The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-05-07
BERTHILDA'S OFFER

bEhIHlLUAS OFFER. ra-a
Mr.. Flint had the reputation of being as
hard Us his name. Certainly he was crusty
sort 81 old gentleman, with q disdgreeable
habit OF telling what he considered to be the
plain truth to every one. AS every one did
not at once bow low and say.''Mr Flint, You
are perfectly right this habit of frankness
aaa G h;s nm lnio great many uarrels
the only one of his own blood with whom he
was on speaking terms was his orphan
| niece, Berthilda, who kept house for him, to
whom he was Unusually kind, and who be.
Geyed him to be q modern Solomon. 55'
She mad never once coutradicted him. When
he told her that the Flints were generally
good looking, bit that she took after her
mothers family, vino were all as plain as pike
stats, she answered, eyes, uncle. but that is
not my fault, you Know When he SAID she
need not mind about ~. being good.
looking, because, after all, she was
2 nice little thing, and would be more apt to
! peared to be comforted. She was mild and
meek, and her vanity had been quite taken
| out OF her by her uncle's frankness.
She was really, by no means, So very plain,
but she accepted MIR. Flint's opinion without
m9rmur; It was all genuine. She was one
down before the bead Of the family and
worship him. She had not even reflected that
ne might leave her his money, or some portion
OF it, It was too dreadful to think of Uncle
Flint's ever dying at all.
AS for marrying, it did not enter Berthilda's
MIND: She had written herself down a
sp!nster as soon as she had heard Uncle Flint's
given when she was about sixteen years OF
age; but now that she was nearly thirty, she
was astonlshed by tie appearance of q lover.
IN Ine shape OF stout farmer Of forty, q
Wldower without children, and owner OF as
nne piece OF property as could be found in
the State.
1t was a case of love at first sight on his
part, and Berthilda, finding herself made love
TO: and being quite unused to the situation,
telt that it was her duty to refuse him, sin e
TO marry would be to contradict Uncle's dis
tlnct assertion that she was born to be an old
maid and yet she yielded to the advances of
Mr: Aeskins SO far as to allow herself to be
seen home from meeting" kissed at the gate,
and occasionally encircled by very large arm ,
which, after squeeze or two, she always put
away with a shocked little squeal.
Finally Mr.. HOskins offered himself, and
Berthilda, having confessed to Partially for
him, ended by asserting that Uncle Flint
should decide the matter, and that she dared
not mention the subject to him, al
well. then, l will" said Mr.. Hoskins. II
amt afraid OF no man, and if your uncle has
anything again me. he can out with it and
prove it. I'll write and ask him, since YOU
are SO partikeler, Berthilday; though bein' of
age, ! ean't see why he has any thing to say
To which Berthilda, sobbing. replied that
her uncle's word was her law and was kissed
at the gate, as usual, this conversation having
taken place on Sunday evening on the way
from church.
On Monday morning old Mr.. Flint, going
after breakfast into the little room which he
called his office, and where he transacted
his business as notary public, found lying on
his desk two letters already leftfor him that
morning, and opening them, found that each
asked him for something.
One was from neighbor named Perkins,
who desired to borrow horse of him. The
other from Farmer Hoskins, asking for his
niece Berthi!das hand,
Mr.. Flint was not in the habit of lingering
long over any decision. He regarded the
fact that Berthilda had had an offer as o sort
OF miricle not likely to occur again, and he
had an idea that women always liked to get
married. =. d. .-.' ST.
Hoskins was we'll to do and respectable.
been a:good girl to him, and he really felt an
affection for her.
As for Perkins, he should not have his
horse. He hadoverworked the one he had
borrowed of him last harvest time, and the
poor brute had died in consequence. Lend
Perkins his gray mare, indeed! He would
give him piece OF his mind for his impu-
dence. And he would settle that business
before he attended to Berthilda's offer. -
! 80 he drew his blOtter toward him, seized 9
pen and ink, and indited this peppery epistle
! "Sir:-l don't wonder you wrote, and hadn't
the face to come and ask me for what YOU
wanted, like man. Let you have her, in
deed! When every one knows you killed the
other one with hard work, and only sent hel
home to be buried. A pretty idea that, in
| deed! She was just rack of bones when vol
got through with her, and, I judge, hal
starved, as well as worked to death. d..
You'll promise to take good care of her, nc
do thai by stealing her, and as Isl SUPPOSE bro
you're quite capable of that, l shall see TO my
my locks. .-.>
This finished, he wrote more briefly to Mr.
Hoskins:
% 1De s S;n Lea cant see anything in the
over If you like, and talk it over.
| yours. FLINT"
Having done these, he put each into an en-.
velope and sent them off. 3D.. =.
Poor Berthilda scarcely dared to raise he
eyes to her uncle's face that day; but hi
had allowed herself to hope much from it
when, as she sat at her knitting in the even
! ing, Peggy, the sole domestic, beckoned mys
| teriously to her from the door; and havin 9
| thus beguiled her Into the hall, informed hel
that Mr.. Hoskins wanted to see her at thu
| gate. e.. r.4 z ,,..r...,.; a. s, fl.
To the gate Berthilda went in state of ner
vlous agitation which made the blue-tibbor
bow in her hair culver like a hum1ning bird
and there sic found Mr.. Hosklns, so red i,
the face with rage that the color was percep
tibie in the moonlight. And his greeting wal
| this: p - ~
"Berthildy, if old Flint was any body
uncle: but yourn, I'd go in and pulnmel In,
breath out of him. pvc minter do it now. >
SO, dear" sobbed Berthilda, "what is tn,
matter?"
Hes writ me a letter that was lest chocl
1ull OF insults from fust to last" said Mr. Hos
kins. "Said writ cause was afraid to asl
MIN tor you; said every one knew that
killed Abigail Araminty with everwork, aux
| starved her to death, and sent her to her MAJ
to be buried. Now Abigail Arminty died of tn,
consumption that was in her family, and
spent lots in doctors stutfs; and IL she wa
buried from her mas that was the old lady,
wish. And Araninty, she would go there K
die. And did all mortal man could and
ohird help and l wasn't nowise hard on Abi
gal Araminty; and your uncle, he's liar, ant
II he'll come out here, I'll wiring his neck. Nv,
as much as kin do to keep from saying word
O man hadn't orter say afte he's lined tn,
church. never was SO mad in my life. Tn
bursting with rage; and he said Pm thief
and he's no doubt I'll steal you, If CON; and
I i will. It's lest this aRarfhi1da-vo,, com.