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rejoinders, rebutters, and sur-rebutters, our divi- 

 sion of respectable if not fat fees, our enjoyment 

 of an honorable and solid if not brilliant reputa- 

 tion as country attorneys, our joint productions 

 as amateur agriculturists in the way of fruits, 

 vegetables, staple products, and live-stock ? 



What was to become of my ambition to retire 

 one day from active work in office, court, farm, and 

 garden, and to hand over the sceptre of author- 

 ity to my son Dick ? What was to become of 

 Oh, damn it all ! hang all designing women, all 

 languishing, ogling, curl-shaking, deceptive, false, 

 dangerous widows! 



And Dick had done this ! Dick ! who had al- 

 ways been frank and square with me. Dick had 

 married, a nobody, perhaps, a girl whom we 

 might not be able to take to our hearts or our 

 house. Why was n't the law different ? Why 

 did n't we live in Germany or France or Russia 

 or in some sensible country where boys of nine- 

 teen could n't contract marriage without their 

 parents' consent? 



Well, I must face it, we must all face it ; I would 

 pay the draft, but if Dick thought he was going 

 to bring a squint-eyed Jezebel to my house for 

 me to support; if Dick really expected to have 

 me provide food, clothing and lodging for any 

 gray-haired fairy he was ass enough to fall in 

 love with ; if Dick was banking on the probability 



