Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-23

Steldl IT'S me own daughter, an her own
goddaughter an niece, Lucis Bridgita, that
she's kept at school at her own charge, an
y keeps in pocket-money as long as don't
, see her more than woonst year.
"She do that for your daughter: In
possible, Monsieur ?"
"She do that for your son /? Mr.. Steldl,
, ye lie p
The way in which these two gentlemen
quarreled, without showing the least sign
of coming to blows, gave the waiter, who
was not far off, an altogether fresh view of
the possibilities of human nature OBJ
viously there was world where gentlemen
cared more for their physical than their
moral skin.
Take yourself of, my beaa.frere. In
effect, she adopt Ferentz, my son. She
leaves all to him."
"Ye're fool, Steldl-that's what she's
been maxim OF ye, the old screw of the
world AS if she'd lave a penny TO any
but her own niece Lucis, a,ther dom all
she has for the darlin' child ~
Steldl was the sort of man who would be
given to Struggling his shoulders like a
Frenchman in play; so he no doubt did
so now ''She cannot have done so much
for Miss Lucis, or / shall have hear. |
know not ill now she have done so much
for the daughter Of the black sheep; but
what shall school bill be, after all . Ban
"a bagatelle. But commission IN the
Foot-ah, that is another shoe And you
consent not to see your own.flesh and
blood for the sake of bill of school 2"
I'm betther sort of father than to
sthand in me own child's wee OF fortune.
And We sit there an tell me she's spent the
price of a commission on your son-unless
tits in the marines, where they'll believe
the tale.
ssParole de gentihoo,me Monsieur
O'Birn, 1 am father of FeFentz Steldi,
Lieutenant of King George"
"And I of Lucis BiJeita O'Birn, thatll
be in the shoes of Miss Molloy."
The two fathers emptied their tumblers,
and tine Major rang for more. Neither
meant TO lose this sitting match if he could
help it, that was clear.
dIfI didn't know" said Steldl slowly
and impressively, there is no school in
the land who shall teach for no pay, shall
not believe But she shall but toss one
bone to one hungry dog-that shall be ali. :"
Now Major O'Biin, though he had never
met his brother:in-law in the flesh before,
was citizen Of that world which knew
that the refugee had taught fencing in his
time, and had won several bets that he
would make bullet mark out of pack of
cards. So, instead of retorting with a
charge of hot whisky into his brother-in-
| laws yellow face, he contented himself by
saying with an angry grin
"An' what'll ye say when I tell ye my
wife is with her own sisther this very dee,
as thick as bees in hive:'
The Irishman, though he had kept his
temper the worst, won the match after all
Steldl leapt from his chair with volley OF
language that proved his own temper to
be no deeper than the thinnest part OF his
skin.
"Your wife, you fortune-hunting Irish
beggar. Your wife with Miss Molloy
So that's why you have been keeping me
here?" He threw the rest of the liquor
into the fire, and sent blaze up the chin
ney. Then he buttoned his coat defiantly,
saying: 81 will see Miss Molloy."
An that's what call mighty waste of
good drink" said Major OBirn, guiding
down the remainder of his own. &c Yes,
ye may 90, Steldl. | won't bother even to
see her door shut in your face-though,
faith, it would be fun. "
And 1 tell you, Monsieur, cried Steldl
raising his veice into sort of scream,
that it is my wife which is now with Miss
Molloy p
The two husbands glared at one another
fercely. Aud, short of running the risk of
being knocked down by the other, that was
all LETT them to do. Words had done their
worst; and they were evidently not men
OF deeds.
turned out bad sister after ALL She
would never even acknowledge so much as
the existence Of the Major and the Count,
and had an odd way of speaking of the
married Miss Molloys as if they were
widows but she did not visit the sins of
the fathers upon the children. At very
early age, too early for them to make de-
hberate choice between their father and
their fortunes, she had sent both the little
Ferentzand the little Lucis Bridgita to good
schools, and. as they grew bigger, some
| times had them to Canterbury for the
! holidays to meet their mothers, who
accepted the arrangement more rea-
sonably than mothers always will
For that matter, neither Count nor Major
cared to be bothered with baby, nor
| always with wife, so that the two young
children were removed from evil influence
as much as lay in Miss Molloy's power.
She was very strict aunt and terribly
eXacting patroness but she meant to be
kind, and was really kind i'll her own way.
never saw much of the children, but
liked what dld see. Ferentz was a fine,
frank. high -spirited young fellow, without
any of his fathers vices, as is often the way
with the sons of prodigal fathers, and Lucis
was almost as pretty as her mother had
been when she eloped with the Major.
Rather quiet girl, used to think, but
amiable, and with dash of her arnt
Biddy's good sense about her way of speak
ing. But it was one of Miss Mplloy's
caprices that the left hand which she held
out to one sister should know nothing OF
how the right hand was held out to the
other. Neither mother, neither child was
ever her guest at the same time as the
other mother and the other child. / doubt
/ if Ferentz knew that he had cousin Lucis,
! or she that she had cousin Ferentz
} Most assuredly each of the mothers be-
lieved that she alone was favored with her
sisters bounty. That reserve was one of
Miss Molloy's very strongest foibles, if one
may properly call foible strong She
would never tell even ne, her lawyer, more
than she Thought absolutely necessary
about anything; and so OF course, even
she, with all her good business qualities,
z would sometimes make little mistakes out
/ OF which l found it difficult to help her.
And the same course that she pursued
with her lawyer she followed with her
} doctor too-that IS to say, with certain
t doctor who happened to be a personal
r friend, for she used TO boast that she had
: never had medicine bottle in the house
but once, and that she had thrown ont OF
the window She often said that she had
: nothing of coffin about her but the
strength of its nails; and yet the very first
E time she was compelled to send for her
medical friend in professional capacity he
- found that she must have been suffering
{ for years from most painful internal and
t organic disease, and a fatal one. How dc
] hungry relations always herr such news