Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-26

ult VI tue uOOT anu olttlilS uONu before IL
he began carefully to avoid the eye of his
host. John Ashe, a tail, dark, handsome
| Kentuckian-withw whom even the trifles Of
life were evidently full of serious import
waited with a kind of chivalrous respect the
further speech of his guest. Being utterly
devoid of any sense of the ridiculous, he
always accepted Mr.. McClosky as a grave
fact, singular only from his own want Of
experience of the class.
"Ores 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 valise, as if for sympathy and
suggestion.
"You don't reckon on having any trouble
with any of them chaps ez you cut out with
Jinny?'
John Ashe, rather haughtily, had never
thought of that. 81 saw Rance hanging
round your house the other night when
took your daughter home, bat he gave me a
wide BERTH he added, carelessly.
sSurely," said Mr.. McClosky, witha pc
culiar winking of the eye. After a pause,
he took a fresh departure from his vaiise.
ga 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
about jimmy, my GAL"
Ashes grave face frightened, to Mr.. Nc
Closky's evident discomposure.
"Maybe / should have said, about her
mother; but the same bein' a stranger TO
you, says, materially, jimmy"
Ashe nodded cOurteously. Mr.. Nc
ClOsky, with his eyes ON his valise, went
on:
SIT is sixteen year ago as l married Mrs.
McClosky in the State of Missouri. She
let on, at the time, to be a widder-a wild
der with one child. When say let on,
mean to imply that Isubsekently found out
that she was not a wilder, nor a wife, and
the father of the child was, SO to speak
onbeknownst. Thet child was Jinny-my
gal.
With his eyes on his valise, and quietly
ignoring the wholly-crimsoned face and
swiftly darkening brow of his host, he con-
tinued:
''Many little things sorter tended to make
our home in Missouri unpleasant. A dis
position to smash furniture and heave
knives around, an inclination TO howl when
drunk, and that frequent; a habitooal use
of vulgar language, and tendency to cuss
the casooal visitor, seemed to pint" added
Mr.. McClosky with submissive hesitation
-''thet-she-was-so to speak-quite on
suited to the marriage relation in its
hottest aspeck."
Domination! Why didn't" burst out
John Ashe, erect an furious.
'.At the end of two year." continued Mr..
McClosky, still intent on the valise. 81 al
lowed I'd get a divorce. Et about tibet
time, however, Providence sends a circus
into tibet town and Teller ez rode three
bosses to onct. Hevin' allez a taste for
athletic sports, she left town with this fell
Ter, leayin' me and Jimmy behind. l sent
word to her tibet 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 own 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
81 don't know" said Mr.. McClosky,
slowly, sex I've asked any one to marry
my jimmy. / don't know ez I've persoOd
that ez dizziness, or even taken it up as a
healthful recreation"
John Ashe paced the room furiously.
MIR. McClosky's eyes left the valise and
followed him curiously. "Where is this
woman" demanded Ashe, suddenly. Nc
Closky's eyes sought the valise again.
''She went TO Kansas; from Kansas she
went into Texas. From Texas she even
locally came to Californy. Being here I've
purvided her with money-when her bust
ness was slack-through friend"
John Ashe groaned. 'iShe's gettin' rath-
eT old and shaky for hesses, and now does
the tight-rope business and flying trapeze.
Never bavin' seen her PERFORM" continued
Mr.. McClosky, with conscientious caution,
81 can't say how she gets on. On the bills
she looks well. Thar is a poster said
Mr.. McClosky glancing at Ashe, and open
ing his valise, ''thar is poster givin' her
performance at Marysville next month"
Mr.. McClosky slowly unfolded a large yell
low and blue printed poster, profusely il
Illustrated. 'She calls herself 'Mams'elle
J. Miglawski-the great Russian Trapez-
iSte'"
John Ashe tore it from his hand. "Of
course" he said, suddenly facing Mr.. Nc
Closky, ''yOu don't expect me to go on
with this?"
Mr.. McClosky picked up the poster, care
fully refolded it and returned it to his va
lise. "When you break off Jenny" he
said quietly, don't want anything said
bout this. She doesn't know it. She is a
woman and l reckon you're a white man."
''But what am to say? How am l to
60 back of my word ?"
'Write her note. Say something heZ
come to your knowledge-don't say what
that makes you break it of. You needn't
be afeard Jinnyll ever ask you what"
John AShe hesitated. He felt he had
been cruelty wronged. No gentleman-no
Ashe-could go ON further in this affair.
1t was preposterous to lthink Of it. But
somehow he felt at the moment very IN
like gentleman or an Asbe, and was quite
sure he should break down under Jenny's
steady eyes. But then-he could write to
her.
80 ores is about as light here as on the
Ridge. Well, reckon they'll come up be-
fore the rains. Good night" Mr.. Nc
Closky took the hand that his host me
chanically extended, shook it gravely, and
was gone.
When Mr.. McClosky, a week later, step
ped again upon his own veranda, he saw
through the.French window the figure of a
man in his parlor. Under his hospitable
roof the sight was not unusual, but for an
instant subtle sense of Disappointment
thrilled him. When he saw it was not the
face of Ashe turned toward him he was re-
lieved, but when he saw the tawny beard
and quick, passionate eyes of Henry Rance,
lie felt new sense Of apprehension, so that
he fell to rubbing his beard almost upon his
very threshold.
Jenny ran into the hall, and seized her
father with a little cry of joy. "Father,"
said Jenny, in a hurried whisper, '.dOn't
mind notwithstanding Rance with a toss
of her yellow braids-"he's going soon, and
i think, father, I've done him wrong. But
it's all over with John and, 'me now; read
that note, and see how he's insulted me-"
Her lip quivered, but she went on: '1ts
Ridgeway that he means, father, and l be-
lieve it was his hand struck Ridgeway
down, or that he knows who did. But
hush now; not a word"
She gave him feverish kiss, and glided
back into the parlor, leaving Mr.. McClosky
peTplexed and irresolute with the note in
his hand. He glanced at it hurriedly aud
saw that it was couched in almost the very
words he had suggested. But a sudden ap-
prehensive recollection came over him; he
listened, and with an exclamation of dis
NAV he seized his hat and ran out of the