Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1855-03-15

'hS uauSh' Ill MS own uendnt anu uDpTIU
= cipled choice of manner. He met Nj
} Brlnlnail that night alone. After cold an
formal reception On Inc fathers part, h
Remarked;
My daughter, Mr. Meadows, is absent
am not sorry for this circumstance, for
have no wish to mortify you, or to woun
a her feelings in your presence. Nevertheless
desire that you may now understand, onc'
, for all, that your visits at my house will b.
offensive. | ask that you will not repeat thi
call; and if you conform to the wish and ex
pectation that now freely express to you
privately, between ourselves, you will neve
again intrude yourselfupon her. As to you
attentions to Miss Caroline, elsewhere, vii
add, that | lately hear Of it, and it is excess
lvely disagreeabe to me, as | presume you
opportunities must be to her. She has beer
educated for different purpose, and another
fate than that which must follow upon ar
intimacy with you, sir! Do we understand
each ether, think you2'
Upon my word, Mr.. BrintnaIl,' replied
Meadows, entirely unabashed, and twirlng
his watch chain gracefully, this reception il
very remarkable, not to say peculiarly cool
| have been fiattered, sir, with the gentle anC
respectful treatment have met with at your
daughters hands Thus far, and had under.
stood that her father was not only a gentle
man. but that she resembled him closely, in
disposition and characteristics This conduct
On your part, sir, leaves me no alternative
but to believe that have been misrepresent-
ed to you, or that you do not know me
assnredly
i know all wish to know of you, all that
is necessary for me to know, William Mead
ows,' said the old gentleman, firmly, and
warming up at the GOODNESS and nonchalance
of his forbddng visitor. 'You are dlsso-
lutte, idle but 'fashionably respectable spend
thrift, and do not like your habits.
you are candid, sirp
& mean to be So always, Mr.. Meadows
You are not the kind of man wish my
daughter to associate with. And trust that
your department towards her, hereafter, as
to me, will be such that shall find no occa-
sion again to remind you, in the fnture, that
am in earnest in what now say
You are severe, Mr.. Brintnall.'
i have doRs, for the present. said the
banker, rising, with a dignifed air. you
now know my wishes, and so far as and
mine are concerned, trust that you will re-
member my words
Good morning, Mr.. Brintnall, responded
the young spendthrlit; and he bowed himself
politely out of the bankers house.
The old boy Is eally personal, he con-
tinued to himself, as he left the door. L
shall marry his daughter, probably, never
theless! At any rate Cally is charming
creature, and / will possess her, now, at
some little trouble, if necessary, since the old
gentleman has been disposed to snarl thus,
before he's harmed III marry Caly, at a
venture'- and he did,
Two years after this conversation and
scene at the fine residence of Mr.. Brintnall,
Cally wrote her father an affectionate letter
one morning, in which she acknowledged all
his care and affection and constant indulgence
towards her for eighteen years, and informed
him that she had for long period loved
man whom he would not permit himself to be
pleased with, and that that night she had
consented 10 marry him, and join her fate
with his fortune, for good or i'll!
This intelligence was astounding to himself,
as well as to the circle Of society she moved
in, for it was believed that Caroline Brint-
nall was all genteness and innocence, and
could scarcely have been induced to elope
from her kind fathers house, except under
the most extraordinary circumstances But
a variety of scenes had occurred in the past
two years, which none. knew Of save the
lovers. They had often met clandestiney.
Cally knew from report only what Meadows
was, she had watched as narrowly as it was
possible for her TO do, she had never met
with aught but polite attentions and respect
fnl en6earments at his hands, in spite of all
that was whispered against him, and, as she
loyed him, she was blind to certain of his
errors and shortcomings that occurred from
time to time, during their acquaintance.
Among the schemes which this fashionable
scoundreI resorted TO, in secret, to keep up
appearances until he should have won the
prize he sought, was that of forging his own
fathers name, in various ways, to raise
money. Many of the false bills and checks
which he thus drew, he contrived, however,
to protect, himself, as they matured, but oc-
casonaIly they had lain over, and the parent
of the wilful and dissolute Meadows would
pay them, from time to time, to save his son
from the penetentiary.
During the period of two years, the (sup-
posed) wealthy banker had been declining in
wealth, and his business, which was carried
on under the free banking law of the State
where he resided, had also been exceedingly
disastrous. Firm after firm, and merchant
after merchant, whose notes he had cashed
in that time, had failed or become bankrupt
aud when he received the letter of his daugh-
ter, pecunary ruin, also was staring him in
the face. His capital of over two hundred
thousand dollars Originally invested n his
banking operations) had been absorbed, and
he had scarcely ten thousand dollars worth
of reliable securities at this time. He would
have sunk under this accumulated trouble,
had not the event Of his daughters elope-
ment and serious act Of rascality occurred
at the same time, which spurred the old man
up, and caused him TO turn upon the viper
who had s,uDg him so fearfully.
Mr. Brintnall came into possession of his