Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-03-02
KATE'S ELOPEMENT.
by JUDEG CLARKE.

3" 1t is my express will, wish an,
desire" We were going to quot
verbatim a clause of Percival Pen
nydip's will; but if the reade
mates tautology half as much as W,
do, he will pardon, and, we think
thank us, for giving the sense o
the item at verbal saving of fifty
per cent
In plain words, then, when Per
cival Pennydip's body and will
were opened, it was found that he
had left a handsome fortune to an
orphan niece, a deceased sisters
daughter.
The bequest had singular con.
dition to it. If the legatee mar.
ried under thirty, unless with the
joint consent of her uncle Roger
and aunt Phenthesilea Penhydip-
with whom she had her bringing
up-she forfeited all claim to the
testator's estate, devised over in
that event, to some Society for the
Diffusion of something-Useful Ig-
norance, it is to be hoped; for
of such an institution the world
stands sadly in need, to preserve
the equilibrium between the 'knowl-
edge of Good and Evil
AT twenty one, Kate Kimberly's
beauty had blossomed with a luxu.
rance that astonished those who
remembered the prickly little bud it
sprung from. Time mad toned down
and softened the sharp, elfin fea,
lures, and had Tempered the tom.
boyislness that had so fretted Un-
Gle Percival, into womanish spright-
illness and spirit.
No wonder Reginald Wharton
and score or more besides, were
over ears in love with Kate.
In requiring the joint consent of
his brothers wife to the marriage
of his niece, it is possible that Per-
cival Pennydip meant TO provide a
wholesome system of "checks and
balances or it may be, in his bach
elor simplicity, that he never inn
agined that husband and wife, the
oretically one flesh, could practi-
cally be of two minds.
For such a-oo, tingency the will
had failed to make provision; aud
as in nine cases out of ten, the very
contingency not provided for was
just the one that happened,
Uncle Roger was bent on a
match between his niece and rich
mercantile friend of his, on his
own side of forty, Peleg poplin by
name; and Aunt Penthesilea had
set her ambitious heart on having
for nephew in-law Squire Wyn
dygust, who had represented the
district with distinction in the last
Assembly, end might vet land in
Congress or the White House who
knew?
These gentlemen proposed in
turn and in turn Kate referred them
to Uncle and Aunt, well knowing
the hitch there was in that quarter.
Meanwhile the time passed blithely
enough with handsome Reginald
Wharton for a constant visitor,
whose attentions the willy pair Of
guardians were too busy watching
each othar to spare an eye for.
"Kate, dear" said Aunt Penthe-
silica one day, ''if something isn't
done soon the poor Squire will GER
tainly break his heart!"
(which would be a great loss to
the country" sighed Kate.
"There is only one thing for it."
her aunt replied,
"What's that?"
"You must run away with him !"
said her aunt.
90! aunt" cried Kate, taken
aback with astonishment.
'Ive thought it all over" her
aunt continued, land it's the only
way left"
"But there's uncle-you know
how much opposed he is to Mr..
Wyndigust; and if l marry with
out his consent, you know l lose
my whole fortune"
"Pshaw, you don't know your
uncle. He won't consent, in al
Vance, to Marrying the Squire; but,
once it's over, never fear but he'll
give in, rather than see the money
wasted on that good for-nothing
Society. Don't l know myself?
Why, if l was to cut away with that
Reginald Wharton-ifI
such a thing could be-dO you
think | wouldn't bite my tongue
and give you my blessing, sooner
than see you robbed ?"
Kate opened her eyes in more
than one sense.
at would be easily managed"
said Aunt Penthesilea. "a car
rage at midnight in the rear