The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-09-04
HOW SHE DID 1T.

Peter PennywiSe was in deep grief All
the hopes Of Il lifetime were to be frustrated
The fond ambition he bad 80 long nursed,
his pet scheme to make the name Of Penny
wise the greatest in the land. was now no
more. Ili~ only son, Iauncelot. was to lie
married, and married to a plebei,n-to a
girl who had wealth, but no name. no fam
lily, no ancestry, or no coat-of-arms ON the
panel of her coach
Could human misery be greater? Could
the O-~l Of grief piled On the Peion of dis
appointment make heavier load of sorrow?
No. The cup Of Pcnnywise was full to the
brim, and he must drain it to the lees, how
ever bitter the draught,
Such was the tenor of old Pennywise's 5,
musings as he paced the velyet-carpcted
floor of biz library on the evening when our
story opens. A conversation his son had
had with him, as they sat together slipping
their wine after dinner. had been the cause
Of this tumult in the breast of Peter Penny
wise
Launcelot was weak-eyed and pink
skinned youth, with thin, yellow hair, which
he parted in the center, and a little wisp of
saffron whisker on each side of his face, the
pulling of which with his nervous little
hand constituted the principal employment
of the scion of the house of Pennywise.
Father said Launcelot. after gulping
down two or three glasses of wine to give
him courage-''lather.'
"Wcll, my son, what do you want?'
asked the pompous head Of the house.
"W hat do you think of marriage?"
"What do | think Of what?'' questioned
the surprised PennywiSe.
Marriage" replied Launcelot. "Matri-
mony, you know. 1.-TWO hearts with but
single thought, two souls that beat as one,'
and all that"
81 think that every man should marry.
and | would be glad to hear that you had
fixed your affections on some lady with the
proper qualifications, - said Pennywi~e.
"What are the proper qualifications,
father?" inquired Launcelot.
Family replied the father family.
Whatever else you do. be sure to never dis
grace the name of Pennywise by plebeian
connection"
"Why, is our family such very great
ore?" demanded the young man.
"A great onel" echoed PcnnywiSe. "Why,
it's the greatest in the land. Study care
fully the genealogical tree that hangs in the
hall, and which cost me FIVE thousand dol
lars to have properly traced and you will
see that the name Of Pennywise was "a we'll
known as that of Williams al the time of
the Norman conq uest, and that the coat-ot-
arms is one of the most respectable and an
cient that ever heraldry boastcd of.
"Well, of course that's all true, father
but I've heard some of the fellers at the
club say that grandfather was pawn
.'Your grandfather was broker and
banker, a. myself am, and was fully aware
/ of the responsibility of being worthy OF his
family" said Mr.. Pennywise, interrupting
his son; "therefore he began my education
by impreSsing the value of family name
upon my young nind, and so, when had
/ grown older, and he intimatcd to me that
ought to marry the highly respectable Miss
Poundfoolish, [ went to that lady, proposed
and was accepted. Thus consolidated the
two great families of Pcnnywise and Pound
foolish, and you and your two sisters are
the result. But you ask my opinion o'
matrimony. Are you thinking OF marry
ing?'
"Ye-es, sir" gasped Launcelot.
"And whom do you propose honorin:
! with your name"