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Show ) ...Our Boy$ and girls... j EDITE'J BY AUNT BUSY. Th! department cotuIurtM to;o!y ,a lhe , I r,: fiur clrl am! .p- reniWa 3 V'lrJ" ,Pnr -r.r tim, from th. i tfcrn all t!i- art vie a- !:, I i w roer Vvrit" on one io .f th rn;cr only. Do r.oi hsve loiter to-j long ;L AUNT PRTJE'S WILL. I 7 The manthe maid, the legacy m..l ,'atr. !! "Thf,y hav-1 i' marry each oilier, tl;afs uil" siid Aunt Pruc, dm:?? (y "Hut. my dear Miss Kltcu," veniumi little Law-A( Law-A( r Elaml. "N'o bins about it." interrupted Aunt Pruo. "I never lhisterc.1 tn 51i;- buts in ,y lifY. Mv houc my money ;:.j 211y ja,,.j . g0 lwcfllf.r n"v ,rol . m-j.hew Komcwherr 1 .uPpe,scI lum-,," hrard of h- death, it !,P ;imi Mry Jm.e C.-ul.t,,., vili marry mar-ry r.T other tlu-y can have everythhur Jv ffot. If 1 h. y won t 1 11 iuavo it all t; Father l)enc to found i ionic- tor old maids."' "Aped won.fn.' sucrql.-J ihe little lawyer. -No.' nappL-J Aunt Prue. f-harpl'v. -Old ma.ds. plam and ftraiy-lit. 1'Ji have no men ski-k-lKfr isioir p;or uidon-s and i .jolliers on nv cVc Old maids like my?,. have had -t.nSp enoi-h to that roos; mm nro croohr-d sticks or w0r-e rrutchrs. An rid maid-' hemcput th:;': ,!ovi: j-truip-ht and sure. 1 nuver had my trill hr.':J:t. 1:1c and w.m'r in le.n.h. K any one trio? it well, he'll hear from mo," And it was the will thus made that, throe week I laier. was 'om:nnnieated in rr.-.ver 1,,1 fonu I Mr. Picliard Elton in hi- siicbl-y s udolir arari. I in Paris, whore the you up enileman vas I v,-r.I';irg iio !;nsp;tiils in the footsteps of a world- renowned specialist. I L'lton's i-omment Ids ;ne aunt's ioa- ? ,M m too brief and forcible for repetition. In spile of her Taarrel with his fa'. her before he was l( bor:s. Amu Prue's lank account and the old VAUm X f li.mestead had ahv.-iys floured as pleasant possJbili-tie- in an ambitious future. Xow now with a;i-..iher a;i-..iher wrathful explosion, he tossed Lawyer Tdand's communication to his roomnuite, "Will Marsh. ''! ' "oems to fettle you pretty solidly' said Will. - ' Ulfe and fortune in one clip. Wh., i the Marv -f'J:o Curlcton that proes with the old ladv's shekels'? Do you know her?" "I do," answered Dick, -rimly. '-She has been ,1 h i ;ny aunt's companion and vivtim for five and twen-S twen-S ' 'y years. Lean and lank and spectacled, and ifty if a day." "Fifty! Holy Moses!" gasped Will. "It's a, ";car case for a light, Dick. The old woman v;as ;V,nty Purc' "J10" 'np made a document like that. There's not a judge or jury in the world that would not stand by you. Break the will, old man,. You've ml a proof of out-and-out senility there in your h:llid. Vmi rnn liroaL- tlo n-Itl -. m-.-o1, Jl "11 Iry it. at all events," answered Dick, seeing Ion? years of professional waiting: shortened by a -.'Olden out. And four days later Mr. Elton boarded a great i t French liner, whose docks were gay with crowds of ivt urniug tourists. "Makes me feel like home, sweet home, myself," s. id Will Marsh, who was seeing Dick off, as '.hey made their way through shattering groups laden with parting flowers. "Well, good-bye, old boy, and good luck to you. Fight it out if it takes all summer. sum-mer. Just get. Mary .Tane to show up in court and you'll break Aunt Pruc's will certain," and with a parting grip Will Marsh turned away, while Dick El ion's gaze, following his friend, was suddenly arrested by a questioning, startled glance from a pair of eyes that seemed to flash violet tire. They b; longed to a girl who stood on the steamer's deck rail, her arms full of roses. So swift and fleeting was that violet flash that almost as Dick caught its blaze the eyes had turned again, and she was nodding her smiling adieus to her friends upon the shore. ''Mario. Marie!" it seemed a bevy of girlish schoolmates calling to her: "Adieu, adieu, chere Marie!" And