The Fifth Clause.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 28 September 1907, Page 4

The Fifth Clause.

Little Mrs. Burton, a widow, fair, alonder, and some, twenty-seven years of age, grace'ully inclined her head. "Peggy," she said, "let mo present Mr. Mannering—an old friend of mine—Miss Burton, Mr. Mannering." « Mannering was a fellow well on in the thirties—probably thirty-five—but he did not look it. Ho had a clear-cut face and a good chin. Miss Peggy Burton was just of ago, and with the kind of brown eyes and wavy brown bail that mee« the approval of all mankind. Maunering, at any rate, looked upon bur—and found her good. And young Mrs. Burton, she looked ut Mannoring, and dreamed dreams of the good old times, Borne seven years before—before she bad married James T. Burton, of the BurtonHeteher Company, iron founders and steel casters. Mrs. Burlon was a sensible young woman, and James T. Burton, who had been a hard headed old chap, had married her because, she was sensible. But little Mrs. Burton had always beea something more than sensible —she had ever been sentimental. Peggy was just a bit of a fly-away ; the harum-scarum chaps, who were handsome and devil-nmy-caro had always been attractive to her, and Burton was fearful of her future choice. " If you hadn't a cent, in tho world, Peggy, as your-mother hadn't when I married her," no used to say, " you could be sure they loved you, but you must remember that there's something about you besides yourself that has some attraction, too, and that's your money, Peggy, girl-your money. Don't forget it." "My money," whispered Peggy, wideeyed. " I never thought of that." Whether Peggy's father practiced what ho preached is another question. Whether young Mrs. Burton, his second wife, had married him for himself or for his money is a question that no one but young Mrs. Burton can ever answer. So far she has never said. Bui having married her, and seeing mainly the practical, prudent side of her nature, Tamos T. hid had such confidence in his roung wife that in bis last will and testament bo had insetted the following significant ilause ; Fifth. Unto my beloved daughter, Marjaret Elizabeth Burton, i give,' devise and icuueath the other two-thirds of all my istate, real and personal, wheresoever situile, to her and to her heirs forever; upon ho express condition, however, that if my aid daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Burton .hall marry without the consent of her stepnother, my beloved wife Kate Gordon Bnr-

