Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-05-09

do you suppose, Polly, as those gentlemen
work for their own families, or for their
creditors? Why, they are as glad when
there's bankruptcy as an undertaken is
when there's funeral coming OFF,
"How bad the world must be, father?''
"Well, it is not good one-just now.
About half crown in the pound is all
that will come to me-"
"Just the eighth partl"
Little better than the tithe of mint
and cummin," said the saddler bitterly.
"And will that aid you? When does
the bill come due?"
''In week: the bankruptcy mag be set
tied in six months"
"Why don't you go through the court,
too, fatherg" said Polly, with a sudden in
spiration.
"What, Il'' said the old man, CLEAN of
humor sparkling in his eye-''what, /,
Polly? No: I'd rather go and rot in
prison, and be a journeyman again, and
make saddles. My right hand hasn't for
got its cunning; let the worst come to the
worst, I'll earn crust for my gal"
80 father! dear old father" cried Polly,
come into the back shop and let me kiss
you: you're all man, father, and you al
wavs were"
to their bases that they were quite sub
dued, and spoke almost in whisper, were
not without a secret sustenance of hope.
Polly counted up all the silver spoons,
ran in and out her little glass case, and
added up the bills again to try and make
them pound or SO more, in case she had
made a mistake against themselves.
Sought Mr. Keach Stoker, and asked what
was to be done when bill became due:
upon which he said, "Meet it like Brit
ish tradesman."
"But what if you can't, Mr.. Keach?"
"Well, then, you may, perhaps"-he
was going to explain about renewal; but
MIR. Reach had small opinion of a woman's
knowledge of business, and was silent for
a time, then said, "The bills dishonored; !;
for, of course, ones friends have been
applied to-"
Polly blushed and remained silent; she
had it upon her lips to ask some help of
Reach, but her heart failed her. As for
the bankers clerk, he knew all about the
failure of NJ, II. & Co., and knew very
well that his fathers old friend and disci-
pie was put in great straits thereby. He
loved Polly after his fashion; was Jealous
of young Mansell; but, having his own
little game to play, would not hold forth
his finger.
He, however, took care to warn the di-
vine against lending money.
"You are too generous, father" returned
the son. with a slightly-perceptible sneer,
wholly lost on the preacher. ut is not
to be expected that man who subscribed
a guinea to your testimonial should bor-
row hundred. You may have such an
application"
or two afterwards, 'Keach, you are a
prophet"
''Keach also among the prophets" said
his sister.
"Father means profits 1 have put all
his money in the Greeks and they are
moving up. You have not a penny to
play with"
tYou guess what was about to say"
said the ID. "Old Pilkerton came to
me, and wanted to borrow money"
Like his impudence,' said Reach.
''What next, sir?"
Sally Stoker turned pale. She was
about. at Polly's instance, to preface the
same request. go fatherl" she said, ''you
could have done it. He is most honest
man"
"But falling one, sir" said Keach.
"And, remember, never catch at falling
knife, or falling friend. 'Tis Scotch
proverb, and indicative of that shrewd
and cautious people,"
Poor old man p said Sally, "Don't
you remember, father, when he was
much richer than we are, how he be-
friended you, and stood by you in the
controversy about the sons of Noah ~
Bother the sons of Noah, Sally" said
Reach. "Are we not befriending him
by taking music-lessons ?"
tErTbav ara worth avprv Dappu yUa nov
Mr.. Keach," said Sally Indignantly; and
she hurried from the room, to have
good cry. Sally was the only one who
felt for her friend.
In the mean time the poor old saddler
and his daughter fell from hope to hope
deferred, and from that into a profound
melancholy, as the time drew near. To
almost the last moment, he was ready to
trust to any broken reed of hope, rather
than have his bill and his name dis
honored. He would have applied to his
friend, old Mansell, and have urged him
to renew his bill; but he could at present
only scrape together a few pounds, his
debts seemed to be accumulating, and
Stoker's almost severe rejection, accom-
panied with some of that religious advice
which is so singularly unpalatable when
offered without any relief of his petition,
quite unnerved him. He could not apply
elsewhere; and he sat down to wait, as
the Roman in his dungeon sat down to
meet the assassin who was sent to dispatch
him.
1--WE must be sold up, Polly. If old
Mansen chooses to put the law in force,
what am to do ?"
Polly was almost as hopeless as her
father The only cheerful person about
her was young Ben, who quoted generous
bits of stage-plays and poetry, and always
declared, that, by a poetical justice, the
good man, nine times out of ten, came
up all right in the play.
"Ah! but the play isn't the world,
Ben: I've heard say it's a great deal
worse"
"No, it isn't, Polly You shall 60 to it
when we are married."
Don't talk so, Ben," returned Polly.
"How can you a.? It's hard-hearted, it is,
Ben; and father so troubled and cut up.
wish it was all over"
"What, the marriage, Polly ?" said
Ben dryly.
"No; the dreadful bill, you cruel
wretch you. There's one comfort" she
said, flashing at him an indignant and
reproachful look: "You'I have to marry
a beggar."
Law odlu DCu, 10 IuuJ dll IOuc III
never he beggar when she's my wife,
and God gives me strength and health.
Polly, don't cry. If that was all, it would
be well. And if I had thousands now,
Polly, they should be yours"
=" wish you had, Ben," cried Polly,
with gulp and sob.
=" l don't. "Td rather you'd take me
for nothing. All for love, Polly; for
true love. 1t is the best thing in the
world, and never wears out"
And then, with true delicacy, born of
his poetic temperament, Ben so comforted
Polly that while he was there, at least,
the young girl felt brave and comforted.
In the mean time Mr.. Reach tried to
press his suit which was not of the kind
of cloth that Ben's was, and offended
Polly mortally. He, as Polly might have
well known, might have helped her; but
he made her love, in his obscure hints, a
condition, and Polly flung away from him
in disgust. And yet what power has
money Polly's two lessons to Miss
Sally Stoker produced some fifteen shIl-