Show LOVE OR olt MONEY Y arthur ferris was tall blond handsome and twenty tw enty eight ho ito was also the possessor Ios sessor of a long head inherited from the maternal side ride of the house lie was likewise a dutiful I 1 son it was the two latter circumstances that had on more than one occasion paved saved him from rom malting making a triumphant ass of himself just fabry if it had bad not been for liia his 10 long ng bead head it is 34 more than likely that he would have fallen desperately in love with that bewitching governed governess of the ya hastings tings with whom he be had bad lapent several weeks in the mountains one summer five iera ago lint he had given himself time to think and hul had fled between two days much to his later satisfaction then there was that dear little M ala mla iss D dixon ilon whom lie had met at the seaside it had been a glorious evening that last fast they were silting sating on the veranda where they blight BLU and yet be unseen the wit dreamy strains of a strauss waltz floated our out from the ballroom there waa was the pale silver light of the moon maring ripple of the waves on the beach mid and all that bort sort of tiling thing which you have read about so many times that you have learned to skip it in the novels well elsie was going away too too toon poon they had bad talked in sighs and mur aurs murs for half tin hour arthurs left hand damped clasped elsie s dimpled right one bis his right arm was about her tier waist both hearts beat vigorously as hearts will on such occa eions and arthur had just opened it mouth to tell elsie what she had been waiting for for two weeks when there wn a step close at hand band a rustle of skirts aal an the cooing voice oice of the maternal ferris said 1 11 I ber beg your pardon butwill but will to you PIMA arthur arthura a few moments therena there nr those miserable business affairs that must le be attended to in time for the late mall mail and thus was w as he be saved a second time for E sto had bad not a cent and neither had lie be at least not many of them there veto several viral other occasions when his ills own long bead or his as mammas had helped for arthur wis was somewhat suf sus wp tible nut but it is not of these I 1 have to tin atil his ilis time had find come tho the in every everyday way admirable young person had bad presented her belt true she was wall not so young as a she had been but then that was it a mere trifle 9 she he waa was just hii big own age of as good a family as his ills own and arid an heiress of con sid erable ablo degree she was not well not exactly handsome and aud wv waa rather inclined to what is politely called plumpness hut but Art arthurs huros mamma und and arthurs long head gave their approval and arthur did not care who she might be so long as ehe she po pos hessed the tile above qualifications particular ly the one involving a very neat fortune in her own right lie besides sides arthur was getting a bit desperate in fact lie had so far exceeded his own salary and tho the maternal allow ince ance which by the way was as large A as mra mrs fema ferris could afford that nothing short of a miracle nil racla or a matrimonial alii aliv ance anoe such as he lie had been BO so long peeking pecking could save gave him from getting into very deep water and thus it came to pasa pass that this win te ter to found u ad him engaged to miss aliss bernice field mile much h to the satisfaction of his mother the who was visiting in new york and to NY whom hom he had like the dutiful son SOD ho how was tent the be gratifying news new at once ile lien was as disappointed however on one point he ile had bad pleaded artfully for nn an carly wedding but miss field had set hei toot foot down with much firmness and said wild lie must go gIru long probationary period all of which arthur failed to un tin der lere tand stand he lie had bad always been noted foi for his lit persuasive powers and had flattered hun himself elf that bernice with her gentle flinging clinging ways would succumb at once now be it known that miss bernice F field told had not riot arri arrival v cil at years of discretion foi for nothing neither had she a not unprepossessing young person with nearly a halt million in her own right passed through the experiences of ten seasons without gathering unto herself much knowledge ot of the ways and arid wiles of wicked men she had bad had as might have been expected of fera fers to a high number but thus far the gentlemen concerned had failed by rea son ot of their unanimous desiro desire to touch bei bet purse to touch in the first place the all important key to it which was hidden away in her plump bom lioom and miss bernice field was gordly wise in her tier day and generation she was certainly in love with ferri there could be no doubt of that it is quite u ite as certain that she was very seriously in love w A ith him but with the wisdom born of experience she did not let him know ne balf of what she felt for him it any one had told ferris that he be was just a now 0 w in a very shaky position lie would have scoffed his ills chum ed cr cross who was spending the tile winter at the house dur ing ng mrs ferrial nix absence ence had once sug 9 ted that theres many a slip but arthur merely shied a shoe aboa nt at hka hian and serenely nely it was in this tilts traino frame of mind that one evening in february he lie ran lightly up the of tile field mansion to call on her tier whom croaa roas unfeelingly referred to as ills little lady love it was warm ana the door stood ajar the little footman too waa not i in A hla accustomed place e r BO 0 r ferrin with the e air of one who knew just where lio lie was go gaag ng stepped inside from th the e open u door of papa ia Is study came th the e sound of voices in ili earnest discussion and one ile of them his hi own name he lie halted irresolute as would any one else under like ancell papa pap a field was speaking of couche my dear you nrc tire your own mistress