The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-06-12
A RACE WITH DEATH.

"Sir, I'm not. 1 came here to sue
for your daughters hand, and"
"And you expect me to give my
daughter to man who, whatever
may be his other qualities, has not a
copper in the world to bless himself
with !"
"I know have no money at pres
ent, sir; but I have hopes"
ga pretty thing to begin house.
keeping on! Supposing you were
married to. morrow, do you wish to
live or die the day after?"
olive, 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 starvation Do you
see that, sir ?"
eyes, sir, but"
"But! There's no but in the case.
Now take bit of advice from me-
Mortimer, as one of your fathers
oldest friends. Go and earn living;
and when you can show me that you
can support my daughter if I give
her to you-mind you. i'll shall be
ready to talk to you. Good morning.
Bah y and the testy but good-natured
old 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
ruthlessly dashed to the ground. l
had expected to argue the point with
Mr.. Clavering, as Bessie, his daugh-
ter, had ed me that it would be
all right if | only put the matter pro
perly 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 every
thing bat the question of money had
been exhaustively considered. The
abrupt manner in which this had
now been brought up disconnected
me not a little, and left the room
not quite so certain that did not
resemble that generally good-natured
but otherwise unreliable quadruped
to which Mr.. Clavering had likeued
me in the course of our converse
ton.
At the door met Bessie, with an
expression Of mingled anxiety and
curiosity on her countenance.
"Well Jack, what did papa say ?"
s'That l was an ass, Bessie!"
"Oh, 1 hope you did not quarrel.
Twas afraid there was something
wrong, as / heard him ordering de-
viled kidneys for lunch, and he never
does that without he's in passion. "
"Bessie, the old gentleman asked
me how we were going to live"
" Well, did you not tell him in a
little cottage, with garden in front,
and piggery, and kitchen-garden,
and fowl house, and little dairy,
and"
eyes, yes; but that's not what he
meant. He wanted to know where
all the money was to come to pay
for all this"
"Why, you were to provide the
money, of course. You were to
earn it."
"Certainly; but your father want
ed to know how"
"How? Well, you would-there
now, you ought to know best, surely.
Don't you"
"No, l don't, Bessie, and think
we ought to have thought of this
before"
slack, l don't wonder papa got in
a passion with you, you're so stupid
l 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, mo-
mine; and Jack, if you look at mt
like that I'll box your ears"
"No, you won't! think you're al
in very bad temper this morning
"Do you? Now l tell you what i
is, Mr.. Ja,k. Till you find out how
we're to get money to live on won
have anything more to say or d.
with you at all. Don't come near m,
now. l don't love you a bit;
ne, er shall, and / never did! An(
Jack, when you have found out how
you'll come and tell me first, won
. you?" And away dashed Bessie
leaving me at the garden gate, t.
: which we had walked during on
conversation.
. 1t was lovely spring morning, al
nature seemed in ecstasy at tie pros
pect of approaching summer.
alone was sad. | could not hel
feeling that / had made a mistake
Z and that I must have lowered my
self considerable in the estimation {
old Mr.. Clavering by appearing 8
thoughtless and inoonsiderate. True
was nineteen, and having lost m
father early, had been brought u
and educated by my mother alone
and so perhaps had rather les
knowledge of the world than shoul
have acquired had l been sent to
public school or to the universit,
MY position was by no means a ba
one. The only son of distinguish
:, ed military officer, who was ne
wealthy, but left what little he ha
to his widow during her lifetime.
NJ might be said to have possessed
% good education, and what was pc
20 haps better, fair prospects. I ha
@ @ been invited by Mr.. Clavering, wh
% was an old military comrade of m
90 90 fathers, to spend month with hil
% at his residence at Morecombe Ba,
% During my stay l had learned fir
90 to like and then to love his daught,
90 Bessie, and when my visit approach
90 90 ed its termination had not only d.
90 clared my love, but had asked pc
90 90 mission to marry, with what result
90 GO known. Having been always toler
'" BILE we'll supplied with money, l ha
never yet been brought face to fat
N with the great educator of humani,
VI the necessity of earning one
a bread-and was, therefore, rath'
ignorant of some of the principal d
ties of life than unmindful of theI
|, The bluff, common. sense of Bessie
father had compelled me to consid
g matters from practical point of vie,
" and / was now perhaps more angl
with myself than with any one els
ds / walked on, but finally resolved
return to the cottage and saddle
Moro for ride. Moro had been N
8 fathers charger, and had been le
me, with particular instructions as