Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1843-03-28
I II L l. ADY CLAIR A.
BY J. H. ID An A.

Nv friend BEAUMONT was the descend
ent Of one Of the oldest and proudest fam
lilies Of England, has forefathers having
fought at Grassy, Poictiers, md for ought
know,at Hastings itself He could trace
his descent from one silk and ermine clad
carl TO and another, and them, through
long succession of steel clad barons, up to
certain Rola Beaumont, of Normandy,
who in his turn had whole army Of sea-
kings 70 ancestors at his back. If blood
therefore, could do any thing for a man,
Beaumont was char ged to the brim with
it. But black a day! blood will not put
meat in ones mouth; and so Dick knew to
his cost. The eerldom-never very rich
at the best-had been growing poorer and
poorer through long series o. generations,
like an old spinster, becoming thinner and
more angular with every year, AID now
the estates scarcely afforded decent COM
pctencc to the proud elder brother Of Dick,
while Dick himself was left with most
'bcggarly account Of empty boxes But
l''he was poor, he was phiIosoPhc, and care
never caught him with wry mouth. His
character, however; will develope itself in
mise that was al this time in London,
and that 1t was drawing toward the close
of the season. We met at the door Of my
rodnns when Dick linking his arm in mine,
I'M his familiar way, accepted my invita-
ton 10 spend an hour over flask Of SIle-
~.
Are you going down to ArIford Castle?
said, my invitation WAS so warmly Civ
en-. that | cannot resist II. | understand
that YOU too were mvited.'
80 nm, but don't think shall 60.
know Ar(ord Castle is the greatest bore
Of my life. have never been there and
never intend 10 CO.
Not intend TO go to Arlford CastIe!-
why should think thefame OF Lady CIa IS
beauty would carry you there at the first
chance. Faith, my dear fellow, she is SAID
TO be perfect Juno.
Very possibly, but II is the Lady Clara
who keeps me away. You seem surprised
and | will explain. You know the custom
here-in your republican land it may te
dinerent-to trade birth forg gold in matri-
mony. Well; my father and the father Of
Lady Clara were intimate at school But
Lord Seaforth's pcerage only dated back
to the Revolution, while ours was an Old
as the Norman Conquest. The Seaiorlh
estates however, are very extensive, and
the dover of the daughter greater than the
whole wealth Of our earIdom. So when
the Lady Clara first saw light,a few years
after nv birth, it was arranged that she and
should be married. Things went on very
swimminglv as the old folks thought, un-
I'll few years ago, when my paroats died,
and | began TO think For myself Then
it struck me that this being traded away
like horse was Incompatible with my
manhood, however compatible II might he
with ancient blood, for you must know TINT
! am on that subject bit Of a Democrat.
foreswore Arl.otd Castle and never could
ne copxcd or driven there. When grew
Nv however, and began to feel the value Of
Nmuuov-,het ia no5ls cam of civilized
deny resolution began TO s,oEEog, ard
would have perhaps, given way, had noJ
.- incident occurred which put all thought
NJ Lady Clara % f'ght.
It Was alta country bail when / was Jus'
:-rn'y, that met tbs most beautiful. oil
cratJfas. n dark-ha red, e50G.eyed, god
uts,-ilkc woman. / call her women, be-
cause though two years younger than my
SELF she was even then no longer girl
III live to the age Of Methuselah | shall
never forget those liquid eyes, that divine
from, or the meodious music Of her tongue.
| sought and obtained an introduce
ton. She was a miss Cleveand-doubr-
les from the name, descendent of some
honest burgher. My lordIy'elder brother
would have sneered at her. but what cared
! for sristocratic ancestry?-for to tell the
truth our titled forefathers were no better
than robbers, and deserved to be hung,
while the same desPised burghers were the
only honest men in the land. | danced
with her, Promenaded with her, and hung