Weekly Mail

OLD DUMLEY'S CON- SENT Misunderstanding that e'ped a Lover's Difficulty, u^e^aiwley was a manipulator of the lteliho trade, profession, and means of was 1 t*8 8mallWkS gardening. His plot of ground /^ted ti skilful management had ex- t °tin<i 11 ere^rom a oomfortable income. "Pport,^ e &arden ran a high brick wall, »l-be&vy growth of grape vines. waB another lot, upon which .It WaseT bad cast many a longing eye. ti!S ^as*\wbathe needed to supplement I)reilliaes and e lable him to supply ?r°Un^ w?r.0us c''t7 orders. This spot of v' Was down on the tax books as %le; w°u'^ s°me day be for sale, and old BotV 38 res°Ived to be the purohaser. Purpose he had long shaped his T>t* toad u w^en las* the announcement Prip6 Was 9ee^ a8en^ f«e as^ed was moderate, but, as Dumley '^ibifciexperience the inadvisability of EST 'S signs 0f baste or earnestness in jj'Vsle °* business, he deemed it best to Q8in U8Ua^) an<i scoff at the idea of its SQch a sum, and so, after making I to gi" e oalled R fair offer, he went away R(1' be agent time to consult his land- ew days later when he called to learn he was tilled with chagrin cn learn- Oj^ was already sold. bgjj "ftiley quenched his disappointment Jj'tCn °ouid, and went bome to moralise, <J;sj ?nf°rtunate event predetermined him j his new neighbours, and this 1 th ^a8 ^^her intensified cn his learning { '4nd a e Purchasers were going to cultivate the S J'* When Richard Somersand f 'udu were finally ensconced upon 6 °0a^ not help but treav them rather f>f°^re8 UtlUner the *lV0 gardeners made little Ms8 toffard an acquaintanceship, and IHle»niers.was not s'ow suspect that old S|<1 tua^.c°nsidered him a prig. So long as the ck » 8 S°odvv ill was the sole consideration, if willing to remain indif- it seems that oAd Dumley had a t, ,r, and a remarkably fine-looking one Nrw !J'^k was not long in learning of her "ty j, and somehow after this he felt that 5uired him to try to soften the old tie U- this generally began in some such way as jjfle ofc^ance brought him to the opposite !}e brick wall. It's a nice day, Mr. ^Iti ^eaning upon his hoe-handle in the as though anticipating a brief ces- toid 0 toil on the part of the old gentle- ''G grlltt ood enough, I guess," would come the while the old man, turning fip, soon be well started on the home ,ltQ0^ other end he would probably an<i smoke his pipe, much to Dick's cation. tj0ungpeople finally became acquainted, h Ill0re ^ick saw of Carrie Dumley the Other's treatment of him ground • I was good-natured and full of Mofg father was phlegmatic and sour. K ^On K SUmmer was over be realised that everything of Carrie Dumley, and ?0ru}e SorQe hope that she liked him. Mrs. fr WaB a kind-hea ted old lady, entirely **ke 8L0111 Prejudices, nit for her husband's jjient e did not seem to favour the attach- V 80 Dick was never invited to the Carrie met, however, quite fre- V bef an^ ^t,^e wal^s together, and n end of August, were engaged. Woar,rje had confessed that she loved him, ion marry fa'Wj but only on one con- i°^ must procure her father's per- fiA a condition seemed nothing in ^rar,3P:,rts of his joy, but after their ^ent had been a fortnight old, and >ith .Ur rie insisted upon his negotiating ^8*1) ter father immediately, he suddenly *V °realise ;he awfulness of the under- ^is forsook him, and be tried to K** rr'e to some other course, but she • f4o Urate, and would do nothing without ers consent. Poor Dick had nothing t the inevitable, and yet he pro- e< Hundreds of times a day he j'lil,; e't from his work for the purpose of .