The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-08-01
A RACE WITH DEATH.
4" Sir, you're an ass"


"Sir, I'm not. l came here to sue
for your daughters hand, and"
"And you expect mo to give my
daughter to man who, whatever may
be his other qualities, has not a copper
in the world to bless himself with y
know / have no money at present,
sir 4; but have hopes"
"A pretty thing to begin housekeep,,
ing on Surprising you were married
tomorrow, do you wish to live or die
the day after ?"
Live, sir, of course.
"Why. of course TO live you want
food if you want food you want money;
and as you have no money you would
get no food and no food means starva-
tion Do you see that, sir ?"
Yes, sir ; but"
"But There's no but in the case.
Now take bit of advice from me, Mort
inner, as one of your fathers oldest
friends. Go and earn your living and
when you show me that you can support
my daughter if l give her to you-mind
you, fl shall be ready to talk to you.
Good morning, bah - and the testy but
good-natured gentleman stumped out of
the room, leaving me speechless, sitting
on the edge of chair with my hat in
my hand. All my hopes had been ruth
lessly dashed to the ground. had ex
peoted to argue the point with Mr..
Clavering, as Bessie, his daughter, had
assured me that it would be all right if
L only put the matter properly before
him. We had mutually agreed that he
would be sure to give his consent, and
had laid no end of plans for the future,
in which everything but the question of
money had been exhaustively consider
ed. The abrupt manner i'll which this
had now been brought up disconcerned
me not a little, and L left the room not
quite SO certain that L did not resemble
that generally good-natured but other
wise unreliable quadruped to which
Mr.. Clavering had likened me in the
course of our conversation.
At the door j met Bessie, with an ex-
preston of mingled anxiety and curiosi-
ty on her countenance.
Well, Jack, what did papa say?"
THAT / was an ass, Bessie"
ooh, hope you did not quarrel. l
was afraid there was something wrong,
as 1 heard him order deviled kidneys
for lunch, and he never does that with
out he is IN passion.
4" Bessie, the old gentleman asked me
how We were going to live"
"Well, did you tell him, in a little
cottage, with a garden in front, and a
piggerry, and kitchen garden, and a
fowl-house, and dairy, and"
eyes, yes but that's not what he
Il IL l.. 4. III
the money was to come from to pay for
all this.
Why, you were toprovide thsmoney
of course. You were to earn it.
Certainly, but your father wanted
to know how"
Chow? Well, you would-there,
now, you ought to know best, surely.
Don't you ?"
"No, Idon't, Bessie, and 1 think we
ought to have thought of that before.
Jack, don't wonder papa got III a
passion with you, you're so stupid.
have a great mind to get angry with you
myself"
But, sweetheart, don't you really
think we ought to have considered how
we were going to buy what we wanted ?"
"That was your business, not mine
and Jack, if you look at me like that I'll
box your ears.
"No you won't think you're all
in very bad temper this morning."
"Do you? Now L tell you what it is,
Mr.. Jack. Till you find out how we re
going to get money to live on, / won't
have anything more to do with you at
ALL Don't come near me now. i don't
love you bit / never shall, and j
never did And, Jack, when you find
out how, you'll come tell me first, won't
you? ?" And away dashed Bessie, leaving
me at the garden gate, to which we had
walked during our conversation.
1t was a lovely spring morning. AL
nature seemed i'll ecstacy at the prospect
of approaching summer. j alone was
sad. / could not help feeling that / hao
made mistake, and that | must have
lowered myself considerably in the esti
nation of old Mr.. Clavering by appear
ing so thoughtless and inconsiderate
True, was but nineteen, and having
lost my father early, had been brought
up and educated by my mother alone
and so, perhaps, had rather less knowl
edge of the world than l should hav,
acquired had l been sent to n public
school or to the university. My posi-
ton was by no means bad one. Tn,
only son of distinguished military off
Ger, who was not wealthy, but left wha
little he had to his widow during her life
time. L might be said to have possessed
good education, and, what was better
fair prospects. 1 had been invited b.
Mr.. Clavering, who was an old militar,
comrade of my fathers, to spend |
month with him at his residence a
Morecombe bay. During my stay
had learned first to like and then to low
his daughter Bessie, and then when m.
visit approached its termination had no
declared my love, but had asked per
mission to marry, with what result i
known. Having been always tolerabl
well supplied with money, had neve