tv pret-tv tough on him but he has promised not to mind. Seeing he can't have you himself, he's ready to do a man's part to help you get me." Then the three fell to talking all at once. It was late afternoon when Rob went home, humming a love tunc, and smiling as he rode along. The Hymes party turned out lo be far and away the grandest Hopewell neighborhood neigh-borhood had ever seen. Notwithstanding. Notwithstand-ing. Maj. Hymes got up the morning after with a sense of aching loss. He sighed all through dressing, and at breakfast swore because there was no waflles, only biscuit, muffins and bat-tercukes. bat-tercukes. At least he said that was the reason. Rob. with his eyes in bis plate, and a general air of dreams, smiled, and waited prudently for tho storm to j sather or blow over. But lightning truck him when he was least prepared I for It. Mid-meal his father turned square upon him. growling out: "Whereabouts in your travels did you leave your manners, and your senses? I think you had better go back and try to find them." "What's the row, Governor?" Rob demanded Innocently. The Major exploded: ex-ploded: "That's what I'd like to know.There must be a row between you and Jean Bascum last night you hardly were! civil to her, but Went tagging around after that Clayton creature." "There's the Bascum temper I'm afraid It's hereditary besides, Elsie Clayton says she would permit the minister min-ister to leave obey in the marrlege service," ser-vice," Rob began. HiB father cut him short. "If matters mat-ters have gone as far as that," he said, "just you listen to this. Uuless you marry to suit me, you'll find that my will ties up things as tight as that old simpleton, Jimmy Jackson, tried to tlo up all ho left" "Why! I thought you believed In tho will?" Rob Interrupted. His father turned reddor than ever, but went on, pounding tho table hard between words. "Yes, sir, your wife must please mo, or you'll have hard sledding. Elsie Clayton, indeed! Look at your mother, sir, and be properly ashamed of your taste." "I have nothing against Jcan Bascom." Bas-com." Rob began Judicially "But sho Is taken up with Ben Llovd. Then, too. she evidently takes her father's side-Just side-Just as I have taken yours" "Then you're a fool for your pains, sir." the Major fairly shouted. "Of course, she takes her father's side that's the natural, the right thing for a woman. But you if you were half a man, you would have shown her that you two had nothing to do with tho case. You must be bewitched with the Clayton fried-egg eyes." "Not particularly," Rob said, masking mask-ing a laugh with a fit of coughing, "But I did make up to Jean far enough to find out she would have nothing to say to me not unless you apologized to tho Squire, which I knew was ont of tho question." "Indeed! You had better not know so much," Maj. Hymes said with- i eringly. "But if that's the hitch, why it's pretty easily straightened. Come along with me. sir! By George, It makca me think moro than ever of Jean. If she ettcks up this way for her father, what won't she do for a husband or son?" Five minutes afterward, they were galloping toward the Bascom place. As luck would have It, Squire Bascom met them Just Inside the gate. Maj. Hymes did not wait for a word of welcome twenty yards off. he roared out: "Say, John Bascom! I've come to beg your pardon, and ask you for your daughter. Give 'em to me quick, else I'll be making mak-ing a fool will for other folks to quarrel ovcr." "I reckon I've a right to ask your pardon, Major," Squire Bascom said, smiling and holding out his hand. "But the daughter there you've got mo whero the wool's short I can't speak for her." "Oh! All v.' want Is a chance to have 'her speak for herself," the Major answered. an-swered. Rob smiled to hear him. Down In his heart he knew what Jean would say. |