Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1904 — A HOPELESS CASE [ARTICLE]

A HOPELESS CASE

Mrs. Desmond was a supreme disposer of men. They were the pawns in the checkered game of her life. She could mate In a move. Marriage was a sort of homicidal mania with her. Nobody ever made the slightest resistance against her decrees. When she thought it proper for a man to propose to a girl she simply told him that the hour had arrived. She was as Incontrovertible as the guillotine. But Tony Seton was Mrs. Desmond’s despair. Three times had she invited him to her country house, and twite had he returned unbeguiled Into marriage. Now she was In despair. Mrs. Desmond was honestly fond of Tony Seton. She would have done almost anything for him, except let him remain single. That was too much even for her affection. “Bachelors and funerals I hate.” she said. Tony, even though he were a bachelor, she could not hate. He was too big and brown and boyish for that. Nobody ever hated him. “Tony,” said Mrs. Desmond one morning, “Tony, I am going to give you one more chance. A girl is coming to see me—charming girl—by that I mean a rich girl. That Is my idea of a charming girl. Her name is Viola Lorimer. Now, Tony,” and Mrs. Desmond shook her forefinger at him menacingly, “this is your very last chance. Think of all I have done for you. You have been almost ns much trouble and worry to me as my husband was. He was a singularly thoughtless man until he conceived the idea of dying. Well, I suppose every one has .one clever idea some time—only 60 few act upon it. You have been my despair for three years. You’d be a widower with a lot of money if you had been expeditious. And now you’ve let Fanny Russell engage herself to this—this cousin.” “But I don’t love any girls,” expostulated Tony, getting redder as his hostess enumerated his delinquencies. ~ “Love them!” she exclaimed scornfully. “I am talking of marriage. Now, I want you to make up your mind—or whatever you call it—to marry Viola Lorimer. She is a woman of the world, and you will be admirably suited to each other. Incidentally, she is very rich. Will you promise to do this for me? Really, you owe me something.” “You have been awfully good to me,” acknowledged Tony. “Of course I have,” she agreed. “I have been perfect to you. Did I ever make you do anything disagreeable, 6uch as getting me ices at parties or dancing with dull debutantes? Never.” “But you want me to marry some one.” “Any one,” she corrected. “In small matters like that I may he exlgeante, I own, but in big worldly affairs I am extremely liberal. I never made you leave cards after one dinner before I asked you to another, did I?” “No.” “There, you see! You will never have a friend like me, not even if you live to be a thousand. Now, you must ask Miss Lorimer to marry you.” “rerhaps she won’t,” suggested Tony, with a suspicion of hope in his voice. “Oh, pooh!” said Mrs. Desmond conclusively. “She will jump at you. You are very good looking. Do you know that, Tony? Only you must be careful not to get fat. You big fair people so often get fat in your old age. Let me see, how old are you? Twenty-eight! Heavens! You ought to have been married ages ago.” In due course Tony Seton was introduced to Miss Lorimer, and he was fain to acknowledge that she was charming. Tony, who had never known a moment of fear in his whole life, realized that he was in great danger. He had killed grizzlies in the Rocky mountains, and he had hunted tigers in Indian jungles, but he felt very insecure when, a week after his intrhduction, he found himself in the leafy seclusion of the conservatory alone with Miss Lorimer. Tony asked her to marry him and she refused him point blank. She explained that she was engaged already. She let Tony hold her hand, however. Tony was not above those things, even though he was unmarried. Later he told Mrs. Desmond that he had been refused, and Mrs. Desmond was furious. She stamped her foot — it was so small and daintily shod that such displays of rage were picturesque —and finally, from sheer disappointment and chagrin, she began to cry. She was going back to London on the following day, and Tony unengaged. Somebody must marry Tony. It was grotesque. Poor Tony had never seen Mrs. Desmond do anything but laugh, and he had always laughed with her. He hesitated an Instant, wondering what to do, and then suddenly she found herself In his arms. "I love you,” whispered Tony. “So do I,” she said irrelevantly. "And I want to marry you,” he added. And Mrs. Desmond gave his big hand a little squeeze and dried her eyes and smiled again. “So do I,” she reiterated. Then Tony kissed her. “I wouldn’t have had you go back to London unengaged for—for anything,” confessed Mrs. Desmond.—London San.