Dick saw that the violet eyes were brim-: brim-: rair.T now with tears that quenched all their fire. ; -t Mp.rie. Marie the soft music of the name lin-i lin-i ; grrcd in 31 r. Elton's car, and those eyes really, i he had never seen such eyes! It was almost impos- f siblc to bHicve they could fJlsh, shadowed as they 1 were by those fringing eye-lashes. And the young gentleman, who had found following the footsteps . ihe great specialist too absorbing to admit of any social distraction, awoke to new and sudden i.ifetcs in feminine charms. For beside those violet vio-let eres. Miss Marie had a nias of rippling golden !i:-ir that, the wind luV.r in soft tendrils about the K-ek and brow in dcticnee of hat and veil. She had no a ohapcrone, a stout, m'.ddle-cged l;;dy who. at die ship's iirst roll, descended promptly to her j . -tiitcroeni and. was seen no more, liy ones, twos, , threes, finally by dozens and scores, the other pas- j - Miners followed her example, for the winds were high a:id th sea was rough, and even the stately La Xormardie bent and swayed as she rode the 're -tit g. foam-capped billows. But Miss Marie of i h..? vioiet eyes was unconquerable. Every morning :'ojnd her on deck, bewitch inply defiant of wind and seas; every evening Mr. Elton, striding his own solitary way. saw the graceful figure leaning ;i2aiet the deck rail, rlreamily watching the t-unse t sky. Even at night she lingered in the wide open, for the moon rode in triumph through the blue vault above, silvering the sea. and eiiher its mad-l mad-l c.s er some ether eerie spell wan working havoc in Dick Elton's mind and hearr. Bat though the eti-o eti-o iette of ocean travel dispenses with the stiffer social formalities of terra rirmr. Mr. Elton found Mi.-s Carter, as the captain called the violet-eyed e:;chh.ntic?s very difficult of approach. Ml ti e little courtesies that a gentleman can fitly :..id "r::cefni'v render to an unattended,. laoy were re'civ-'e' v,itn a froy civility distinctly repelling. it. ,;t. until Ihe fifth night out. when a guest of iVJ,..n- wind snatched the silken scarf from the gob I-.-.. 'iiea.i, and Dick recovered it by a reckless s:-i.,g over the deck rail, that the yodv.g lady was startled into a thaw. J -Oh thank vmi! Bi't you should not have done that. Yor a moment I thought you were gone.-be gone.-be add-d with little nervous laug.i. "And for my Utile sear " l shou'-d have stopped to count "J '-rv, T look - i ctely like a commercial Itnv- ,,,.r:" in- said, ' u.. .he K-arcely knew why, by p." iarriug not? in ivery voice. "Xo ,bc an--iC, "but :t;.s ar. bumble seh- valtttuion that ruF not outwe.ght (hree yards o, lk And vou eoidd not nc-KSibly '.v the vt ) . work done on it by a saintly hand. ' fna as she drew the creamy fold, about her reck and Eliou!de.s J she shook out the embroidered ends, "ll was the perting gife of dear Mere Alinr. and every stiu h, I arn sure, -l! with a tender care for me." "Vou are a convent girl, then," aid Elton, gently. gent-ly. "T fiUesed as much." "Vou did.' And why;' siie asked, with a little laugh. "There is a stamp well, no, that is far too rigid j fur ihe word rather, a touch, an air, a blcmm, that is unmistakable." "And that is killed by the tirst hoar frost." she mocked lightly. "Oh. no not necessarily," he answered. "1 think so." she continued. ''I had not been out of St. Ur.