The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-05-02
Marrying a CIod,

Godfrey Prime was very rich and sue
cessful merchant
He had no wife, and but one child
daughter whom he adored, and upon
whom it was his delight to lavish every
thing she asked for, if money would buy
| it.
-Annis Prime was very beautiful, and
she was beside, girl of considerable
sense; too much, indeed, to be easily sat
isfed in her choice of husband.
She had many suitors, but none of them
suited her.
One day the merchant came home to
his splendid mansion, looking like
ghost, he was 50 pale. His hair had
grown several degrees whittier since ne
went away in the morning.
Going to his private room, he locked
the door and loaded his pistol.
"If kill myself" he said, "Annis will
be obliged to marry some one of her rich
admirers, because she will have no home
without. 1 could never endure to live,
and see her suffer the miseries of pov-
erty which her rearing has SO lily fitted her
to bear"
Then he took the pistol in his hand, and
looked at it calmly.
"Shall blow out my brains, or shoot
myself through the heart % he said.
"You will do neither, if you please.
papa," said Annis herself, coming for
ward from behind the curtain of a window
in which she had been sitting ever since he
entered the room. "What is the mat
ter? Why do you wish to kill your
self ?"
"Annis," said the merchant, sadly,
"ever since your mother died | have lived
only for you. All l cared to get wealth
for, was for you. But of late | have been
unfortunate. stand to-day on the verge
of bankruptcy"
"Well, I am sure that is bad enough,
without your killing YOURSELF" said
Annis. "Do you imagine, oh, foolish
papa that all the riches of the world
could make up to me the loss Of your"
The merchant started, and looked down
as if ashamed. Then he opened his arms
wide, and his daughter few into them.
"Promise me this moment, papa" she
said, "that you will never, never
think ofsuch wicked thing again?'
"My darling" answered the merchant,
with emotion, 81 never will Now you
must make me promise. l can stem
the tide, think, month longer-possi,
bly, six weeks. | should not care, for my.
self, how soon the crash came, if | could
see you provided for. Will you not, in
that time, choose yourself husband from
all those who are SO anxious to marry
! you ?"
Annis made face. Then, seeing how
anxious her father looked, she said:
"I'I honestly try, papa. But whoever
, | choose must know the truth about YOU
5 affairs before l will marry him."
5 Certainly" said her father; "but
am sure it will make no difference. Yo,
: are too sweet and beautiful to be lovet
' for any thing but yourself"
Upon the following evening, when An
) mis- received company, she made careful
toilet.
! She was black-eyed blonde, and sh
B wore pale green tissue of silk, looped will
r water-llies and sea grasses, and water
lilies in her yellow, floating hair.
She looked a siren; but no siren wa
q ever so Indifferent to the homage layishec
!, at her feet.
! One after another they came--the tall
9 the short, the fair, the dark. She locke
S in blue eyes, and she looked in black; bu
J, not heartbeat quickened even when tn
! handsomest man in the room bowed lov
e before her, and murmured fatterinl
words in honeyed tones.
All would not do. She felt positiv
. aversion to some of them, and having so
e into foolish habit Of having everything
: she wanted, because Of her fathers indul
\ gence, she could not reconcile herself t
v the idea of marrying man for whom sh
y did not care halt as mach as she did fo
s her pet canary.
When the month yRs nearly up. duEin