The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-19
MARRYING A o1oD.

cesstut merchant.
He had no wife, and but one child
daughter-whom he adored, and upo
whom 1t was his delight to lavish Q,
erything she asked for, II money woul
buy 1t.
Annis Prime was beautiful, and she wa
besides, a girl of considerable sense; to
much SO, indeed, to be easily satisfied il
her choice Of a husband.
She had many suitors, but none Q
IL \ suited her.
One day the merchant came home to hi
splendid mansion, looking like a ghost, h
was so pale. His hair had grown severn
degrees whittier since he went away in tn
morning.
Going 70 his private room he locked tn,
door and loaded his pistol.
"If kill myself" he said, "Annis will
be obligsdto marry some Of her rich ad
mirers, because she will have no homl
without. l could never endure to liyt
and see her suffer the miseries OF a power
ty which her rearing has so ill.ftted he
to bear"
Then he took the pistol in his hand ant
looked at it calmly.
shall / blow out my brains or shoot
myself through the hearth"
You will do neither II you please
papa" said Annis herself, coming forwart
from behind the curtain Of q window II
which she had been sitting ever since ht
entered the room. "What Ia the matter
Why do you wish to kill y~ourself?"
"Annis," said the merchant, sadly, "evel
since your mother died l have lived only
for you. All | cared to get wealth for wal
for you. But Of late I have been unfortu
nate. l stand to-day on the verge O
bankruptcy"
"Well, l am sure that Is bad enough
without your killingyourself," said Annis
do you imagine, Oh, foolish papa, tina
all the riches OF the world could make IN
70 me the loss OF you?"
The merchant started and looked down
as II ashamed. Then he opened his arms
wide, and his daughter flew into them.
promise me this moment, papa" she
said, "that you will never, never think Of
such a wicked thing again?"
"My darling" answered the merchant
with emotion, ~ never will. Now YOU
must make me a promise. l can stem the
tide, | thirka month longer-possibly siz
weeks: l should not care myself how
soon the crash came, If l could see YOU
provided for. viii you not, in that time
choose yourself q husband from all those
who are 80 anxious to marry you?"
Annis made a face. Then, seeing how
anxious her father looked, she said:
IN honestly try papa. But whoever
choose must know the truth about youl
affairs before | will marry him."
Certainly, said her father, "but l am
sure It will make no difference. You arr
too sweet and beautiful to be loved for any,
thing but yourself"
Upon tho following evening, when An:
mis- received company, she made q careful
toilet. .
She was a black.eyed blonde, and she
wore q pale green tissue Of silk, loopeG
with water lilies and sea-grasses, and wa
ter lilies in her yellow floating hair.
She looked a siren; but no siren wa
ever so Indifferent to the homage lavisheC
at her feet.
One after another they came-the tall
the short, the fair, the dark. She looked
in blue eyes, and she looked in black; blu
not q heartbeat quickened, even wler
the handSomest man in the room boweC
low before her, and murmured 1atterinI
words in honeyed tones.
All would not do. She felt a positive
aversion to some Of them, and havinJ
everything she wanted, because Of he
fathers indulgence, she could not recon
Gle herself TO the idea Of marrying a mar
for whom she did not care half as mucl
as she did for her canary.
When the month was nearly up, durini
which the merchant, while he waited anx
iously, said nothing, Annis spoke!
"Papa," she said, ''your are worth
dozen otthem. / had rather live in power
ty with you than in atluence with one o
them"
"You don't know what poverty is" sal
her father gloomily.
"But have a curiosity to know" sail
the daughter, bravely. "Be a good papa
now, and don't tease me. l am sure yol
can save enough OF the wreck 10 furnisl
two rooms, and the cook has been givinl
me lessons. Wont 1t be fun?"
The ruined merchant sighed, but he va
not altogether displeased.
The girl had such a sweet. and coaxinI
voice-shel looked at him so lovingly, AM
he was in the habit OF giving her ever
thing she wanted. So the end OF it was b
let her do as she liked inthis.
Godfrey Prime saved nothing from tn
wreck. He was an honorable man, IN,
gave up everythingto his creditors, cvel
his daughters many and costly ornament
with her consent, too.
But even then all was not paid, an
humble as was the home tolwhich tho pal
betook themselves, the saddest though
that entered there was that q dollar RI
manned unpaid against the name ofPrimt
ut must be paid somehow" said Annil
"0h, II there was anything great, any
thing grand that l could dol It Is
shame there Is not, after all you have lai
out on mo, papa, Why, l am the wors
investment you have made, l do believe
Help me to think II there Is no way |
whichl can earn moneyto make you eve
with the world again. I could not BIO a
artist, for though you paid my DRAWN
master such fabulous sums, l am sure II
were to sketch you something you woul
be able to distinguish thatit had four Ter
anda head, and that would be all. me-
or could make any difference on paper b.
, tween . horses head and a dogs head.
I don't think should eve. sueceedas q
actress, and though haVb toleFab,
. voice, | should be frightened %ete.
3 try 70 sIng in public, that could not ptt'
":Ah, my child " said the father, ~ ye
had only married some one OF those ric
admirers Of yours!"
,1apis laughed.
WHAT Is thelpse Of saying that papa
Not one oil them has been near US sin,
b your failure, always suspected their d
votion was not to be trusted. But II one
them did care enough for me 10 come fO
ward now and offer TO pay these dreadf
debts, ] believe 1 would fall in love wi
him out Of shere gratitude. ! would ma
ry cod, to see your name clear OK debt
y The father and daughter had come o
for q short walk at evening, and neither
II them noticed that, as Annis said the