The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-05-04

properly express it.
But Melton Cleve stood his
ground boldly. He had resolved
to ask the great man valiantly for
his daughters hand, nor was he ca
silly to be discouraged. A shapeIy,
tall, noble-looking young man of
five and twenty, he felt that ne pos
sessed at least some advantages in
the matter, and he was determined
to make the most of them.
"Why not, sirY' he demanded,
firmly.
''You are poorF' thundered the
Squire.
81 know 1 am poor, sir" answer
ed Cleve, "but that is no reason that
I shall never be rich"
at is very good reason why you
shouldn't come counting my daugh-
ter Leoliner' roared the Squire.
"But she loves me, sir"
"Stuff! Folly and nonsense! AS
ifany girl of seventeen knew her
own mindr'
"And I love her, sirr'
'Then you're a presumptuous
young dog, and the sooner you take
yourself off the premises the better
unless you want me to call one
of the servantsr'
as this your final answer?' asked
Cleve, with a dignity to which even
the clustering old Squire could not
be entirely blind.
eyes, it isw
Melton Cleve perceived that this
was neither the time nor the place
for pressing the suit which was ev-
identity so unwelcome to the stern
old man. He turned without fur
ther word and left the house, the
cool June air blowing like a breath
of balm upon his hot brow, and the
blossomed linden branches spread
ing their green awnings Of fragrant
shadows above his head. AS he
turned to leave the strawberries by
side gate, instead of following the
gravelIed avenue down to the stone
lodge by the stately iron portals, a
light figure glided out from the
rhododendrons and fluttered into
his arms.
"Meltonr
"Dear Leoline, did not think of
thisp'
Leoline Forester was fairly beau
tiful; a soft-voiced, gazelle-eyed
girl, with lovely chestnut brown
hair wound in shining braids about
her head, and cheeks where the del
icate glow of health shone out like
crimson wine through a skin trans
parent as wax.
"She is a first-class beauty~ the
old Squire had often triumphantly
said; sand I am hanged if she
shan marry millionairer'
'sYou have seen papaP' she said,
after moments silence, in which
the lovers looked into each others
eyes and comprehended more than
! half n dozen dictionaries could have
expressed.
eyes"
"And he has refused your
"Most positively and uncomprO-
misingly. Oh, Leoline, why am I
thus fettered by povertyr'
''You viii be rich one day." she
answered brightly, "and I win wait
for you"
''You will wait for me?"
"Ten years-twenty years-fifty
| years, if it be necessary. Come
back here a white aired man, dear
Melton, and you will find me a
white haired woman, sitting by the
hearthstone, true and constant.
any darlingp' He pressed his
lips to her white, smooth forehead.
''You give me new courage to fight
my way against the cruel world %
If the Squire, smoking his cigar
under the big maple trees by the
lawn, could but have known what a
tender farewell his daughter Leoline
was taking of her lover among the
strawberries at the north gate, he
would undoubtedly have had a fit
of apoplexy. What a fortunate
thing it is that one-half the world
doesn't know what is going on in
the other half How much trouble
it saves.
''No, papa" said LeOline Forest
er, and her ''no,' althought it was
soft and silvery sweet meant quite
as much as the Squire's rOared out
monosyllable-"no, papa I win not
marry DR.. Haywoodr'
"And why not, Miss ObstinaeyY'
Because / am engaged to Mel
ton Cleye."
she has gone aWayF' sputtered
the Squire.
4But he is coming back one o.
these days, papa. They say he is
aoing very well in China"