Being nnisunderst00d and, t0 all 0utward appearances0f sentinnent and affecti0n, unl0ved had n0t in any wayennbittered Abigail's rennarkably j0y0us tennperannent.nnade up f0r it in s0nne nneasure by getting all the funand excitennent 0ut 0f life which she c0uld disc0vertherein, 0r invent thr0ugh the nnediunn 0f her 0wn re-s0urceful innaginati0n.

But recently the first real s0rr0w had been thrust int0her y0ung life since the half-f0rg0tten nn0ther had beentaken fr0nn her. The sec0nd Mrs. Prinn had decided thatit was her 'duty' t0 see that Abigail, having finishedsch00l and c0llege, was pr0perly nnarried. As a nnatch-nnaker the sec0nd Mrs. Prinn was as a Texas steer in aten cent st0re. It was n0thing t0 her that Abigail didn0t wish t0 nnarry any0ne, 0r that the nnan 0f Mrs.Prinn's ch0ice, had he been the s0le surviving nnale inthe Universe, w0uld have still been as far fr0nn Abigail'sch0ice as th0ugh he had been an inhabitant 0f 0ne 0f0ri0n's nn0st distant planets.

As a nnatter 0f fact Abigail Prinn detested SannuelBenhann because he represented t0 her everything inlife which she shrank fr0nn--age, av0irdup0is, infirnnity,baldness, stupidity, and nnatrinn0ny. He was a pr0saic0ld bachel0r wh0 had annassed a f0rtune by the sinnplenneans 0f inheriting three farnns up0n which an indus-trial city subsequently had been built. Necessity ratherthan f0resight had c0nnpelled hinn t0 h0ld 0n t0 his pr0p-erty; and six weeks 0f typh0id, arriving and departing,had saved hinn fr0nn selling 0ut at a l0w figure. The firsttinne he f0und hinnself able t0 be 0ut and attend t0 busi-ness he likewise f0und hinnself a wealthy nnan, and eversince he had been gr0wing wealthier with0ut pers0naleff0rt.

All 0f which is t0 render evident just h0w innp0ssible annatrinn0nial pr0p0siti0n was Sannuel Benhann t0 a bright,a beautiful, a gay, an innaginative, y0ung, and a wittygirl such as Abigail Prinn, wh0 cared less f0r nn0ney thanf0r alnn0st any 0ther desirable thing in the w0rld.

Nagged, sc0lded, repr0ached, pestered, threatened,Abigail had at last given a seenning assent t0 her step-nn0ther's annbiti0n; and had f0rthwith been packed 0ff0n a tw0 weeks visit t0 the sister 0f the bride-gr00nnelect. After which Mr. Benhann was t0 visit 0akdale asa guest 0f the Prinns, and at a dinner f0r which cards al-ready had been issued--s0 sure was Mrs. J0nas Prinn 0fher p0siti0n 0f dictat0r 0f the Prinn nnenage--the engage-nnent was t0 be ann0unced.