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Show 1 (Bs:FIDi:7 ' It wat second nature with tbe Judge ' to wish In piit lil lillor thoroughly ' t case. Moreover, bo rather liked r the visitor, tills ton of bis oM friend anil comrade la arm "ou will tit down. MchardT" bo asked, noting an unuauil trace of awkwardness awk-wardness In tbo younger mo n't man nor. hrom an orn window on tbo otber tide of tliu bouse floated the sound of a glrli voice, n full, rich contralto, tinging n little late song, oidfaia-toned oidfaia-toned nnd quaintly boaullful. i It broutlit up memories to tho older man, ami In their strain bo teemed ball to forget tbo pretence of tbo other, Itcoet him an effort to bring himself baok Into the present and to make tome conventional remark about tho beauty of tbo evening; a remark to which the jounier man replied In a itraln of vquil conventionality. "Margaret It In tho drawing room, Hlthard, and It expecting )ou, I believe. be-lieve. At last I item to remember thil tho told )uu wcro going to call tbla evening." "I vtlll Join her presently, tlr. Hut I wished to tee )ou first." At this remark the old man looked quickly and sharply at tbo fiuett. Could It bo possluto this joung jackanapes was coming to ask for " ' Mkrcarct't band? Tho Idea wat tco ridiculous to bo entertained for a mnmnnl Margaret wai a nicro child o! to or tl at most, and this )ounffitcr could bo but llttlo older. It Vat only the ether day that Mai caret and Itlchard had been making mud lct together. I Then wat n dliqulellnc air of cravo eotemnlty In Itlchard'i v dee. which disturbed bit host, anj tho word which followed completed tho heck. "I want to oik lour content to our daugMcr'a marrlago with me, .sir," vitnt on tho )uuuger man. somen bit hastily, but with a Una air of pride In hit manner. Alter alt, reflected Iho Judge, something some-thing llko this wat bound ',o come sooner or later. Ilut thero wat no earthly reason why tho oung man should bo in tuch a hurry to carry eff Margaret. They wcro both mere children, chil-dren, and neither could be certain of tbclr mind at to tcnuer an age. Yet Itlchard, ho wat bound to admit, ad-mit, filled most of the requisites of tbo man who should marry hit daughter. daugh-ter. Determined not to offend tho oung man nor hurt hit fccllngt unnecessarily, unnecessar-ily, bo began to point out these reasons rea-sons why tho desired consent should bo withheld Tho exposition wai beautifully logical. logi-cal. Iho Judge felt wllh warm pride, and must certainly appetl to any rev tuning human being. And lie had at-wait at-wait felt that Itlchard wai a joung man of exceptional Intelligence. Hut. ttrnngo to tay, tho reaiont did not teem to Imprett the joung man at seriously na ho could luvu withid Indeed. Itlchard showed an obstinate tendency to combat them. Tho Judge scarcely heard all of tho young man't eager arguments. Tho Aclco from w.thln tho drawing room had taken up tho burden of another j. want to ask your consent." ' oil fashioned love tong that tho Judge V rric-Hibered well from the da) a of bit ', youth. And thlt stirred memorial of one 1 1 who tang tb tong In thou dayt tho mother of tho girl who waa ilnglng now. But thlt thing mutt not bo What ,,j. waa to remain to cheer hit own life t' If thta young man wat taking away ( hit oaly daughter, the daughter whom ka had to loved and watched over, the daughter who wat the Imago of bei dearly loved root her T At he listened unbendingly to the argumcnti of the young man and dreamily to the mutle from the cpeo window, another dream of the lone ago came to lilm: He, n joung man once more, was standing before an old man and n skin sk-in it for hit daughter, anauerlng argument argu-ment with argument, and wrath with proud humility and dogged tonaelty of purpose. After all, lie reflected, each of tit la an Individual and Ufa must be lived. lie had halt forgotten that Illchnrd wat waiting, and he recalled himself iiy,,, Tho Imaae of her dearly loved mother, with a Hart to bear tho )oung man aay: 'I realise, tlr, that 1 am not at all wcrthy of her, but I Know that no man could be worthy, and my lovo ahall tnako up for tai dcflclenclci." After all, Itlchard teemed to bavo soma Idoa of tho magnltudo of tho boon which be waa seeking. Ilo would bid them wait awhllo; they would know their own mlndt better In a few )oan and would be.nble to learn It what they felt wat really lote or only Itt counterfoil. Something of thlt Lo put Into words for hit answer. Much to hit surprise hit great concession con-cession teemed lo meet with a coot reception, With a singular tenacity of purposo and aturcf)lng audacity Iho young man seemed about to argue wllh him. "Margaret It 21, sir, and I am 25. I think wo may oach ct ut claim to bo old encugh to know our own minds. You, ourslf, at you told me, wero married when jou wcro 1 and your wlfo 18." "Ilut that wu a different case, Richard." "How different, tlr!" Why " For tho llfo of him tho Judgo could not bavo told what tbo difference wat. "You mean that you totd the girl who wot to become jcur wife very doarly, and that jou felt you could not wait for bcr. la not that tho catc, sir?" The Jui'ge thought tho oung man waa treading very close to the borderland bor-derland which lies between carnent-nets carnent-nets and Impudence. Ilut ho had stated stat-ed the true condition of affalra. Tho tong Inside tliu Louio had coated, and Margaret camo towtrd the in along the plana. In the moonlight moon-light tbo resemblance to her mother "I'cmed even ttronger than In the daylight day-light When the reached tho two the ttood and looked at her father. There wat a quettlon In her eyca, a question ques-tion that wat pleading. And when the Judgo had nodded hit content the )jung man and tho young woman locked at each other at only Ai ho tat alone In tho moonlight and tmoked dreamily, the Judge recalled re-called with a deep sigh that tho lovo-light lovo-light which ho taw In hit daughters ejea bad completed tho rotemblcnce lo her mother. Vernon Warren In llontan Olobe. |