[ ton, thou tlio said two-thirds of my said , estate shall iumiedi-.itely vest iu my said , wife iind her heirs forever. : Now youn» Mrs. Burton, young though , she now was, at one time was iv younger . gild, like Poggr. And at Peggy's age she had met a man, and the mail's name was John Mannering. John. Mannering was a fine mixture of a man's man ami a woman's man, but he had beau brought up in a bis house Willi an old uncle, and he had an odd air of earnestness that at times had caused him to bo mistaken by others. Ho had admired Kaihcrine Gordon Burton when she was merely Katheiino Gordon, and he had in his unconventional way made this admiration anparcnk. And young Catherine Gordon at "the time hud naturally believed this honest-admiration to be—well, something more, at any rate. And she believed it yet. And she had never forgotten. But John Mannering. somewhat of his own accord and by virtue of controlling circumstances, had moved easily, and gradually out of her life. That was all—all, except that now, two years after the death of James I'. Burton, Mannering had moved easily and gradually into it once more. And she had invited him to dine, and had introduced him to her stepdaughter, Miss Peggy Burton. And she hoped' that John Mannering might say what at a former tinio he had left unsaid. "If there is anybody in this world that I lovo," said Miss Peggy Burton to Mr. John Mannering, "His Kitty Cat. I do lovo her and no mistake." Mr. Mannering was somewhat puzzled. I prefer dogs myself," ho replied, "now 9 Gordon setter, with " But Miss Peggy's smile was too broad not to check him. "I mean Kate," slio answered. " Kate? " said Mr. Mannering. "My stepmother," returned Miss Peggy, with emphasis. " Oh, yes, yes, to be sure," returned Burton, " I'm just about as stupid as they make 'em. You love her. Yes, yes, so did I, so did I, to be sure." "What —lovo her," asked Miss Peggy, with wide open eyes, but with a smile fust ready at a second's notice. "Miss Peggy," said Mannering, with a frown wh.ch he turned into a laugh, " you are taking advantage of my stupidity. But I warn you that I am not so stupid as I seem. I have always liked Mrs. Burton, and I like her now, and always shall like her." Miss Peggy, later, made a confident of Mrs. Burton. "Mr. Mannering," she announced to that ludy, "says that ho loved you once. What do you think of that." Mrs. Burton blushed. "Peggy," she exclaimed, "he never said that." " I swear," said Toggy, truthfully m that ho said that and nothing olse." r Mrs. Burton l.uighed lightly. "Inipudonee," she exclaimed, speaking in mild reproof of Mannering. Mannering came quite often. Hcseemed glad to come. He had been away for some years, and what friendships ho had had were broken asunder by time, and he was glad to see and bo seen by these two womeu'of tho Burton household. He. divided hisaitontionscarefully between tho two. To Miss Burton he was a mere stranger, and he hud been introduced by her young stepmother. It was to herself that she was different. Manuering's presence bad laten hev back Borne seven years to tho lime when she nad thought that perhaps It v.a; on tiio night before the Pariamon reception that she felt quite sure. Mannering hud been so embarrassed on that evening—so apparently distraught. He had answered boi'n her and Peggy in monosyllables. And mum, she was quite rure, be had looked at her as he ought to look, if " John Mannering has come back to me to me," she whispered to herself ;.<■;• „; ,',t. It was tho middle of the owning at the Pariamon reception. The crowd wor rushing Awards the dining-room. Mrs. Burton found herself in tow of a gallant old hem w!'.ow:i-,a»e;i-.ral (.ivovilo, and she oermitted hhn to lake her out. There was ono among the ciowd who did not rush. This one w.i; a young woman. She stepped unnoticed into a small am! deserted conservatory and thitil a tall, broad-shouldered young fellow Strode to the door, looked in, saw her and then rushed forward. " I—l came," said the girl in trembling tones, " I promised you I would." "i on -you," began the man. And then he slopped, for she was looking at him. "'P' ggl'> Peggy," he cried, clasping her in Ins arms. " I Jove yon, love yon, love £ ni \'", /-'-hid her fuee upon his shoulder, but nekissed her wavy hair. " I—l love you, Peggy girl," he cried. Once more the girl looked into bis eyes. " I love you, too, John Mannering," she saw.

The next morning Peggy spoke to her slopmother, Mrs. Barton. "John Manneriii" proposed to me hut night," she said simply'; but desperately, too. The young widow suddenly turned white. I roposed to you," she murmured. " Impossible I" . Peggy laughed. "It seems so, doesn't it ? •■ she answered. " I can hardly realise it all. She stepped to her stepmother's side. "You introduced me to him, Kitty Cat," she said. "I want to thank you, and I want to kiss you." "No no," answered Mrs. Burton, " don't hiss mo—not yet. Not until I think about it. Not until I think whether it is a—agood thing for—for you." Peggy was puzzled. " A good thing—for me, she repeated. " Why shouldn't it be a good thing forme?" n/' l-^ 1 feel res Po"sible, Kilty," went on Mrs. Burton. "I want to he sure that everything is right. As you say, I introduced you and I—l feel responsible." Peggy laughed. "I'll take the responsibility, Kitty Cat," she answered. "I shall ■absolve you. Wo'll take it, John and I." i The last three words—"John and I" ' made achangein Mrs. Burton. No visible change ; but a change which was perfectly and purposely obvious to herself and to herself alone. She was filled with a great self-pity. She had been imposed upon, so she believed. She believed that John Mannoring had deceived her seven years before; and that he had come back to her only to deceive her again. And Peggy—Peggy had been forward —presumptuous ; anything that was unconventional and inconsiderate. Mannoring was hers, Kate Gordon's, and Peggy had dohDorately robbed her of him. " She had no right," she kept exclaiming, " she baa no right." And her heart harden ed towards Peggy and towards Manneriii". If she could only prevent it 1 And then suddenly a cry escaped her—a cry that she was afraid had been heard outside her room. "Thowilll" she exclaimed ; "tho willl" She hurriedly took it from her desk and scanned it. There it was-tho fifth clause; there was no doubt about it. With that fifth clause as a weapon she could do one of throe things. Sho could make John Mannering falter—and withdraw. This she confessed to herself, might be impossible. Or she could make Peggy falter and withdraw, This, she assured herself, judging Foggy by he* love of good living and her appreciation of luxury, was quite possible. 'Or third she could consign them both to poverty—for Mannoring was far otherwise than rich ; and she l'olt that Peggy after the glamour had worn off would miss keenly that which she had never lacked— the use of money. Peggy could not stand it, and Peggy and John Mannering would suffer —and it would serve them right. j And, accordingly, she refused her consent j to the wedding of Peggy Burton and John Mannering. Sho told Peggy about it, and I gave 1 eggy an abundance of reasons. ; . Peggy, who never once doubted Manner- ] ing, asked him one day whether he were not ! attracted by her money rather than herself. j "lour money," answered Mannering re- ' pronclifully. Then he smiled. "I might ' be," he went on, "if you had any. But you ! haven't got any." I " Haven't got any?" she said in a puzzled ' sort of way. "Exactly," he replied, "at least that's i what Bobby Smith told me at the club. He said old Bur—your fathor, I mean, Peggyhad left the whole thing to his wife, Mrs. Burton. I—l didn't ask about it, you tin- i derstand " " I'll bet you did," said Peggy. "No, I didn't," protested Mannering : earnestly, •' but the fellows talk about every, j

