LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2543, 2 June 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

WANTED—A SON-IN-LAW. By Arthur Lot. Fiction. ( Continued .) Baring all this questioning Noil had stood there erect and stern-looking. He did not like it in the least; but ho had resolvtd that, if Mary Harlot wished to put her love on an advertising basis, ho would meet her there. Of course, It he had not been angry, ho would have soon that they conld not go on on that basis. Mary had not uttered a single word. bho had leaned against tho ta' I with her eyes cast on tho floor and hot blushes on her cheeks, when the captain had finished his list of interrogations, ho turned to Mary and said : ‘Mr Stanton seems to oomo up to the standard we had fixed.’ * We, father ?’ ‘ Well, that I had fixed. He suits me well enough ; what do you say ?’ ‘ Nothing,’ said Mary, slowly. ‘ He’s entitled to an answer,’ said the captain. Mary raised her face and looked steadily at Nell. There were no tears in her eyes i but they looked as eyes do after long weeping. ‘ 1 am entitled to an answer,’ Bald Noil, without yielding one particle of his firmness. ‘ You ?’ said she, in a low tone.

‘ I,’ answered Neil, as she paused. ‘You come here,’ continued she; ‘in answer to that advertisement ?’

: Yes.’ ‘ And yon ask my father to comply with Its terms 1' ‘ I do,’

‘Yon, yon—never.’ Mary moved hastily toward the door. ‘Mary,’ exclaimed her father, She half-turned, as her hand fell on the door-knob, and uttered one word: ‘ Never 1’ Then she left the room. For a moment there was absolute silence in the room. The captain was the first to break it. ‘Well, Mr Stanton,’ said ho; ‘you have hod your answer.’ ‘ By no means,’ said Neil, as his face grew, if possible, more stern ; ‘ You advertised for a son-in-law ?’ ‘ Yes,’ answered the captain. ‘ And I possess all the qualities which yon reqn're ?’ Nell asked, * Yes,' ‘ Then I Insist upon occupying the position.’ ‘ Insist ?’ said Captain Hariot, as he drew np his figure to its fall height and looked sternly at the young man. * I Insist,’ said Neil, firmly. ‘No one insists in this bouse,’ said the captain. ‘YiU have heard my daughter’s answer, and now I quite concur in it,’ ‘ When you advertised,’ said Neil: * yon incurred certain reaponsibllies. I mean to hold you to those, if there is any law in the land. Good day, sir.’ Neil bowed gravely, and then walked ont of the room and out of the house. ' Well, I’m b'.owed!’ remarked the captain. Nell walked baok to his sister’s house, walked into the house, walked to her sittingroom, and, almost mechanically, dropped on the sofa. * What have yon done ?’ asked Mrs Edwards, as. she sprang to her feet and approached her brother. * Made a fool of myself,’ answered he, bitt rly. They were wonderfully unlike for brother and sister. She was small and dark, in which particulars aha resembled her mother, while he had inherited his tall figure and light complexion from hla father. Yet, when one looked at them cartfully, it was very easy to see a strong family resemblance in their faces. Mrs Edwards sat down beside her brother.

•Tell me what you did.’ * I answered the advertisement.’ ‘Very well,’ said she: ‘what was the result?'

*l’ve offended both May and her father'' * I feared that !’ exclaimed Mrs Edwards ‘ Why did they advertise, then, ’ asked he, bitterly : *if they Intended to be offended by the people who answered !’ ‘Oh I should hava told yon !’ exclaimed Mrs Edwards. * Told me what.’ * They didn’t advertise, ’ answered she, ‘ Didn’t —’ Neil paused in his speech, put his hand in his pocket, pulled out his copy of tho ‘Clarion,’ and pointed to tho advertisement. ‘lf they didn't advertise,’ said he ; ‘what do you call that ?’ ‘Oh, I know,’ said Mrs Edwards : ‘and I should have explained it if you had not made me so angry when yon first arrived, ’ * Bnt yon sent this paper,’ urged he. ‘ Yes, of course,' said she ; 1 meant it for a joke ; but that’s always the way when yon joke with serious people,’ ‘A joke!’ exclaimed ho ; ‘Did you put this In the paper ?’ ‘Oh, no,’ s»id she promptly. ‘No,’ added he ; * for the captain acknowledged it to be his.’ ‘ There it Is,’ said Mrs Edwards ; ‘ The captain insisted upon having it put in the paper, but we didn’t put it in,’ Neil looked first at tho paper and then at his sister.

* Oh, of coarse, it’s there, and I’ll explain the whole thing.’ Thereupon Mrs Edwards gave a fall explanation to her brother of the manner in which the advertisement came to ba in the copy of the paper which he held in his hand.

‘So you see,’ said she, finally; ’Mary did not know that there was any copy of tho paper containing that advertisement in existence, except the one she had In her possession. 1 ‘ I wish there had not been,’ said Nell. ‘She must have been very much surprised,’ said Mrs Edwards; ‘ when you showed her year copy of the paper.’ ‘ Surprised !’ said he, slowly, ‘ she was Insalted. I can understand it all now.’ ‘ Insulted 1’ said Mrs Edwards.

‘ Can you not see, Marla, how humiliated she must have been ? Can yon not understand that, when she saw this paper in my band, she supposed that every copy of the ‘ Clarion ’ contained that advertisement ?’

