The day book. [volume], September 09, 1912, Image 19

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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1 known, struggling ta maintain
t families on two thousand a year
all he could ever hope to raise to,
after years' of service. For Ferj
rand had not the money-making
instinct,
"Yes, sir," he said.
1 "Come in, Miss Kent," palled
the lawyer briskly, and Edith
Kent stepped composedly into the
room from Mr. Hoppner's office.
, '"Now1lrerrand, the Situation is
this," said Mr. Mills, "Miss Kent
inherits four million dollars if she
marries within a certain period.
That period expires tomorrow
night. She, like yqurself, is not
inclined toward -matrimony. If
s you will go through the form of
marriage with her, you will re-
j ceivc not twenty, but fifty thou-
r sand dollars, immediately after
the'ieremony you will depart and
' never see her or me again. I
. know I can rely on your honor.
Do you agree?"
John thought of the mother
'. whom he supported, of hi little
' 'sister, destined to, the drudgery
t of a stenographer' desVunless
"I agree," he answered
'' '
1 v .
Love at first sight, at which we
!; practical people 'scoff, is never
'u theless,-a not infrequent phenom
f - enon. The strangeness - of that
agreement, a haunting-memory of
J Miss Kent's blue eyes, her hau
.teur, her superb manners, her
y charm above all that indefinable
and elusive thing which we Sud
denly see in someone of the other
sex, which sets the pulses throh
tj 1 thgand the heart yearningthis
JscDt T ohn Ferrand awake all
night. And when the brief cere
mony in theJawyer's Office was
over, Ferrand realized that for.
the first time in his life he was in
love deeply and wildly in love
with this woman, his wife, whom
he was never to claim. He chok
ed; he could .not look into her,
face.
"I thank you, Mr. Ferrand,"
she said composedly. "Andnowy
since we shall never meet again
well, you may see me to the
Pennsylvania terminal. I aril go
ing west to visit myisfer, You
have been paid ?"
(,,More than pafd? he stammer
ed- i
"There were two hours tewqit,
They sat down in a restaurant to'
dine. Ferranjl'never-vafterAyard
knew how it. happened; he was
conscious only of the .misery of
the impending separation. Like
a man in a dream, or one delirious,
he stammered out his love. He
asked only a chance to win heii
some day, whetfhe', too, had gone
west and made a man of himself,
demonstrated his right to win
her. He ended by tearing the
check to atom's and casting the
pieces on the floor. All the while
Edith listened gravely.
"I don't think I have the right
to utter a positive refusal, Mr.
Ferrand," she answered. "You
were foolish to destroy that check
but I honor you alLthe more for
it, and I shall not press the money
on you. But I must 'think I
don't know." "
But afterward, in the taxicab,
she relented. He held her hand
and poured out the words that
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