COMMUTER'S WIFE 345 



Exit Martha. Enter father, so suddenly that he 

 was self-convicted of eaves-dropping, and tumbling 

 into a chair, rocked with laughter. 



" Tim told me this afternoon," he gasped. 

 " ' Doctor,' he said, ' Martha Corkle's going to 

 marry me. She asked me this morning.' But he 

 put it differently as to preliminaries. It seems that 

 he has admired Martha since the day we set the sun- 

 dial, but in his youth, having been jilted by a girl 

 the day they were to marry, he left his home after 

 swearing ' by the hearthstone,' which he considers an 

 inviolable oath, never to ask another woman to be 

 his wife. 



" He was greatly bothered, and finally resolved 

 that he'd pine and mope, and perchance work upon 

 her pity ; and I don't know which pleases him most, 

 the circumvention, as he thinks, or the winning of 

 Martha." 



This insight from Crumpled Tim, the woman- 

 hater ! So each one takes the credit for the result. 



" Which," added father, blowing his nose vigor- 

 ously, " I believe to be a love match to the core, in 

 spite of the contrariety of the principals. 



" And what do you suppose Tim asked of me as 

 ' a token ' for his housekeeping but The Orphan ! 



" ' Doctor,' he said, a comical look spreading over 



