Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1867-11-09
LIZzIE'S FORTUNE.
BY MARY EYLE DALLAS.

Benjamin Hacket knew how to read
and write after fashion. How he came
by those accomplishments no one was
quite sure. It Was a mystery even tc
himself. Besides this, he knew all
about a ship-not because he had stud
led navigation in any college, whatever,
but because, beginning as a cabin boy,
he had slowly fought his way up to the
honorable post of captaip-"Captain
and owner" he was proud to say, Of
the "Betsey Hacket."
Betsey was his wife's name and his
wife had been plump, good natured,
sailors daughter, who wore hoop,rings
in her little brown ears, and was rather
too fond of scarlet ribbons and blue
bead necklaces to be model of gentili
ty. When they were married she fel,
quite coutent with her little front room
in riverward street, and indeed more
than satisfied with the glories which
two green paper nlachc parrots and 1
bunch of white coral, to say nothing Of Z
lie parrot in a pewter cage, and tea
tray, straight from China, with Chi
rese lady in cut door costume upon
it, lent the establishment But that
was when Benjamin Hacket Was before
the mast, and she had left him long age
and Captain Uacket's daughter haG
other notions.
They lived in another quarter of the
city now, and in their parlor we're orna
ments which put the parrots to blush
and Betsey's daughter called herself Eli,
abeth, and had DO notion of being less
fashionable than her neighbors; and PEG
pie said that Captain Hacket was i'm
mensely rich, would leave his daughter
an heircss of the first magnitude wher
he left the world at all.
Pretty, and an heiress, she had plen
ty who called themselves friends, Of
course. She was a belle in the circle
to which her wealth had introduced hel
and perhaps her head was little turned
by the fattery she received A gooG
girl at heart, she was easily blinded by
show and glitter, and very apt to judge
people by their coats and the houses
in which they dwelt, and, indeed, had
dropped more than one good soul who
in the humber days of her life, had
not been held SO lightly.
Moreover she had grown to be not
quite SO well pleased when, following
in her fathers wake on his return FROM
any voy age, she saw that handsome, sun
burnt mate of his, Tom Hadaway
She had known Tom almost all her
life, and once she had been very fond
of him. She liked him still, and knew
that be was manly and handsome, and
well educated. She knew too, that
wherever he went his first thought was
to find some dainty gift fer her on his
homecoming.
Wonderfully carved fans, and ivory
bracelets and curious earrings, and
mysterious work boxes, and birds of
rare plunage, and shells of delicate tints
and beautiful shapes, had Tom Hada,
way bestowed upon her And there
had been time when she believed that
her fathers wish might come to pass,
aud Tom Hadaway become her hus-
band. But with the elegant house in
the fashionable square had arisen other
ideas.
So, during one of her fathers long
est voyages. she permitted Melton Mel
ton, Esq, who had by slow degrees be-
come her beau ideal of manly perfection
to slip an engagement ring upon her
slender finger, and gave him permission
to "ask papa" in the most approved
fashion,
Consequently, when Captain Hacket
arrived, grand news awaited him-news
that made him pucker his face and
wrinkle his brows, and growl indig-
nantly..
"Why didn't you ask me frst?'' said
the captain. 'That puppy Lord
love you, what do y on women see in a
fellow like that? They amt men ac-
cording to my reekoning-only gals in
wrong clothes. Him !"
she adores me, papa said Eliza
beth, melting into tears, Sand should
die if you we're cruel. Do consent,
papa y