The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-02-25
ttleman, at the close OF the little litf

romance M - 5
j 'He's only 4 poor lawyer,P sighed
Fanny, Sand mothef-will never con-
sent: But one thing I am resolved
on" She added With sparkling eyes.
NJ will not have anyone else, least
j OF all that odious. Colonel sWeedall
'notif he were worth twenty times
twenty thousand dollars "
The stamp of her fairy foot gave
emphasis ito the determined words
|. she spoke Fanny was very much ID
earnest, and if Colonel had happened
to be present he would have con-
Fcudedf that his chances were, to say
the least of it, rather small. ~ Roh
Twenty thousand dollars, Ell? I"
slowly repeated Uncle 0bed. "Well,
Fanny, it's hard world we live IN
hard, gripping, grinding world 1
never thought SO afore, but somehow
tonight has borne it upon me-" ''''
p When Uncle Obed went away the
next day he was comparatively cheer:
full. The fond words and loving
smile of little Fanny had fallen like
drops Of balm upon the little. sore
spot in bis heart s1s,I uaN.l
L,edThere it was, nesting in, the hill
side. that gray, old farmhouse, with
sycamores tossing their silyery
branches above it, and the lilacbushes
enodding before the narrow windows.
Uncle Ohed thought it never looked
SO pleasant as now, in the level gold
oG the sunset, with the purple woods
rising agaiLss the bright tar'of no.
riZOn.8it DeD lrE teEi soit4e
b, But he did not stop In the cosy
room, where the eight-day clock
licked away as peacefully as ii its
master had not been absent two
whole sdays--a thing which HADN'T
happened before in half a century;
he went straight up stairs to a tiny
nook under the caves where he kept
an old trunk, curiously scented with
csmphor, and bound together with
strong clasps and rivets OF brass.
From this receptacle he took bit OF
paper, and held it so that the light
fell on its contents. LJc apg
lbofilwenty thousand" he muttered.
"Well,4 I'm an old man, and that gal
is just the light of my eyes. % 1t
shall buy her happiness, the blue
eyed bird, instead Of lying useless i'll
the garrett aamber, She deserves it
ALL" htfs j, i.. ,'., 4 "a J,s6sa ,''.
lr.s. i fseebs the :, - stsd me dpens
meut, l5cSeS bis precious trunk, and
went down stairs wiping his Il specta
cles. 80. Us,
The great financial ,ii;al crash had come com
and the house of Amber & Co. wa;
among the first in the list, e.. 1t was
true that Mrs. Amber had been ex
pectiug the failure, but the blow fel
none the less heavy for the anticipa
tion. Somehow her plans had al
proved futile. Young Gold had, il
some unaccountable way, discovered
the true state of the Amber excheq
uer, and wisely concluded that it was
not best to waste his personal charms
and elegant stock of small talk on Sc
ineligible fair one as Miss Cecilia
Colonel Woodall had also shown un
equivocal signs of Withdrawing hi
uit, not at all to Miss Fanny
displeasure. In fact, everything
seemed to be going wrong, and thu
only satisfied members OF the con
federation were Harris Lattlmer and
Fanny.
1t was gloomy morning OF rail-
and tempest, and Mrs. Amber sat ii
a sort of slovenly dishabille, in mar
row room in one of our third rate
hotels. Her own stately home had
fallen prey to greedy creditors
some time since. Mr.. Amber, at al
opposite table, was opening ano
glanclng at his letters.
"Hellol ~ be suddenly exclaimed
dropping one and catching it uE
again. ftsipn -f+
1"What is the matter, Papa ?" asked
Fanny. 9iq httt 't'
"How you agitate ones nervesl'
groaued Mrs. Amber.
"Hang your nerves Here's some
thing to set them In futter-a let
ter from a New England lawyer, All
nouncing that your uncle, ObeG
jenkins, has made Fanny Amber 8
present OF twenty thousand dollars
to become her property on the day
she marries Harris Lattimer." "
twenty thousand dollars 7" muir
INJURED Fanny, with crimson spot
on her cheek "Oh, how happy we
shall be Dear, kind Uncle ODed !
"You're a nice manager" snarled