St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-09-30
ITY, COUNTY, IOWA. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 80 1853

ttlcu W HIfuScu, AUNT huln lB very
remarkable woman Her harshncss
and ridicule had the effect of nerving
him to a renewed effort to gain an in
terview with Sally. He did not doubt
her constancy but he wished to as
sure her of his own, and of his deter.
mination to make his way in the world
yet. He would go away and make
his fortune, and come back to claim
her This reasonable resolve was un-
doubtedly the effect of Aunt Ruth's
kind offer to shoot him. 1t had sud-
denly brought him back from his wild
flights to the sober realities of life.
He did not arrive in the ncighbor-
hood of Gracie's residence till late in
the evening. Seeing a light in Sal
ly's chamber, he climbed over the gar
den wall, approached the house, and
picking up pebble, he threw it
against the window, to attract her
attention. Directly after, the light
disappeared from her chamber, and a
light was seen shining through the
small window directly over the door
which led into the garden.
Jot, not doubling for a moment that
the old man was absent from home,
and that Sally had recognized his sig.
nal and come down into the hall to
receive him, ran joyfully forward to
the door. 1t opened quickly, and
there, with candle in his hand, stood
old Gracic 1!
You good-for.nothing vagabond /"
he cried, "how dare you come lurking
about my house in this way? Begone,
you villain, or will have you taken
up for a housebreaker and sent to Jail"
Hear me one moment, Mr.. Gracie,"
said Jot.
Begone begone !" shrieked the
old man "the sight Of you is poison
to me. If you stay in the garden five
minutes longer, I'll shoot you |"
Jot told me afterwards that even at
this trying moment he could not help
smiling at the oddity of having two
several offers to be shot on the same
day.
Old Oracle slammed the door in his
face and Jot 10th to quit the spot,
retired into the shadow of the garden
wall and watched the window Of Sal
ly's apartment, in hopes to sec the
light reappear, and pcradventure to
catch a sight of his figure.
He had not stood there three min
utes when he heard heavy fall and
q loud shrek from a female voice
Maddened with the sound, he ran for
ward, and, expecting to witness some
terrible scene between the father and
daughter, he burst in the door and
found himself in the hall. Here an
awful spectacle presented itself. Old
Oracle, over-excited by his passion,
had fallen on the floor in an apoplec-
tic fit. He was totally insensible, and
his ugly features were contorted, his
mouth being drawn down on one side
Sally was weeping and lamenting
over him, and the servants had taken
the alarm and were running to the
spot.
Jot assisted them in putting the old
man in bed, and sent one of the hired
men for 4 doctor The horror and
aiarm Oh INC scene were SO great, tiiat
Jot got no other token of recognition
from his beloved than n warm pres
sure of the hand, and few whispered
words at parting for the night.
Old Oracle remained insensible
through the next day, and died at
nightfall. He left no will. lie had
always felt nervous horror at the
idea of making one. He was troubled
at the prospect of recognizing the
possibility that he was ever going to
die. Well he might be, the old sin
ner
The reader will readily divine what
followed. Sally was heiress to the
whole of his immense estates Jot
married her, and danced at the wed
ding.