Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-12-19
CHAPTER II,


The treacherous law, after having
lured us on to ruin, decided against our
claims, and extorted the last remnant
Of our property to pay its costs. To
communicate this fact to my mother
would have been like inf1icting ner
death-bloW, and, after meditating long
upon the subject, [ found myself unequal
to the painful task, and went once
more to our old lawyer, to ascertain
whether there was no possibility of
compromising the matter so as to post
pone the evil day and leave my mother
awhile in possession of her home and
comforts. [ met a lady descending the
stairs who had just come out Of his
office, whose physlognomy was Of that
unusually repulsive character which
imprints itselfindelibly on the memory,
and even after, in dreams and reveries
in sleep and in wakefulness, rises from
time to time on our mental vision with
horrible distinctness, shocking us with
the fullest sense of the internal ugliness
Ofhuman malformation. / thought of
the wonderful contrast between this I'M
fortunate and the delicate beauty I
loved in vain, and it seemed almost i'm
possible that both could be the work OF
the same hands and Creator. Yet such
were they; and why so contrasted he
that made them alone can tell
The old lawyer was in, and grasped
my hand with sympathetic cordially. |
stated the object of my visit.
"Well, my young friend" said he, II
have just anticipated your wishes, and
have just been talking with the success
full party. She is by no means inexor-
able; but, to tell you the truth, there are
no grounds of compromise left. You
have lost all-the widow has won all. Ii
she accords you anything, it will be
simply adonation-nOthing more nor
| less"
''Is there no resources left by which
! and to my mother, l fear, fatal blow %
'None in law"
''In what then ?"
"In yourself"
"How in MYSELF"
"In your person. You are young and
handsome. | don't say so to f1atter you,
but to make nv meaning clear"
"Wen?"
"Wel1, marry the widow"
"That horrid creature!'
"HOrrid! | see your taste and mine
differ; but they say there is no disput-
ing on such matters, and so we will not
enter into a discussion upon the subject.
As | apprehended, you came to me for
some possible resources in your exrem-
ity, and not with the view of obtaining
a matchless beauty"
'True, but"
ALLOW me, [ mention this as the only
resource left you. Be reasonable. If
the lady is not perfection, so much the
better, as it improves your chance. II
you insist upon being saved from ruin
and beggary by one but a Venus, you
are much too nice a gentleman for me
to counsel, and had better address your
self for advice to Apollo and the nine
muses., instead Of a blunt matter-of-fa
old lawyer like myself"
MARRY her! | would rather hang my
self at once"
"You should know best how fit you
are to die. [ am afraid your education
and habits have totally untitled YOU for
business and usefulness"
''But this marriage is absurd: impos-
sible."
81 am not in the habit of proposin Q
absurdities and impessibilities. If YOU
will authorize me to act, you will find it
no such thing. VIII you do SOP
Not for the worldr'
Understand that I have not urged
this matter on your behalf, but for the
sake of your mother and sister, especi-
ally on account of your mother, for
whose life you pretended a moment age
| to feel an amount of solicitude thai
would enable you to make any sacri-
fee"
For the moment did not think Of
! them"
at is time you did. Since my
eounselis SO very unpalatable, perhaps
you viii condescend to inform me what
you propose to do"
Anything else; but this is to horri
ble"
The old lawyer turned his chair round
and commenced writing at the desk as
coolly, rapidly and correctly as if he hac
been an ingenious machine invented fol