The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-03-06

| went home for month before go
ing TO the university, and received nj
end of lectures during that time from
the governor upon the duties of my po
sition. / also discovered, to nv horror
that my parents we're laying a matrimo.
nial trap for unwary footsteps-they in
tended me to marry the daughter Of the
wealthy Dean of F; she was only
fourteen at the time, so a marriage with
her was a distant evii-but the very
thought of that girl was a night mare tc
me. used to wake up in the middle
of the night. wondering why l felt sc
restless and oppressed, and suddenly
would recollect-Eliza May. BY the
way, | never remember seeing a palmer
young lady than the aforesaid Miss MAY
But it would have been all the same tC
me had she been Venus herself; the
talisman on my heart Knocked all female
witcheries.
| must pass briefly over the first t1vc
years I spent at Oxford--two very hap
py years. If l achieved no brilliant
victories, |, at all events, acquitted my
self creditably.
4 few weeks before | was to leave Ok
ford for good, l received letter from
my--father that filled me with apprehen,
sion. Rumors had reached his ears thai
| had "a Irritation with some girl of low
birth and connections" He begged me
to write at once, and deny the report, as
he feared that if 1t reached Dr. May.
ears it might cause him to look unfavor.
ably upon me as a son-in-law.
answered my fathers letter immedi.
ately. denied positively having any
Irritation, but informed him at the same
time that it was matter of perfect in
difference to me what DIR. May thought
of my conduct, as l had no intention OF
becoming his son-in-law.
My father was furious, of course. He
came up to Oxford and told me must
marry Eliza May-that it had been a set.
tied thing between her father and him
self for years-that if I refused to com
ply with his wish, / should never re-
ceive another shilling from him as Ions
as he lived.
could not renounce Cherie better for
felt my birthright than my love. How
ever l promised my father l would no
marry without his consent: at the sam.
time told him that nothing should in
duce me to marry a girl did not love
We parted in anger, and the doors o
Dowton were closed against me from
thenceforth | passed my next vacation
at Beghie, and to Conny l confded tn,
tale of my love for Cherie. She helC
out no hope of my father consenting tC
my marrying Cherie. And indeed whel
| thought it over calmly and dispassion
ately, it did seem highly improbable
that my father, with his old fashioned
Tory notions and class prejudices, shoulC
ever welcome Il nameless girl, the adop
ted child of an old dressmaker, as {
daughter-in-law
:.Perhaps she will turn out 10 lie :
great lady after all, y Conny would some
times say hopefully-"very likely tn,
daughter of royal duke or a foreign
prince"
But | was not SO sanguine."
After leaving Beghie, went down tt
the Isle of Wight to pay Cherie visit
told her exactly what had taken plac
between my father and myself She wa
only grieved, poor child, and wanted tt
release me from my engagement; but
would not hear of such a thing, ant
made her swear never to give me up un
der any mistaken idea that it would b
for my good
l had now to look out for some EN-
ployment to enable me to live, as my ia
ther had stopped my allowance. Fortu
nately very soon fell on my feet.
AS / was strolling down Piccadill,
one afternoon, l met an old schoolfelloy
Miles Stratton-the son of the edito
of well-known illustrated periodical
Thinking he might be able to help me
1 told Miles exactly how 1 was situated
and he promised to interest his fathe
in my behalf. ought to have men
toned before that my only talent wa
for drawing; 1 sketched we'll iron
nature, but chiefly excelled in fgur
drawing and caricaturing.) Welt
make a long story short-through Mile
Stratton's exertions, was soon enable'
to exc out livelihood by my pen; but
was hard life, and but for Cherie,
should have very soon thrown it up i
disgust, and returned home like tn
Prodigal Son, to accept my father
blessing and Miss May.
But for my promise to my father ne7
erto marry,whithout his consent, l shoul
have made Cherie my wife at once, an
we would have faced the world together
strong in our mutual love and confdenc,
Madam Dupont was growing old, and
anticipated with dread the time whe
Cherie would be left alone in the worlC
and often debated whether, under thos
circumstances, l should not be justlfe
in breaking my promise to my father
he refused to absolve me from it.
wrote every week to my darling, an
once month used to run down to tn
Isle of Wight, from Saturday to MOI
day, and to pay her and Madam Dupor
a visit.
CHAPTER ".
Two years passed away, and my fail
er had not yet relented, which l attril
uted mainly to the fact of Miss May b
ing still Miss May. He never wrote
me. My mother did occasionally-ul
der the rose-and Conny and I CORE
ponded regularly.
: Madam Dupont was now very infrI
and Cherie had the entire superintel
J dence of the business, which throve al
mirably under her direction. Fro
=, time to time madame continued to r
r ceive anonymous gifts of money f
: Cherries benefit, but she had never o
s tanned any clue 10 the sender. 1t W