The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.)

ain. I told her so straight out in the first angry flush of my rejection-but this string busine

at I'm engaged and

lly. "You're as free as free, Ezra. You can go

fess it gave me a kind of savage pleasure to

rry before her elder sister! I always thought it was beautiful of Freddy (she was named Frederica, you know) to be always so sweet and tender and grateful about Eleanor; but sometimes gratitude can be carried altogether too far, even if you are an orphan

hat she herself had failed. She's awfully frank about those things, Ezra-surprisingly frank. I don't see why being an old m

ve had heaps of offe

st

remarked cheerfully. "Why

st night that she wa

. I saw a gleam of hope. Why shouldn't Elea

ee years ago,

s beginning-"Tell me some more about him," I went on. I'm a plain business man and hang on to an idea like a bulldog; once I

ame, where he

our Pullman drawing-room twice over-to Doctor Jones and his mother, and also to ourselves. Y

she" (it was on the tip of my tong

marry a man who was her

was

ce, and all that, and tremendously

to chase him up instantly.

was going to New York

from him again? I mean, wa

es

ven know if he ha

N

r d

N

ything

N

s his fi

let me think ...

ones, then, N

aughed f

his Sherlock Holmes business-backward and forward, you know. Let's take Doctor

York

and ends there,

es

r would marry him if I did manage

t sure

t. You told me yourself that she-I wa

y ref

t sorry she hadn't acce

much, does it?" I

quite seriously. She always hides her feeling

very difficult famil

orphan-"

ng to find tha

crazy. How could you t

little gir

second

as crying and smiling both at once. I took the little case she gave me-it was like

at the f-f-full of the moon. It's supposed to be l-l-lucky. It was given to

d I started brav