The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-11-24
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
BY THEsFAT CONTRIBUTOR.

You have heard of Mrs. Beast, sh
that was Miss Beauty. All, there was
daughter for you! There are not man,
such daughters nowadays as she was
1t is touching story of a wealthy fam
ily's decline from affiuence to poverty
of a fathers strange fatality, of 1
/ daughters filial devotion, and her sister
selishness and cruelty. In the absenc,
of any particular social sensation thi
week, we are constrained to tell the stor,
of Beauty and the Beast" although
the incidents related took place a great
while ago.
Beauty was the youngest of three
daughters, children of very rich mer
chant. Like all merchants daughters
they were reared in luxury, and allowed
! to do pretty much as they pleased They
could 90 into the store and help them
i selves at the raisin box whenever they
wanted to. AS we said before, Beauty
sister was Jealous of her. Everybody
called her Little Beauty, and knowing
law little beauty they had themselves,
the sisters got mad. They went to par
ties and balls, and made all sorts of fun
of Beauty because she preferred to stay
at home and improve her mind by read
ing dime novels and playing Don Pedro.
OF course they had beaux-there are nc
rich merchants daughters too homely for
that-but they had set their mark high.
Nothing less than a Duke or a Centen-
NAL Commissioner would answer for
them. Beauty had good offers. too, but
she always said she had rather stay at
home and take care of her father than
assume the risk of looking out for a h us-
band.
But reverses came. The merchant
invested his money in a California bank
with solid gold basis, and lost it all.
Nothing was left save small cottage in
the country, so much out of repair that
he couldn't rent it. Thither he proposed
to repair, though he couldn't repair the
cottage. To this Beauty readily assent
ed, but her proud sisters said no, they
would stay in town and marry one of the
rich young men who had so often pro-
posed matrimony to them. But they
young men might have been to matrimo-
ny when there was money in it, matri-
mony without money they would not
consider. So they had to join their
father in that cottage by the sea, he hav-
ing taken that cottage by the season.
Beauty had to do all the house-work, of
course, for her sisters lay a-bed until 10
o'clock, but she WIS far happier than
they. We have always noticed, where
there is family of girls, the one who
has all the drudgery to do while the 9TH
ers lie around, is always the happiest.
Singular, too.
At length the merchant heard that a
ship of his, which he had given up for
lost, had arrived safely in port, and he
started to ascertain if it was true. When
he got there he found that one of his
creditors was ahead of him, and had at
tached the ship and cargo, too, besides
running up big bill against the mer-
chant for expenses. So he started for
home very hurriedly.
He got lost in deep forest, and all of
a sudden came upOn a splendid palace,
brilliantly illuminated. Everything was
magnificent, though not soul could be
found. He determined to stay until
morning, and went to stable his horse !;
but the stable was so splendid, too, that
he hesitated for minute whether he
shouldn't put the horse in the parlOr, and
sleep in one of the stalls himself But
he went to bed in a sumptuous bedroom,
after partaking of bountiful lunch,
which he found ready spread. After 8
good sleep, he awoke in the morning as
tonished to find a new suit of clothes III
place of his old ones. 1t is no unusual
thing for men who get into other peoples
houses to find themselves provided with
a suit of clothes, but they generally have
stripes running around them.) Beauty's
father found warm breakfast awaiting
him, too, and, after doing full justice tc
it, he started home. Passing through
the garden, he stopped to pluck some
roses for Beauty, when a frightful beas
came toward him, with loud roar. The
merchant was greatly frightened. Hi:
first thought was that he was in the
neighborhood of the Cincinnati Zoelogi
cal Garden, and that another animal haC
escaped; but the beast proved to be the
owner of the place, it being customary
for beasts to support magnificent estab
lishmenrs at the period of which W,
write, something quite unknown now
save in the case of Beast Butler.
The beast threatened to kill him in
quarter of an hour, for stealing his roses
L he merchant fell on his knees, anC
begged for his life. He said he ough
not to die for handful of flowers, WIN
I had he, Ottar of Roses?
The beast gave savage growl, anc
warned him not to try that sort OF thin.
on again. He had written some for tn
comic papers himself He finally toll
the merchant he would let him off, if b.
would suffer one of his daughters to com
and die in his stead 1t was rough, bu
what father with daughters on his hand
that he couldn't marry off would hav
hesitated? Besides, don't daughters fin,
themselves helplessly in the power of
beast OF q husband frequently? S
home he went, promising to return il
three months, unless one Of his daugh