and I 1 can only advise yon it eema to nie me ho however wever that you have done av aery ery foolish thing to engage yourself to tills young ferns ferris true he lie beans an exemplary plary young fellow and be cornea come so of f an excellent family An itly but it Is 1 well that hobs as only a small allowance from the tte in addition to ft A beggarly V salary how flow do boj doj you ou know it la Is you and alid not your money eliat t bi ne wants it Is 1 a brutal question I 1 know but it Is one you yose have probably asked ot of yourself halt half a dozen times concern lne other you young men arthur out in nth the hall standing riding in much t the beaume same attitude a child assumes when speaking its first piece in school ivi winced n ced but waited tor for the answer it came in serious thoughtful tones which indicated plain plainly 1 y t that hat miss bernice also had considered this very matter inno IN N no I 1 am sure you misjudge him papa of course I 1 understand how ho he Is a situated financially and and all t that at hut but I 1 am sure he lie is honest and honorable and that he be he cares cams for or roe me very much lucre there are a thousand ways by which I 1 can learn much that you cannot and yea yes yes I 1 understand hut but suppose you should put him film to the test do you think he would come through ah ab ler r unscathed as it were suppose you should tell him that I 1 had lost all your money and mine in unfortunate speculation that we were beggars and had bad not a dollar we could call our own are you afraid to try him there was a brief silence then 1 I dont like to tell a falsehood papa but atwould it would be only a white lie and perhaps for the best yes ill try him tomorrow night my dutiful garl now run along and let me work there was the sound of a kiss and the perspiring young man in the hall hastened to get out of the house ha ife wanted time to think but the first thing that entered bis his head as he be reached the sidewalk was a fanciful picture of the petite miss field with her tier IGO pounds of avoirdupois running along and ho he smiled broadly then ho lie walked rapidly over to the next street to catch a cab to bis his club there to hold a powwow with cross on tho the steps ho lie hesitated a moment had I 1 better go back dow he thought no she wont have her little talo tale of woe ready really and might be put out if I 1 C call tonight I 1 might give myself away too better have time to get my speech prepared and this astute young man went in and proceeded to make himself comfortable the next evening with his usual light heart and good spirits ho lie rang the doorbell of tho field mansion yes miss MIAs field was in peter said ferris went into the drawing room and rod ait sat down running rapidly over in his mind the various tender speeches he lie had prepared for the emergency dernice bernice was a long time coming corning be thought tor for one who expected him presently sho she entered slowly heavily heally her head bent low over her ample bosom and her breath came short and fa fast t ferns ris went forba forward rd to meet her tier hi his s arms outstretched lie was something of an actor himself and he lie knew it bernicel Dar darling lingl what Is tho tile trouble with my little girl another good stroke miss field liked to bo be called little oh lob arthur arthurl I 1 dont know how bow to tell lyou you it is too dreadfully dread full papa lias jias your catli father r been oh no not that but corsel arthur arthur we are beggar sl and miss field delivering these last words with wonderful impressiveness hung her tier head and sobbed bitterly behind her tier lace handkerchief then it was that ferris like the young roan man of action that lie was put his ami a as far around bis his tearful fiancee as possible and find with some difficulty led her tier to a seat and pulled her bead head down on hla his glossy shirt front ho lie was very very sorry as she must know but it was nothing her tier father would recoup himself ho bo had bad many in ili fluent lal friends As for her had she not riot him her ber arthur arthurt he ile would not he lie once interrupted ber to say permit her through a sense mise of false pride I 1 to 0 cast him off now when nalle she most needed him no never he lie had three thousand a year it itwara was not much lie know but they could live on it and did she suppose for one instant that ho lie had expected to live on his cifes money nol not A thousand times nol DOI we will have a real quiet little wedding dearest and after it is over wo we will go quietly to our own little cottage a in at tit suburbs which you and I 1 will get ready in the meantime and there we will be thi happiest couple in ill tile world what der ber nica am I 1 to understand that you laugh at my cherished cheris lied plans for bernice had leaped to her feet and was laughing heartily why wily you foolish boy I 1 was only teas ing you a bit dont you think id m make ake a good actress ac trebs papa and anti I 1 lost all here w was as IN mr ir ferris fen it opportunity she elie bad had doubted him oh cruel blow if she could not trust him now ho bow v could she have any faith in him when they were mar married perhaps au aur r all it was best and ho he strode haughtily to the door but this was not part of miss fields fielda pro gramme and she did what any very much in love female would do under like circumstances BO so that in ili a very few see ends two people were sitting on a divan I 1 in n a very loverl ikc attitude indeed 0 an hour or eo so later a 7 young oung manivald man walking briskly down the street was reflect reflecting ling on tile va vagaries vaga garle of chance and his own good luck it if peter had hall been at the tho door it lie it had ad been ten minutes later if he be had sneezed in fit the hall it if it was an art awfully close shave he be reflected ted and he lie shook hands with himself much to the amazement of tile policeman on oil t the he corner R L ketchum in argonaut |