*5» A brick wall, but his heart •1*Ue<j uttered, so that in sheer despair he K^i<LllUle longer. Carrie finally grew h if h ^er Iover» and flatlytold ^im ?6f8he Was too craven-hearted to ask for |° he g w°uld have nothing to do with him, aVe a final promise to have the matter thPeediIy- i next day his heart thumped and [ » he ,n a manner beyond all precedent, | cl°?ely watched for old Dumley's >olio?cein the garden. At last he heard c?eH Jj- bi8 hoe. Without stopping to »'4 l0n'8 Perturbation, he ran down between Jto"r°W8 of cabbages to the garden wall. faCe0t)?eiit more he would have stood face k*4 in Wl^ the paternal [monster. His foot r'olC) a orevice, his hand on the topmost ■fyj'u then he hesitated. eh^lT,e 'twas no procrastinating impulse H v ed him, nor sense of embarrass- bad heard his name mentioned. Ns* 110 eavesdropper, but the circum- 'Ib. ere peculiar, so he listened. v es ^arrie was Alr8, Dumley i|;ed t th'8- HoW bis heart fluttered as he tft*' Ve# ?r answer. » Sai;i old Dumley, in his gruffest !0t to I'ke* her, but I" tell you we have i°0<I for k'm' He is nothing but a "V°tbiiig dog —a low lived mongrel, t0 J .18 niore, he's a thief. I tell you we've 'Retrid of him." u'8. J) not a little too severe P returned t Rently. He may prove better °f hia an<^ Carrie>y°u know, is quite th* a 60 'ft.urne<i the old man. "I tell you h»o'aUie° •or"no^bing pup" and more in hft«»jVein. but Dick didn't hear it He J*is fir?tenou«h- b»i h- lniPu^se had been to leap the wall 'cnuckles into the old slanderous was Carrie's father, and that V be 1 Enraged by the words to been an unwilling listener, he ^etl4y 0f 0 the house and trod his room in a ftllger and mortifioation. He ren- pother uneasy by refusing supper, ^eal'hy appetite had fled. There 6 *t0 siastain the demon of I Tp0n^rest that filled his bosom. i<4 I he we^ as^'D8 ^or Carrie after *eti°hed f&r<^ to-^ay," be muttered between his i h* The old vilUin»t0 talk that uc- he'6 Cd to collect his thoughts, but they «Ulct*teh05,y"tarvey to co^eete^- Finally, lj^ted « a brief note to his beloved and totally r1t^le post-office. While rushing rW ,al°ng who should run up against Wh oi,rie herself. rv lk, how you frightened me she to at'a little cry of delight. il* et, ana/Ped and thrust the note into his «u for a moment looked at her in a CjWWdn!°,rt ot '^le> P 1 what's the matter?" cried • e has, \father reused ? tagl^Peaoh^ °nl/ refused, Carrie, but he ««^*8elvBi i11 y bonesty—my honesty. He Ob, g^dered me." said, (,is it trae? HQW did it happen ? tears springing into the girl's eyes as she spoke. He explained as well as he could. Well, Dick, said she, I didn't think papa could do such a thing, but you needn't like me any the less, need you P" He give her a kiss in reply, and in silence they walked their homeward way. On reach- ing home Carrie went immediately to her father. He sat in the open window smoking and looking out across his neighbour's garden. "Fine cabbages, those," he muttered; fine-they are coming on splendid. Carrie," said he, as she entered. "I wanted to buy that lot mighty bad once, but I don't know but what it'll be all right after all. W, hat do you think, daughter p" his eyes twinkling and his face softening as he spoke. She looked as though she failed to compre- hend. Wasn't that young Somers that come to the gate with you just now ?" he continued H and don't you like each other pretty well ? Come, now, don't look so pale I'm not muck of a hand to bother you." Carrie put her arms around his neck and looked into his face. "Yes,' said she; "I like Mr. Somers very much. But why do you say such dreadful things about him ? Say dreadful things about Mr. Somers ? I never said much of anything about him, did IF" replied her father, in a surprised and uneasy manner. "Father," she went on plaintively, why do you not want him to have anything to do with me, and why did you call him a dog and a thief ? You know he is as honest as the day." Old Dumley held his daughter away from him at arm's length, and gazed at her with a look of genuine astonishment, "Carrie," said he, slowly and sadly, "are you crazy- have you gone clear mad ? Come, girl, you must explain this strange conduct. 