The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-08-12


to leave the matter in the hands of her
self and mother. This was irregular"
but he submitted in Difference to the
wishes of his beloved.
The ornaments appertaining to the
title, set in sleeve-buttons and wearing
apparel, had also produced their effect
on the mother, and she was ready to
do anything in her power, to enable her
daughter to share the privilege of the
Count In wearing and displaying this
Gallo wampum; but, knowing her hus-
band as she did, she stood aghast at the
conditions which her proposed son-in-
law imposed, and that person was in
formed by the daughter that the terms
were out of the question.
| Between loves murmurings, the
Count Knocked off the sum intended
for the repair of the ancestral home,
because he could not live without her..
When the mother was Informed of this
concession, she thought. even without
that, the terms were still excessive, and
he was made acquainted with her opin-
ion.
The Count consulted with his sisters
and his cousins, and particularly with
his uncle, who also was a Count, the
head of the family, and nearly as penni-
|
conference was that, at the next inter-
view with the young woman, interlined
between the tender speeches, he softly
confidetl to her that he would make it
five thousand dollars a year-only twen-
| ty-five thousand francs-because he
loved and could not os.ibly live with
out her. He gently whispered. as he
told her that she was an angel, that this
was his ultimatum-his uncle, sisters
and cousins would not permit him to
come down another dollar.
When the mother was persuaded that
the nobleman would not recede from
his position. she communicated his
proposition to her husband, an oil
striker, who had worked with his hands
for a living before he "struck OIL" 1t
was received with an expletive which
was too forcible to write, and coupled
with the remark that he would never
give one cent to the man who married
his daughter, Count or no Count. This
stern resolution was made known by
the weeping daughter to her noble
swain, who kissed away her tears, swore
he loved her more than ever but was
Obliged to adhere to the last figures he
had named.
With view of further impressing
and importance of his title and connec-
ton, he invited them to make a visit
with him to his uncle, who dwelt in
the country, about two hours ride from
Paris by rail. The oil-striker refused
the invitation, but the mother and
daughter accepted. The head of the
noble family FURNISHED up everything
for their reception. An additional
servant was had up from the neighbor-
ing village and put into black coat to
do general duty during the visit of the
Americans. The old woman-cook did
her best in the preparation of dejeuner
Ia fourchette at twelve. The man Of
all-work had busted down the old fur
niture and waxed the floors. The
repast was tanked with two or
three of the last bottles of the
old gentleman's wine. He received
the visitors with the suavity of
the old school, exhibited to them the
parchments of the family, showing the
deeds and honors which had crowded
thick and fast along the whole ances-
trail line, and when he had satisfied
their hunger with appetizing food, and
their thirst with toothsome Yquem,
he brought them out in front of the old
house. by way Of crowning his work,
and showed them the statue in bronze
of the founder of the family. This, in
a word, the language of his own coun-
trymen, he had reserved as the bouquet.
Mother and daughter were more
ena nored than ever with nobility, and
a systematic suit was in stituted by them
to induce the oil-striker to make the
marriage settlement asked for; but he
remained obdurate. The twain averred
that the nobleman was not the merce-
nary person which the ancient striker of
oil believed him to be, but wanted to
be married because he loved; where
upon the old man proposed to submit
the matrimonially inclined nobleman to
a test to which the women reluctantly
consented.
In two or three days it came to the
ears of the Count that the oil-well be-
longing to the father of his beloved,
which heretofore had poured forth its
oleaginous wealth in a continuous
stream, had stopped, and the large
stock of oil comprising the bulk of his
fortune. held for rise, had caught
fire, and there was no insurance thereon.
Tho Count and the members of his
family held a consultation, after being
apprised of the double disaster, when
it appeared to them that the path of
and in pursuance of this general con-
clusion, the love-smitten nobleman
presented himself before the object of
his alteration and told her that he had
come to perform the saddest. task
which could possibly be imposed upon
him-to relinquish all claim on the
woman he loved. 1t ''tore his heart"
to do so, but a sense of duty impelled
him to rise above all other considera-
tions. He father could give her no
assistance; he, himself, had no money;
and if he were to be united to her, the
union would. compel her to live life
of privation and misery. He. himself,
might undergo the misfortunes which
such a union offered; but he never could
entertain the idea of asking her to
share them-he loved her too much for
that. Even were he SO far to forget
himself and what was due to her as to
ask her to share such humble and
miserable life, his family would never
consent to it. Saying which, the French
Eneas. with a face of anguish, bowed
himself out, never to return, and left a
pale American Dido on the sofa who re-
fused to be comforted.
The comment of the o1-striker was sig
niicant. 1t was comprised in the ques.
tion of, 'sWhat did 1 tell youp'' The
result of the test, however, did not
bring the daughter to the same conclu-
sion as her father, and it is an article of
faith with her to this day that the Count
loved her, with love unknown to or
dinary men.
Six months later, it was discovered
by the Count and his uncle that the
well continued to flow, and the stock Of
oil, held for a rise, was unburned, eX-
cept in lamps, after furnishing a hand
some profit on tho topmost wave of the
rise. Another family conference was
held, when the path of duty again be-
came clear, and in compliance there
with the young nobleman. at the earli-
est moment, presented himself at the
residence of the oil-striker: but through