The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 196: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

666 The old man patted her hand affec- . fast. tionately. He was pleased at her do- cility. It was the right attitude, be- coming in one of her high rank. “Tam very sorry, my dear; but— oh, no; oh, no; oh, no—”’ His voice trailed away into an unintelligible mut- ter. He was a very old man, and he was not always able to concentrate his thoughts on a subject for any length of time. So little did Ted Brady realize at first the true complexity of the situ- ation that he was inclined, when he heard the news, to treat the crisis in the jaunty, dashing, love-laughs-at- locksmiths fashion so popular with young men of spirit when thwarted in their loves by the interference of par- ents and guardians. It took Katie some time to convince him that—just because he.had the license in his pocket —he could not snatch her up on his saddle-bow and carry her off to the nearest clergyman after the manner of young Lochinvar. In the first flush of his resentment at restraint he saw no reason why he should differentiate between old Mr. Bennett and the conventional banns- forbidding father of the novelettes with which he was accustomed to sweeten his hours of idleness. To him, till Katie explained the in- tricacies of the position, Mr. Bennett was simply the proud millionaire who would not hear of his daughter mar- rying the artist. “But, Ted dear’ you don’t under- stand,” Katie said. “We= simply couldn’t do that. There’s no one but me to look after him, poor old man. How could I run away like that and get married? What would become of him? ” “You wouldn't be away long,” urged Mr. Brady, a man of many parts, but not a rapid thinker. “ The minister would have us fixed up in- side of half an hour. Then we'd look in at Mouquin’s for a steak and fried just to make a sort of wedding-break- THE ARGOSY. ~* And then back we’d come, hand- in-hand, and say, ‘ Well, here we are. Now what?’ ” ‘““He would never forgive me.” “That,” asserted Ted judicially, “would be up to him.” “Tt would kill him. Don’t you see, we know that it’s all nonsense, this idea of his; but he really thinks he is the king, and he’s so old that the shock of my disobeying him would be too much. Honest, Ted, I couldn’t.”’ Gloom unutterable darkened Ted Brady’s always serious countenance. The difficulties of the situation were beginning to come home to him. He began to perceive that this was not a matter which could be carried through with the high hand and the defiant laugh.. The more he examined the problem the less capable of solution did it seem. ‘Maybe if I went and saw him—’”’ he suggested at last. “You could,’ said Katie doubt- fully. Ted tightened his belt with an air of determination, and bit resolutely on the chewing-gum which was his inseparable companion. “Tt will,” he said. “You'll be nice to him, Ted?” He nodded. He was the man of action, not words. It was perhaps ten minutes before he came out of the inner room in which Mr. Bennett passed his days. When he did there was no sign of jubilation on his face. His brow was darker than ever. Katie looked at him anxiously. He returned the look with a somber shake of the head. “ Nothing doing,” he said shortly. He paused. ‘Unless,’ he added, “you count it anything that he’s made .me an earl.” In the next two weeks several brains busied themselves with the situation. Mr. Murdoch scratched his head, thought tensely for three days, and then said that it had got Ais goat. COMicdoo S CO@