The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-06-16
Tale OF Triumph.

From the Burlington Hawkeye.l
A pale faced, anxious looking
man, who looked as though he
supped with sorrow every week,
lives out on North Hill with his
wife and seven lovely, blooming
daughters. He has with all the
seven lovely daughters only one
front gate, and that is what makes
him pale. Last summer he spent
217 repairing that front gate,
putting in new ones and expert
menting with various kinds OF
hinges, and after all that the gate
swung all through the winter on a
leather strap and a piece of clothes
line, and there was peace in the
house and the man grew fat; but
when the April days grew near it
soon became apparent to the man
that his troubles were at hand,
and anxiety soon drove the roses
from his damask cheeks and rob-
bed his ribs of their substance.
He used to climb over the back
fence to avoid calling attention to
the disreputable-looklng old gate,
but his self-denial was of no avail.
One evening his oldest daughter,
Sophronia, said:
''Pa, that horrid old gate is the
most disgraceful thing on this
street. If you can't afford to
have 1t fixed, I'd take it away and
put up stile.''
And pa only groaned. But an
evening or so later his youngest
daughter came in and said with
considerable warmth:
Spa, / wish you had that beast
~ gate tied to your neck, that's
what I wish!'
And she Dissolved in tears and
eYaporated up stairs in misty
cloud, while her sister followed
slowly, casting reproachful looks
at pa. And the next evening his
third daughter, Azalea, came
bouncing into the room about
half-past nine p. m, with her
new kid gloves in a condition to
indicate that she had patting gray
ell, and said with some energy that
if he had no feeling, other people
had, and she wished she was dead
she did, and the next time pa went
out of that hateful old gate she
hoped he wonld fall from Arch
street to the bridge-so she did
And she broke down and disap.
peared with a staccato accompan,
iment of sobs a2d sniff1es. And
the next time that pa went out Of
that gate he found it PROSTATE be-
tween the two posts, and saw that
the fragile strands of the clothes
line had parted, under some ex-
traondlnary pressure, and that
was what allied Azalea's gloves.
Pa saw there was nothing for il
but a new gate, and he groaned
aloud as he viewed the dreary pros
poet of furnishing gates to
support the manly forms
of the best young men OF
Burlington for another summer.
He pondered and pondered and
pondered. He became the conf
dant Of carpenters. He was often
seen guiltily showing certain plans
and drawings to blacksmiths and
cunning workers in iron and steel.
And in due time he had another
gate up, massive gate, with great
posts, ornamented and substantial,
and the seven sisters were pleased.
They read in the little brass plate
that informed them that q patent
was applied for the words, "Fol
100 pounds" but they didn't
know till last night what it meant
Last evening the weather, though
cool enough to be brsciDg, admit
ted a test on the new gate. A
number of voices arose from the
vicinity of that popular lovers re
treat, as Sophronia swung idly to
and fro on its heavy frame. Pres
entity q pale faced man, who held
his hand upon his breast to still
his beating heart, as he crouched
in a dark corner of the porch
heard Rudolphus say:
"But believe me, Sophronia, my
own hearts idol, between the
touches of the rude hand of il
As he began the word he leaned
forward and leaned his weight OF
the gate, and with a sharp click 6
little trap door in the side of the
post flew open and a gaunt, many
iointed arm of steel, with an iroE
knob as brig as a Virginia gourC
on the end of it, flew out, and
with the rapidity of lightning, hit
Rodolph two resounding pelts be-
tween the shoulders that sounded
like brass drum explosion.
"Oh-h-h, gosh !" he roared, "I'm
stabbedr' and without waiting tc
pick up his hat, few, shrieking fol
the doctor, while Sophronia rush
ed into the house, crying: stPa
pa! pa! Rodolphus is shot," and
swooned. The pale-faced man sale
nothing, but shrunk still further
back into the shadow and thrust
his handkerchief into his mouth
to stifie q smile. Pretty soon b.
knew the voice of his daughter
Azalea at the gate, saying GOOD
night. But q rich manly voict
detained her, aud measured swings