-nle's three days before I. felt its nip." ' impossible '" declared Dick. "Xor, at all quite true," she aid in the same mocking tone. "It stung, I confess, but it is only a touch. I suppobo. of what 1 will have to meet later on." "Don't say. don't think that." said the gentleman, gentle-man, with a new note thrilling in his voice. "To one like you the world should be all summer and sunshine." ''On the contrary, it is very Mack with storm." the replied. "I am going home to face a most unpleasant un-pleasant situation, Mr. Elton," and the sweet voice quivered. ''That is too bad." Mr. Elton found bis bead rapidly going, but bravely struggled to keep his usual balance, "But surely you have friends to stand by you V' ''Xonev' she answered sadly. "My last friend is dead. I am an orphan and alone." "Alone! not not alone" for a moment Dick lost ludd of himself "not while I while I mean that that if there is anything I can do to serve to help you " "Thank you," and the icy chill fell flat upon his trembling ardor. "There is nothing at all." And conscious that he had blundered, poor Dick tried to recoup by plunging into remote personalities. "1 am home on rather disagreeable business myself, my-self, both disagreeable and absurd." ''Ileally There was forced interet in the chilly "tone, but Dick determined to hold his ground at any eost. "There is an amusing siele to the situation which an outsider. 1 suppose, can see, though to me it is grim enough. An old aunt, from whom I had reasonable rea-sonable expectations has just died." "And left you the expectations. I hopef" There was a quiet cut in the low tone. "More than the expectations." answered Dick grimly. "She saddled them most unexpectedly with a bride." "Ah! that was over-generous!" said the young lady with a little odd laugh. "It was the last stroke of bitter, cantankerous cussedness." blurted out Dick in wrathful consciousness con-sciousness that he was missing it all around. "I was just 2" my last birthday, and 1 am either to forfeit my heritage or marry my late aunt's companion com-panion and victim, a sallow, sour-faced spinster of 50, with" "Oh, hush. hush, hush!" The sweet young voice was tremulous now with Strang appeal. "Don't talk like that, please. Surely you know she is dead has been dead two years V Jjeatli echoed Dick. Who lias been elead two years? Xot Aunt Prue!" 'Xo; my poor Aunt Mary .lane." "Vour Aunt Mary Jane!" gasped the young man in bewilderment. "Yes. my dear Aunt Mary Jane. When she was .dying Miss Elton promised her she would always take care of me. Oh, I understand what you though." and the sweet young voice trembled between be-tween laughter and tears. "I have known whoyon were all along, and have almost almost hated you, because because well, my name was spelled wrong on the ship's books, and I am the Mary Jane Carle-ton Carle-ton that you and your friend were talking about the day we sailed that you were going to show up in court, and break break Aunt Prue's will." "You! You!" For a moment Dick could only stare at the speaker in dumb bewilderment. Then heaven and earth seemed to blaze out in rapturous revelation. Reckless of consequences, he caught both of Miss Mary Jane Carleton's slim white hands in a 7iossessive grasp. "Break Aunt Prue's will? Never! It shall stand until the heavens and earth pass away. For with it or without it. I am Mary Jane Carleteui's forever." "And three days afterward Lawyer Bland and Father Deane. who sat in perturbed consideration of the two indignant and defiant letters that had preceded by swift mail steamers the joint heirs across the Atlantic, were startletl by the appearance of ihe two young people'under discussion, j Mr. Elton's face was a study of suprane happiness, happi-ness, while Mary Jane's countenance had gained an I even softer radiance and her lips a sweeter smile, j "Good morning, Mr. Bland. Good morning, j father! We have come to say that you can cutout cut-out that legal fight. We came over on the same steamer and have settled Things ourselves."' "Amicably, T trust and hope, my young friends," said the dry little lawyer, rubbing- his hands. "Most amicably, as T see.'' laughed wiser Father Deane. And T'll have no old maids' home. Well, I am glad of it. Tt's a state of life the church does not encourage. So God bless you. my elear children chil-dren God bless you from inv heart." MARY T. WAGGAMAX. |