er some attentions, but their
courage failed at last, and they silently slunk away. At length,
however, Ferdinand Morris met Miss Harden, and conceived the idea of
marrying her for her money. When he had once got possession of her
fortune, he proposed to leave her in the lurch.

Morris was a stylish-looking man, and the spinster received his
attentions very favorably. She knew very little about him except that
he was in some mysterious business about which he did not speak
definitely, except that it required him to travel constantly. Matters
progressed until they became engaged. At this point, rather reversing
the usual order of things, Miss Marden gave her suitor the ring which
he had now lost.

"If we don't marry," she said cautiously, "I shall expect you to give
it back."

"Certainly, my dear Josephine," said Morris, "but I shall hold you to
your promise."

"You might see some girl younger and fair," said Hiss Marden coyly.

"How could that be?" said Morris with mock ardor, as he bent over her
hand and kissed it with secret facial contortions. "Do you doubt my
love?"

"I try not to, Ferdinand, but I am no longer in my first youth. I
shudder to say it I am twenty nine."

"You were two years older last week," thought Morris.

"I--I don't feel so old," said the spinster, "but I am afraid it is a
fact."

"I don't believe you will ever be forty again," thought Morris. "By the
way, Josephine, have you thought of that investment I spoke to you
about? I can get a hundred shares of mining stock for you, at five
dollars a share--the inside price--while to the general public it is
only sold at ten."

"It may be as you say, Ferdinand, but my aunt lost money in mining
stocks, and I shall hardly dare to venture."

"Confound your aunt!" said Morris to himself. "I assure you, Josephine,
this is a chance to double your money in three months."

"Have you invested in it yourself, Ferdinand?"

"Oh, yes," answered Morris, glibly, "I have a hundred and fifty
shares."

Suspicious as she was, Miss Morris believed her suitor to be a man of
means, and did not doubt his statement.

"Then I hope for your sake it will prove a good investment."

"Confound her!" thought Morris, "there seems no chance to make her open
her purse strings. She has got to come down liberally, or I won't marry
her."

It was at Miss Marden's door that Ferdinand Morris rang on the evening
after the loss of the ring. He would have kept away, but he