The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-02-16
TIT FOR TAT.
by NJ. X. ID.

EnBtdlu COuCelNeu lle pTepOS'
ferrous, but at the same rather
fashionable idea, that because
they were friends their son and
daughter, then infants in theil
|, cradles, must love each other
when they G ew to be man and
: woman; and, having compared
; notes and found that they quite
agreed on this point, set to work
with zeal worthy of a. better
cause, to arrange matters so that
they must turn out exactly as
they desired.
If they lived, of course their
commands would be sufficient.
Of this they were assured; but
if they died, who knew what two
misguided young people might
do.
Consequently, each made a
will, and matters were so arrang-
ed that, if either of the young
people declined the hand of the
other, that young person would
be penniless, and his or her es.
tate go to the other young per-
son who was willing. - -
After some years, the gentle
man whose child was a daughter,
left his native England for Amer
lea. while the other, who was a
widower, his wife having given
her life for that son, remained in
England; so that the ocean rolled
between the two romantic friends.
The English resident was ma
med Edmund Harrington. The
American, Charles Seabright. Il
Both were, as we have said,
wealthy, and both brought their
children up carefully. -
AS they grew older they per
mitted them to. correspond with !
each other, but each detested the
task so, that the letters were act.
ually written by the elders them.
selves. 4t,
Once, at the age of fourteen,
when the news came that little
Harold Harrington had fallen
from tree and broken his leg,
Elsie Seabright was desired to
reply that she felt great regret,
and send her best love and wish
es for his speedy recovery; but
the girl, who could never listen
to the boys name with anything
like patience, refused to write |
one word of this amiable epistle. |
II wish he had broken his neck,
so that could hear nothing more
of him." she said, with a stamp OF
her slippered foot; land won't
write tibs."
So again mamma wrote the
letter, having first locked Elsie
up in a dark pantry by way of
punishment. ,F
"And Pm sorry to find a child
of mine SO uhfeeling," she said.
"a broken leg causes great pain.
and may make, one lame for hfe.p
"a nice thing for me that /
would be if | am to marry him,'pR
said Elsie.
Indeed if she had been, as sym
pathetic as her mother wished
her to, Elsie would have had op
portunity enough. to exercise
these feelings, for her young be
trothed was always in some pick
lie, and had nearly drowned and
nearly shot himself a dozen
times, to say nothing of ordinary
tumbles. ga - au.- y, - 4
1t was tit for tat, at all events,
for when Elsie had the measels,
Harold received the information
with contemptuous Indifference
amounting to heartlessnesss, and
had indeed said he did not care..aI
He hated girls, and this one
the worst of all. J. 1iil-AlY
So, with the ocean, between
them, the young people grew tol
maturity and the year approached
in which they were to meet. f1'1
But meanwhile all sorts of sad
things happened. Elsie lost both
her parents, away III England, Mr..
Harrington died suddenly of apo,
plexy.. So the two men who had
looked forwardFor so many years
to meeting when their children
were married, never met again.
Mr.. Harrington would not bring
his son to America to see the
lovely Elsie, as she had proposed,
and but for those obstinate wills
the whole matter would have
been dropped, for the last thing
the young people desired was to
meetseach Other.p ,g q |,
But the young man was Of age,
and the young lady also, and the
must be settled, and
could not be until the match was
either on or off,
7 The old lawyersin whose hands
the affair rested, knew the feel
ings of their wards, but they judg-
ed that o meeting might mend
Atleast, it was, neces-
sary that ,they, should meet. Il
SoHarola, as in duty bound,
was to cross the ocean to meet
his betrothed, and give her an
opportunity to refuse him. J
The news Of his arrival brought 4
into full activity those feelings
Of repugnance that Elsie hai con
ceived for Harold in her child !