New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-03

back and returned to the room. The result
Of this and one or two other equally sympar
thetic interviews was to produce change
in Mr.. McCl0sky's manner, which was. II
possible, still more discomposing. He grew
unjustifably hilarious, cracked jokes with
the servants, and repeated to Jenny humor.
GUS stories, with the attitude of facetious.
ness carefully preserved throughout the en-.
tire narration, and the point utterly ignored
and forgotten. Certain incidents reminded
him Of funny things which invariably turned
out to have not the slightest relevancy OF
|. application. He occasionally brought home
with him practical humorists, with san.
guine hope OF setting them going, like the
music box, for his daughters edifcation
He essayed the singing of melodies with
great freedom of style and singular limita,
Wedding, Ye Lasses and Maidens," of which
he knew single line, and that incorrectly
| as being peculiarly apt and appropriate
Yet, away from the house and his daughters
presence he was silent and distraught. His
absence of mind was particularly noted BY
his workmen at the Empire Quartz Mill
'.Ef the old man don't look out and wake
up" said his foreman, "hel hev them fee,
of his vet under the stamps. When be ain'1
givin' his mind to 'em they is altogether too
promiskuss."
A few nights later, Miss Jenny recognized
her fathers hand III a timid tap at the door
She opened it, and he stood before her, with
| valise in his hand, equipped as if for a
| journey. 81 takes the stage tonight, Jimmy
dear, from Four Forks to FRISCO. Mayb
/ may drop in on Jack afore 90. I'll be
back in a week. Good-byr
"Good-by" He still held her hand. Pres
| emily he drew her back into the room
closing the door carefully, and glancing
md mi nf a Il
| cunning in his eye as he said slowly:
Bear up and keep dark. jimmy dear, and
| trust to the old man. Various men has
| various ways. There is ways as is common
and ways as is uncommon, ways as is easy
and ways as is Uneasy. Bear up and keep
dark With this Delphic utteranoe, he put
| bis finger to his lips and vanished.
1t was ten o'clock when he reached -Four
Forks. A few minutes later he stood on
the Threshold of that dwelling described
by the Four Forks Sentinel as "the palatia]
residence Of John Ashe," and known to the
local satirist as the lash box" "Hevin' to
lay by two hours, John, he said to his pros.
pective sOnin-law, as ne took his hand at
the door, "a few words of social converse
not on business, bat strictly private, seems
to be about as natural a thing as man can
| do" This introduction, evidently the re.
suit of some study and plainly committed
" uCluOIys cCCAnCu bO Satisfactorily w WI.
McClosky that he repeated it again, after
John Ashe had led him into his private
Office, where, depositing his -vaIise in the
middle of the aoor and sitting down before
it, he began carefully to avoid the eye of
| his host. John Ashe, a tall, dark, hand
some Kentuckian-with whom even the
trifles of life we're evidently full of serious
import-waited with kind of chivalrous
respect the further speech of his guest.
Being, utterly devoid of any sense Of the
ridiculous, he always accepted Mr.. McClOs-
ky as grave fact, singular only from bis
own want Of experience Of the class.
Sores is running light now," said Mr..
McClosky, with easy Indifference.
John Ashe returned that he had noticed
the same fact in the receipts Of the mill at
Four Forks.
Mr.. McClosky rubbed his beard and
looked at his valase, as if for sympathy and
suggestion.
with any OF them chaps ez you cut out with
Jinny"
thought of that II saw Rance hanging
round your house the other night when
took your daughter home, but he gave me
a wide berth" he added, carelessly.
Surely" said Mr.. McClosky, with a
peculiar winking Of the eye. After pause
he took fresh departure from his valise.
"a few words, John, ez between man and
man, ez between my daughters father and
her husband who expects to be, is about the
thing, take it, as is fair and square.
KEN here to say them. They're abou,
jimmy, my gal"
Ashes grave face frightened, to Mr.
McCl5sky's evident discomposure.
Maybe / should have said, about heI
mother: but, the same bein stranger to
you, I says, materially, jimmy"
Ashe nodded courteously. Mr.. McClosky,
with his eyes on his valise, went Oh:
1T is sixteen year ago as married Mrs
McClosky in the State of Missouri. She let
on. at the time, to be a .Widder-a wilder
wish one child. When say let on, mean
to imply that I su6sekently found out that
she was not a wilder, nor wife, and the
| father of the child was-sO to speak-onbe-
knowst. Thet child was Jinny-my gal"
With his eyes on his valise, and quietly
| ignoring the wholly-crimsoned face and
darkening brow Of his host he continued:
MANY little things sorter tended to make
our home in Missouri unpleasant. A dispo-
sition to smash furniture and heave knives
around: an inclination to howl when drunk,
and shat frequent; habitOOal use Of vul-
gar language, and a tendency to cuss the
casooal visitor, seemed to pint" added Mr..
McClOsky with a submissive hesitation
'thet-she-was-so to speak-quite onsuit-
ed to the marriage relation in is honest as
peck"
"Damnation! Why didn't" burst out
John Ashe, erect and furious.
SAT the end Of two year." continued Mr..
McClosky, still intent on the valise, II al
lowed I'd get diverse. Eft about that
time, however, Providence sends a circus
into thet town, and teller eZ rode three
bosses to onct. Hevin' allez taste for
ashletic sports, she left town with this fell
Ter, ,leavin' me and jimmy behind. l sent
word to her that if she would give jimmy to
me we'd call it quits. And she did"
"Tell me-" gasped Ashe, ''did you ask
your daughter to keep this from me, or did
she do it of her accOrd!'
"She doesn't know it, said Mr.. Nc
Closky; "she thinks I'm. her father, and
that her mothers dead"
Then, sir, this is your ="
II don't know" said Mr.. McClosky,
slowly, "ez I've asked any one to marry my
jimmy. don't know ez I've perseod that
ez q business, or even taken it up as a
healthful recreation"
John Ashe paced the room furiously. Mr..
McCloskys eyes left the. valise and fol-
lowed him curiously. Where is this wo-
man :" demanded Ashe, suddenly. Nc
Closky's eyes sought the valise again.
'Sho went 10 Kansas, from KANSAS sno
went into Texas. From Texas she event
ually came to Californy. But here, I've
provided her with money-when her
business was slack-through friend"
John Ashe groaned. 'She's gettin' rather
old and shaky for bosses, and now does the
ii ght rope business and flying trapeze.
Never hevin' seen her perform" con tinued
Mr.. McClosky, with conscientious caution,
II can't say how she gets on. On the bills
she looks well. Thar is poster" said
Mr.. McClosky, glancing at Ashe, and open
ing his valise, thar is a poster givin' her
performance at Marysville, next month"
Mr.. McClosky slowly unfolded large yell
low and blue printed poster. profuselY