thing that goes on down there, and that'i how I picked it up. I assumed he was right. But have you any money ? That's the question." Pnggy reported this conversation to her stepmother. The latter merely smiled. " I know John Mannering, Peggy," she explained. "I know him and you do not." "I know him well enough," said Peggy. Then Peggy told Mannering about the edict which had gone forth—the withholding of the consent of Mrs. Burton. Mannering in his turn was puzzled but not troubled. "When we are ready, Peggy, gnl," he said gently, "invite your—your mother to the wedding, and we will be married in a quiet sort of way. When you are ready," ho repeated. Then he thought of the clause in the will and of Peggy's future. " If ybu are ever ready Peggy," he added. Sho looked him in the face. "lam always ready," John Mannering," Bhe said, knowing that he feared that the withheld consent had some significance to her, They told her, when they were ready, Mrs. Burton stated th'a.t she could not well attend, because her presence would bo an assent in itself This she told to Peggy. On the night before the wedding, Mrs. Burton crept downstairs and crouched low

near the entrance to the room where sat Jonn Mannering and Peggy Burton. Under normal conditions Mrs. Burton would not have done .this—she did, not know why she did it now.

She crouched and listened. She was there to hear what was said, and she heard it. Finally she crept away and sought her own room. "Ho loves her," she whispered to herself, "he loves her as I—as I loved him. And he never loved me. I know it now. He never loved me, nnd he never pretended that ho loved me. But he loves her, just as J love him—him, John Mannering." It was a white night for Mrs. Kate Gordon Burton—a sleepless night. But white nights and sleepless nights sometimes are good things. And Mrs. Burton found that night so, at any rate. The next day John Mannering and Peggy Burton stepped out, entered a carriage together, drove to the parsonage, and were married. It was simple enough. "You are cut looso from the estate of James T. Burton," said Mannering to her, after the ceremony, "I am hound to you for life," said Peggy. " I guess it's a fair exchange." "Not more than Unit?" a=ked Mannering. "Not so much," said Peggy, indulging now in airy persiflage. " We shall go," said Mannering gravely, "to pay our respects tq " '.' Your mother-in-law," interposed Peggy. "My motber-in-law," said Mannering; " that is only right. And then we'll start—" " On our honeymoon," said Peggy, the ir reprcssible. They went back to the Burton mansion. Mrs. Burton met them at tho door. She was dressed iu her very latest frock and her face was wreathed in smiles.' She grasped Mannering by the hand and Clasped Peggy about the neck. "Peggy, Peggy," she exclaimed. " I—l was only fooling. I—l never meant it. I only wanted to bo sure—very, very sure—that you two people meant—meant " "Business," said Peggy. "Business," said Mrs. Burton, "is the word. I wanted to be sure andlsouldn't be sure until—until to-day. Now I saw—l know for sure." She handed over a tiny bit of paper. It read as follows; " Twplve o'clock ; the night before tho wedding. The undersigned, wi<bx tf James P. Burton, hereby gives her express ssseent to the marriage of Margaret Elizabeth Burton and John Mannering, as provided for by the Fifth Clause of the will of said James T. Burton, God bless you. Kate G. Buivton." By W. H. Osborne" in American Exchange,