| OCR Text |
Show Put One Over on the Old Folks The Weekly Short Story By H. IRVING KING FORGE," said Miss Arabella Stuart, looking meditatively at George Watkins, "1 am thinking of getting married." "Are you, indeed?" replied George with languid interest ; "any special person picked out, or is t he field open to all coiners?" "Oh, I have picked out the man," said Arabella, and then, after a pause, "George, would you mind making love to me?" George started. "Why, Bella I" said he, "this is so sudden and besides there Is Bertha, you know " "Bertha Walnwright? Of course. You and she have been as good as engaged for some time now. haven't you?" "Yes, we have," answered George, looking with a puzzled air at the girl ; "and then, you know, besides. your father hates me as he does poison." "Nevertheless and therefore and notwithstanding," said Bella, "1 want you for a suitor." "I am flattered, delighted and charmed, of course, but really you see I In fact " stammered George. "Nonsense," cried Bella ; "here let's wander down this garden path. I want to talk to you." It was at the Hawkins garden party that this rather unconven toinal conversation took place Some of tile guests who noticed Bella and George Watkins walking slowly down the path which wound into the recesses of a pine grove smiled to each other and said: "Look! there goes Arabella Stuan and George Watkins. Heads close together in earnest conversation! My, my I That's a new combination Fred Waterhouse and Bertha Walnwright Waln-wright ought to behold that picture." pic-ture." And within twenty-four hours it was all over town "all over town" being figurative and not literal that Arabella Stuart had, at last, given up trying to catch Fred Waterhouse and was making a "dead set" at George Watkins. who had shamefully thrown over Bertha Walnwright ! It certainly did look as if there was something in these rumors, for at every social function now, wherever wher-ever you saw Arabella you saw George, they seemed to have conversations con-versations and eyes for none but each other. Bertha's "dear friends," after the manner of "dear friends" under like circumstances, condoled with her upon the outrageous conduct con-duct of her recreant lover, quite prepared to mingle their tears with hers and thoroughly enjoy the misery mis-ery they were inflicting. But Bertha, Ber-tha, to their surprise, tossed her pretty head and declared that George was of age and quite free to do his own picking and choosing as far as she was concerned. One of Fred Waterhouse's "candid friends," when he approached Fred on the subject, received for reply: "See here, just drop that, will you?" and everybody agreed that Fred was "awfully cut up" at Bella's faithlessness. "But I guess he'll survive," said they, "for you can see him laughing and chatting with Bertha Wainwright at every party you go to." "Hearts caught on the rebound!" murmured a sentimental sen-timental miss. "Change partners for the next figure," laughed a girl of the "sporty" character. All this and more could not fail, of course, of reaching the ears of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart, fond parents par-ents of the fair Arabella. Mrs. Stuart was shocked; Mr. Stuart was furious. "What can Bella be thinking of?" groaned Mrs. Stuart. "George Watkins lias no fortune." "If he had all the money that Croesus is said to have had. he should not marry my daughter," cried Papa Stuart. "The son of that old thief, Tim Watkins who did me out of fifty thousand dollars in that coffee deal marry a daughter daugh-ter of mine! His grandfather was a pirate and tils fathtr a robber. I want none of that breed in my family." fam-ily." When Bella, who had been on a short visit to a friend in a neighboring neigh-boring town, returned to the paternal pater-nal mansion, she found Father Stuart and Mother Stuart waiting for her with knives of sarcasm sharpened and clubs of command uplifted. And then Ihey fell upon her attacked her savagely before she could get her hat and gloves off. Bella wept. "Well," she managed to soh out at last, "you wouldn't let me marry Fred Waterhouse. Mother said his social standing wasn't high enough, and you said he was a spendthrift and if George Watkins " "Don't let me ever hear you mention men-tion the name of Watkins again," roared Father Stuart, and the fond mother put in, "Do jou want to live and die a pauper? His father lost Ill's money In Wall street after cheating your father. I'd rather see you married to Fred Wuinriglil than George Watkins." "Marry the Old Nick if you want to," cried the doting father, "but you shan't marry a Watkins!" "Very well." said Bella, drying her eyes, "I'll marry Fred thpn. Will lie do as well as the old gentleman you named, father?" "Oh. George." said Bella, that eve ning at a bridge party "it worked beautifully. Fred and I are going to be married next month. He's awfully obliged to you for helping us out. And tell Bertha she's a dear for the way she went through with it. Let's have a double wedding." (Copyrl!-' t) |