'lam so sorry, ’ said Mrs Edwards; * I’ll go to her at once.’ 1 No,’ said Neil, as he rose from the sofa ; ‘ I will go to her. It was I who offended and humiliated her, and I must go to her.’ ‘I be.ieve yon are right,’ said Mrs Edwards. Neil at once left the honse. V,— Mary Relents. While she had been in Neil’s presence, Mary Harlot had managed to somewhat repress her emotion; but, as she left the room and moved to her own apartment, the tears filled her eyes. Once in her room, which was a front one on the second floor, she looked out of the window until she saw Nell leave the honsa and walk down the street. Then she wiped the tears from her eyes and went downstairs .At the hat rack In the hall stood Captain Harlot. He had pat his hat on his head and was looking for his stoutest oane. * Was such a thing ever heard of ?' ejaculated the captain. Having found the cane for which he was seeking, he struck the point of it sharply against the floor. ‘His rights, indeed!’exclaimed the captain, as he shook his stick at an Imaginary opponent. Just then his eyes fell on Mary, who was descending the stairs. ‘ I’m going for my walk, Mary,’ said he. 1 Insist in my honse !’ muttered the captain. as he went out of the door.

Mary walked Into the sitting room, Once there, she went straight to the book case, and, from its top shelf, she took down the copy of the ‘ Clarion ’ which had been delivered to her father. Sitting down in a chair, she opened It and found the wretched advertisement which had been pat In it at her father’s request. Unquestionably, then, she thought, the advertisement had, either by intention or mistake, been printed in the whole edition, for Neil Stanton had a copy of the “Clarion” which contained it. Although she was alone, her cheeks again burned at the idea of being put up to bo bid for by the public. She felt that she must bo a laughing stock throughout the community, and tho humllia-

tlon which she experienced again brought tears to her eyes. At that moment she neard tno sound of the front door-bell, and, before she could entirely recover from her emotion, Nell Stanton was ushered into the room. Mary at once roao to her feet, and, speaking as firmly as she could, said : • My father has gone out, Mr Stanton.’ ‘I did not come to see yonr father on this occasion,’ said he, speaking very gently. *1 hopo,’ said Mary, that you will excuse me from two interviews to-day.’ ‘I bog of you not to go away,’ said he, earnestly : ‘Pray hear me, now. What I have to say should not, I think, be postponed.’ Mary siood still in her place and bowed her head, as if giving him permission to apeak. His appearance was different now from what it had been on hia former visit. He still stood before her with a manly bearing; but there was no defiance, no hardness, no cruel pride, now. Hia laoe had softened, and his eyes now looked at her very tenderly. ‘lf yon wish to say anything,’ said she slowly : ‘ I will listen to yon, bnt I do not feel very strong.’ ‘Mary,’ said he, with much tenderness: ‘ I wish to apologise to you from the bottom of my heart for my conduct. I was mad, foolish —anything yon please—when I saw the woman—saw you pat up thus, in the public prints, for the highest bidder.’ When he began to speak Mary's eyes lighted up, and a smile of pleasure came upon her face ; but when he referred to the advertleemEnt, her eyes dropped upon the paper, and her expression quickly changed to a sorrowful one.

‘ Can you pardon me ?’ asked he, eagerly and earnestly. ‘ I am afraid, ’ said she slowly, that we are the ones to blame. You had a right to act as yon did, 1 suppose.’ ‘ It was not a question of right,’ said he, still speaking very earnestly. * Right had nothing to do with the matter. When I saw that thing in the paper I was wounded, humiliated to think that the woman I loved yon Mary, and oonld not bear to see snch a thing done.’ As he made bis confession, Mary looked ap at him suddenly with a somewhat startled look ; but his eyes were flaming too fiercely for her, and now he took her hand in his. •Mary,’said he, speaking very quickly, 1 will you bo my wife. ’ A flash of pleasure crossed Mary’s face, >ut she did not look. In answer to his query, however, she slowly and sadly shook her head. ‘ Mary,’ said ho, ‘do you not love me ?’ She looked at him pleadingly, as if begging him not to insist upon an answer. He construed her actions properly, however, and asked quickly,— * What stands between ns, then! ’ 1 This,' said Mary, as she slowly held np the copy of the ‘ Clarion ’ which had remained in her hand. ‘That?’ ejaculated he in surprise. ‘ Yes,’ said she. * Can I decently give to a man the humiliation of being reminded of the faot that his wife had advertised in the public prints for a husband ? It is humiliating enough for me to endure that reproach without compelling yon to bear it.’ ‘Oh I ’ said Neil, with a sigh of relief. ‘And yet,’ said Mary, more to herself than to him, * I didn’t know —’ Neil still held he» hand in his, and he at once placed hia unoccupied hand lightly on her waist. In her excitement she did not notice that. As he was sure that he knew what she was about to say, he did not hesitate about interrupting her. ‘ls that the only reason, Mary P ’ he atked. ‘That is not kind,’answered she. ‘Mary,’ said he, ‘I do not care a pin for all the humiliation or reproach that may coma from that advertisement * Hia arm was slowly tightening aronnd her waist. ‘ I am very sorry for what I said and did this morning.’ continued he. * Oh, Neil I ’ murmnrred she. His arm kept moving slightly aronnd her waist. {To be continued )