The Van Buren press., 1870-10-25

A
He caught her, Of course. and shouted
for help, The first to appear was the
mother of the execrable baby.
whats the matter Z" she exclaimed,
bursting into the room as if discharged
from catapult.
q was only proposing" Saul COM
menced
"And a pretty mess you've made OF
it ~ the lady cut him short, at the same
time relieving him Of his burden and ad-
vising him to leave the room-advice
which he gladly followed.
Mortified and confounded, Saul packed
his trunk, cali porter, and sncaked from
the house like thief in the night. From
the hotel at which he took up temporary
quarters, he dispatched note, inclosing
the balance due to his landlady, and some
thing over, in lieu of notice, but making
no al!usion to his sudden departure or
the circumstance that led to it.
1t was some weeks later that Saul pre-
sented himself at my Office and requested
private interview. We at once with
drew to an inner room, where, with much
hesitation and many bushes, the story
of the proposal " was told substantial.
ly as the reader has already heard it; af
ter which Mr. Sereleaf placed in my hands
the following billet, which nc had just re-
ceived:
BIDDLEsvILLE, May 10, IS.
as. SERELEAr, EsQ.-lSr: Our client
Mrs Cleopatra Nothermann, wishes to
be apprised through us, at your earliest
convenience, of yorr purpose touching
the fulfllment or nonfulillment of GER
tain promise of marriage recently made
by you to her. We desire an early and
explicit answer to the question Do you
intend to marry us, or do you not?
Yours, etc,
! "SCHUYsTER d. SKINNER"
1t was much like the Bardcl and Pick.
wick case, and the letter sounded so Dod-
son & Foggish that it was impossible to
repress smile.
"What's to be done ?" queried Saul,
anxiously.
First and foremost, you might marry
the lady"
Saul shuddered.
"In the next place" But what passed
was under the seal of professional con-
fdence.
dispatched note to Messrs. Schuys.
ter Il Skinner, soliciting, as Mr.. Sereeaf's
attorney, conference on the following
day, and asking them to have their client
present.
At the appointed hour, found the la
dy and her legal advisers drawn up in or
der of battle.
This is singular case" ! began.
"It is a very plain one, at all events"
interrupted Shuyster "1n addition to our
clients tcstimony,we have that ofanother
respectable lady, to whom MIR. Sereleaf
made full and free confession on the
spot"
al have not come to argue the ease,
| answered, "but to propose terms Offset
| tlement."
The firm conformity rubbed their hands
in anticipation ofmoney to be handled.
"Please send your boy to conduct
hither gentleman waiting in carriage
at the door," added.
Schuystei looked at Skinner. and the
widow at us all, but the boy was sent
| At the end Of several minutes stump
ing sound was heard The door opened,
and decrepid, shriveled figure, support
ed by one leg and crutch, hobbled in.
One of Swift's Struldbrugs could scarce
ly have looked more ancient or dilap-
dated. lie was minus an eye, hollow
checked, toothess, and bald rs Time.
al have come to make personal ten
der of my client, gentlemen ! said "in
| fulilment Of the contract he is accused
Of making with yours. This is Mr.. Sere-
| leaf"
The widow started in amazement, at
first look of ncredulity, and then one
of conviction flashed over her counte-
nance.
"Take him away! take him away"
she cried.
"The wig, cork leg, glass eye, false
teeth, and plumpers are all here in the car
riage," proceeded, and will be duly
rendered in separate lot"
The widow stayed to hear no more.
Her lawyer had shrewd suspicion
that the tender was sham, and that had
their client accepted mine would have
backed out But they couldn't afterward
bring the widow to try the experiment.
NATURES UPPER CLASSES. Who are
the clover classes Z" A term SO fire.
quently used. The toilng millions. the
laboring man and woman, the farmer, the
mechanic, the artisan, the inventor, the
producer? Far from it These are Ma.
ture's nobility, Natures upper classes,
Gods iavorites, the salt OF the earth.
No matter whether they are high or low
in station, rich or poor in pelf, conspicu-
Gus or humble in position, they are of
certainty the upper classes y in the or
der Of nature, whatever may be the ficti-
tious distinctions of society, fashionable
or questionable. 1t is no law, il 10 the
duty, privilege, and pleasure for the great
man and the whele-souled woman to earn
what they possess, to work their own
way through life, to be the architects of
their own fortune. Some may rank the
class we speak of as only relatively low
in fact, the middle classes. We insist
they are absolutely, and without doubt,
the very highest If there is n class of
human beings on earth who may be pro-
perly designated as low, it Is those who
spend without earning, who consume
without producing, who dissipate on the
earnings of their fathers, without doing