The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-04-27
ESTABLISHED 1859.

4
But if Ada met the request with
negative of any kind, he accepted i
without demur; and if this produced
tears or complaints, he generally began
10 whistle and left the room. Thi
rudeness" brought on passionate at
tacks of hysteria, and George went tC
the hunt and sent the family physician
to watch her through them.
Very soon poor Stephen had double
| burden of household trouble to bear
Ada began to bring her wrongs and hui
miliations home, and Mrs. Thirske
warmly espoused her cause. A COM
planning daughter and weeping wife
were enough to make the most splendid
house miserable, and they were but the
elements out of which far greater troubles
were to come.
In the meantime Antony's affairs were
equally unsatisfactory. Mrs. Thirske
bad spoken to Stephen about Mary Hut
ton, and for the first time in her mar
ried life admitted failure. Antony
would not believe that she had done her
best, and he forgot in this one Ienial the
ninety and nine unreasonable fayors she
had before procured him.
Stephens opposition to Miss Hutton
was sulky and positive. He dare not,
in the first place, disebey his wife's or
ders to forbid the match. In the second,
he was angry at the authors of this new
element of discomfort in his home. In
the third, he was not prepared financially
to support another household. Ada's
settlement had been a drain on his busi-
ness; he had otner losses, and another
wedding and house-furnishing with the
increased allowance necessary to main
tain it, was really beyond his present
means.
He was quite sensible of this last rea-
son, but he did not want to admit it
even to his wife and son, so he sullenly
and authoritatively forbid Antony to
marry any one at present and for some
months there was a growing feeling of
anger between father and son. Thenone
day, after a stormy interview, Antony
left his home without word Of farewell,
and Stephen, too proud and angry to
seek after him, had to bear, in addition to
his own sorrow and disappointment, the
mothers fretful reproaches and anxiety.
The very day on which Antony left
his home Ada returned to it. There had
been between her and George Aske a
wearisome succession of fierce disputes,
and at length, in a moment of intense
passion, George had struck his wife.
Mrs. Thirske was dumb before two such
and was really i'll, and Stephen
was dangerously angry.
Aske suffered three days to pass and
hen sent for Ada. Ada refused to re-
urn, and Mrs. Thirske supported her in
he refusal. In a week Aske's messages
became so insolent that Stephen was
compelled to reply to them, and the poor |
'ather, against his sense of what was best |
ior his child and himself, was forced into |
the refractory wife. Intoler-
able words passed between the husband !
and father, and when they next met they
gave each other the Yorkshire
mans warning-a word and a blow, and
,he blow first.
After that it was open enmity, and !
stephen was well aware that he was i'll |
armed to fight 50 rich and so bitter an
enemy. Aske's 'sreyenge was subtle one. |
He began within week to build on ahe |
anne stream as Stephens a much larger !
mill. Stephen WINGED at the coming
but had not at first any
dea of Aske's real motive. When the |
mill was finished he "loched" the stream
md thus, as his mill stood higher up
han Stephens, deprived him of the
water whenever he felt disposed to 30 so.
He had no right to do this" OF
course he had not. He knew that very |
veil, and quite anticipated the lawsuit |
which would follow. But in the mean |
ime the Aske mill kept Stephens virtu-
lily idle, and Aske was making money |
enough to defray the expenses of the
weary lawsuit which was fast crippling |
Stephen in all of his resources.
Every one knew that Stephen was
light, and at first he found many sup |
,orters. But it was Aske's policy to
year out Thirske, and as month after
month and year after year went on, and |
stephen grew poorer and poorer, and |
nore desperate and unreasonable, even
lis friends gladly seized the pretext of
is imprudence to desert him.
At the end of four years he was ruined,
nd the presence of the mans wife who !
lad ruined him, in his house, was no |
comfort. One night strange !
onging for his son came over him; he
vas in so much trouble that he could not
'ut away his anxieties even to soothe
lydia, and leaving her and Ada to find
vhat comfort they could in each other,
Ie went to seek Mary Hutton.
She still lived in quiet street of small
Iouses in the lower part of the town,
nd when she answered his request to
peak to her, he was not astonished at
Antony's love. But it angered him new
and though it was always hard
or Stephen TO be cross to a beautiful
voman, he said, sharply: l.
Where is nv son. lass %
fIn New York, SIR"
What is he doing there 2'
Making home for me and my father.
ir." l.
Write and bid him come to his own
ither. You may tell him Pm ruined I
ruined man, lass. You'll make
ought by marrying Antony Thirske
ow, Mary"
am very sorry for you, Mr.. Thirske
7eu may believe me or not; and will
rite and tell Anthony what you say"
But before Anthony could return
lings had come to crisis with Stephen
hirske. He had won his case-and been
lined in the winning of it. He was a |
,mplete bankrupt, and mill and house
ent under the sherif7s hammer. There
ay be places where q three failures and
fire make mans fortune" but it is
ot in Yorkshire. Even the personal !