1 don't understand." She told him what Dick had heard, and old Dumley subsided helplessly into his chair. Wet!, I never he exclaimed. Did you ever hear of such a barefaced lie ? Why, I bad about come to like the man. When 1 saw him pay attentions to you first I was sorry for it, but I watched him during the summer, and his garden came out so fine, especially the cabbage, that I begun to think him better'n the ordinary, but if he can lie like that I don't want you to have anything to do with him. Jim," he called through the window to his young apprentice, f. go across the lot and ask that Somers fellow to come over here. I'll find out what he means by such outlandish talk," addressing himself to Carrie again. When Dick entered the room he was pained to see the changed expression 011 j Carrie's face. The look of love and confidence was gone, and, without speaking, she turned her back upon him and left the room. Dick's surmise was that the old man had been fabri- cating something derogatory to his character, and his whole soul fired with indignation. He refused the chair that the old man pushed towards him. No," said be, savagely, I prefer to stand. You have summoned me here, and if you have anything to say, say it." "Young man," said Dumley, "you have been telling my daughter a strange tale. What do you mean by vilhfying me to her, telling her that I slandered you, oalled you names, and refused to allow you to keep com- pany with her-what do you mean, I say, by 8uch lies P" He got thoroughly angry before he was through with the sentence, and became some- what red in the face. Dick was angry, too. I meant what I said," he retorted, and it's not your place to call me to account after what transpired in your garden this after- noon. You spoke not only deprecatingly, but slanderously of me, and you needn't deny it, for I was on the other side of the wall and heard you." You lie," cried the old man, springing tc his feet, his eyes fairly bulging from his head, ard, grasping the back of his chair, he stood facing the young man fiercely. The loud voices had alarmed Mrs. Dumley, and at this juncture she appeared in the door- way. "Peter," she said to her husband, "sit down." He obeyed her, but he looked very much as though he would like to eat his antagonist. "You sent for Mr. Somers for an explanation now let's hear it." She was flushed, too, but spoke in a cool and collected manner. Turning towards Dick she said curtly, Pray tell me what caused this trouble." Dick now regained his equilibrium and, in full consciousness of rectitude, made a clear and lusid statement of the conversation, to which Mrs. Dumley herself had been a party, in the early afternoon. As he proceeded her face lightened wonderfully and suddenly broke into a smile. Old Dumley, too, under went a transformation. 1 swan," he said with a sigh, as though of intense relief. Dick looked from one to the other in surprise. Mr. Somers," said Mrs. Dumley, laughing now, there has been a misunderstanding all round. The subjeot of our conversation to-day was not you at all, but our new dog, Diok, an ungraoious animal, which we purchased from a drover a few days ago. l'eter had caught it stealing eggs, and was out of patience about it. The beast is in the I kennel fast asleep now, but to-morrow we expect to dispose of him." The explanation satisfied old Dumley, it satisfied Dick, and it satisfied somebody else also, for Carrie now stood within the door- way. Smiles of joy were fast chasing the tears from her eyes, and it seemed to Diuk that never before had she looked so bewitch- ingly beautiful. He caught her in his arms and kissed her, then leading her to her father, he asked in a frank and unembarrassed manner the question that had caused so much hesitation. Old Dumley laid his pipe upon the table and took Dick's hand in his. "My son," said he, and there was no gruffness in his voice now, I didn't like you first-rate when you bought that lot, but your cabbage did so splendid that I am proud of you yes, sir, I am proud of you." After this implied permission he resumed his pipe, and in a few minutes had so filled the room with smoke that Dick and Carrie were obliged to adjourn to a secluded corner of the big front porch, and there Dick confi- dentially confessed, as he held Carrie's hand in his, that the misunderstanding was a bless- ing after all, because it paved the way through a terrible and untried ordeal.-Ei)wiN WEBB, in Chicago News.