The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-06-28
THE FATHERS AND THE chill.
DREN'S WILLS.

Tale Of breaking and Mendlng.
In the days when all the world was 70.
mantle, and no one was ashamed of it..
two gentlemen OF England conceived the
preposterous, but fashionable, idea that.
because they were friends, their son ana
daughter, then infants in their cradles,
must love each other when they grew to
be man and woman. Consequently, each
made will, and matters were so arranged
that, If either of the young people de-
clined the hand of the other, that young
person would be penniless, and his or her
estate go to the other young person who
was willing. After some years, the gen.
tleman whose child was daughter left
his native England for America, while
the other remained in England; so that
the ocean rolled between the romantic
friends
The English resident was named Ed.
'nund Harrington. The American.
Charles Seabright. Both were wealthy.
and both brought their children up care.
fully. AS they grew older, they permitted
them to correspond with each other, but
each detested the task so that the letters
were actually written by the elders them
selves. Once, at the age of fourteen,
when news came that little Harold Har.
rlngton 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 wishes 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.
IL wish he had broken his neck, 80
that might never hear any more about
him." she said, with stamp of her slim
pered foot; land won't write fibs.''
SO again mamma wrote the letter, hav.
ing first locked Elsie up in dark pantry
by way of punishment.
And l am sorry to find q child of
mine SO unfeeling," she said. "a broken
leg causes great pain, and may make one
lame for life.'
"A nice thing for me that would be if
l am to marry him." said Elsie.
Indeed, if she had been as sympathetic
as her mother desired her to be, Elsie
would have had opportunity enough to
exercise these feelings, for her young be-
trOthed was always in some pickle, and
had nearly drowned and nearly shot him.
self dozen times, to say nothing of ordi-
nary tumbles.
1t was tit for tat, at all events, for,
when Elsie had the measles, Master Har-
old received the information with a con-
tcmptuOus indifference amounting to
heartlessness, and had indeed said that he
did not care. He hated girls, and this one
tie worst of them all.
So, with the ocean between them, the
young people grew to maturity, and the
year approached in which they were to
meet.
But meanwhile all sorts of sad things
happened. Elsie lost both her father and
mother, aud away in England Mr.. Har-
rington died suddenly Of apology. So the
Two men, who had looked forward for 80
many years to meeting when their chill
uren were married, never met again. But
for those obstinate wills the whole matter
would have been dropped, for the last
thing the young people desired was to
meet each other. But the young man
was of age, and the young lady also,
and the property must be settled, and
could not be until the match was either
ON or off. The old lawyers in whose
hands the affair rested knew the feelings
OF their wards but they judged that
meeting might mend matters. Al least,
1t was necessary that they should meet.
90 harold, as in duty bound, was 10 cross
the ocean to meet his betrothed. and give
her an opportunity to refuse him.
The news of his arrival brought int,
full activity those feelings of repugnan,:e
that Elsie had conceived for Harold in
her Childhood. Yet there was enough Of
worldly wisdom in her head to teach her
how much better it was to be rich than to
lie poor. If he refused her, her fortune
and his also would lie her own by law.
She would force him to refuse her, and
then she would return him his, and ali
would be as it should. But how could
she do this! sF:f<f =.
The girl sat for awhile in deep reverie.
and then arose and clapped her hands to.
gether. A thought had struck her. There
was in the house q seamstress-a vulgar
girl, as plain as it was possible to be, and
with as much conceit a. any young beau
ty was ever blessed with. Her rough
manners and ways of speech had become
prOverbial amongst her own class. the
other servants speaking of her generally
as Crusty Betsy. And this girl had Of
late been occupied in the room Of her