The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1858-06-09
"Ah!--precisely?n

to leave it at random--some time within
a year or so, for example?-must / say
precisely?"
"!f you please, uncle-precisely."
"Well, then, Bobby, my boy,--you're
o fine fellow, aren't you?--since you acil
have the exact time, I'll--why Iii oblige
you for once"
"Dear unclel" drowning my voice
"I'll oblige you for once You shal! have
my conseut--and the plum, we mustn't
forget the plum--let me see! when shall
it be? To-day's Sunday--is'nt it? Well,
then, you shall be married precisely
Iprecisely. now mind!--achen three STAT
days come together IN u aoeek! Do you
hear me, sir! What are you gaping at?
say, you shall have Kate and her plum
when three Sundays come together in O
week--but not till thcn--you young scape-
grace--not till then, if / die for it. You
know me--I'm q man Of my aoord--now
be off" Here he swallowed his bumper
of port, while l rushed from the room in
despair.
A very "fne old English gentleman, y
was my grand-uncle Rumgudgeon, but
unlike him of the song, be had his weak
points. He was little pursy, pompous,
Ipassionate, semicircular somebody, with a
red nose, thick skull, long purse, and
a strong sense of his own consequence.
With the best heart in the world he con-
trived, through predominant whim OF
contradiction, to earn for himself, among
those who only knew him specifically, the
character of curmudgeon. Like many
excellent people, he seemed possessed with
a spirit of tantaHSatiou which might
easily at q casual glance, have been mis-.
taken for malevolence. To every request
a positive mol" was his immediate an.
iswer; but in the cud--in the long, long
end--there were exceedingly few requests
which he refused Against all attacks
upon his purse he made the most sturdy
defense; but the amount eXtorted from
him, at last was, generally, in direct ratio
with the length of the siege and the. stub
bornuess OF the resistance. In charity
}no one gave more literally or with worse
grace. E. .. .s.-.. ...... ....'
/ had lived with the old gentleman al
| my life. My parents, in dying, had be-
aueathed me to him as rich legacy.
believe tue old villain loved me as his owr
, child nearly if not quite as well as hi
loved Kate--but it was dogs existcnc,
that he led me, after all From my frs
year until my Gf,h, he obliged me will
very regular foggings. From FIVE tt
fifteen, he threatened me, hourly, with th
House of Correction. From fifteen t.
twenty, not a day passed in which he dix
not promise to cut me off with shilling
was sad dog, it is true-but then it wa
part Of my nature--a point OF my faith
In Kate. however, had a firm friend, ant
= knew it. She was good girl, and to!'
me very sweetly that might have he
(plum and ally whenever / could badge
my grand uncle Rumgudgeon, into tn
necessary consent. Poor girl!-she wa
) barely fifteen, and without this consent
her little amount in the funds was no
come -at-able until five immeasurable sum
mers had dragged theirslow length along.
What then, to do! At fifteen, or even a
:. twenty -one (for had now passed my fft
!, olympiad) Eve years in prospect are yer
much the same as five hundred. In val
we besieged the old gentleman with i'm
!. portunities. Here was piece de resist
4 a,ce (as Messieurs Ude and Carene woul
, say which suited his perverse fancy to
. T. 1t would have stirred the indignatio
2 of Job himself, to see hcw much like a
3 old mouser he behaved to US two poo
, wretched little mice. In his heart h
I wished for nothing more ardently tina
i our union. He had made up his mind t
3 this all along. In fact, he would hav
;. given ten thousand pounds from his ow
# pocket (Kate's plum was her orn) If b
# could have invented anything like an ex
, icuse for complying with our very nature
: wishes. But then we had been so impru
r dent as to broach the subject ourSetoes
$ Not to oppose it under such circumstance
= I sincerely believe was not in his power
. I have said already that he had hi
q weak points; but, in speaking of these,
y must not be understood as referring to hl
) obstinacy: which was one of his stron
points. When. I mention his weakness
y lhave allusion to a jszarrs old.womanis
!. Superstition which beset him. He wa
Q tgreas in dreams, portents, ct id genus o'nr
v of rigmarole. He was excessively pune
a ltilious, too. upon small points of homo
- and, after his own fashion, was man {
his word, beyond doubt. This was,
,iIfact, one of, his hobbies. The spirit {
This VOWS he made no scruple of settin
n at naught, but the letter was bond inv
i olablc. Now it was this latter peculiarit
q in his disposition, of which Kate's inge
IS nuity enabled us one fine day, not Ion
y after our interview in the dining-room,
y take q very unexpected advantage; an(
: having thus, in the fashion of all moder
ibards and orators, exhausted in protegt
q mena, all the time at my command, an
IS nearly all the room at my disposal, l wi
sum up in few words what constitute
il the whole pith of the story.
Is 1t happened then-so the Fates order
1t ed it-that among the naval acquaintance
u of my betrothed, were two gentlemen wh
Al. Il .c