The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1882-07-05
SEVEN DAUGHTERS.
An English Story.

AL EnSiiSn SiGEys
When a mans seventh daughter is
born to him the time comes for rehec.
ton how he shall provide for his of.
spring. Mr.. Harkwell, solicitor of
Wattleport, had to give the matter
serious consideration, for his income
was small; but the question did not
dismay him, for he debated it with
himself from the point of view of his
children's interests and without any
reference to social prejudices. Nine.
teen fathers out of twenty would
have solaced themselves with the
thought that three out Of the seven
girls would in all probability get
married, and that the other four
would find subsistence somehow
One would remain at home, anothe.
might go out as governess; the third
could reside with her married sisters,
turn about, and the fourth could be.
come a companion 10 Aunt Jennie,
Aunt Bessie or Uncle George. With
such calculations do fathers of large
families often dismiss troublesome
musings; especially when they are
in the prime of life and have good
professional prospects, as was the
case with Mr.. Harkwell.
But this gentleman bethought him
that 10 bring up his girls with the
notion of becoming idle ladies and
Observation-Disclosures would be to fol-
low a foolish oriental plan which. it
is high time was up,roo,ed. So he
called his four eldest girls, who were
aged sixteen, fourteen, thirteen and
eleven, respectively, and took coun-
Gil with them as he would have done
if they were boys; that is he address.
ed them as rational beings. 1t will
be well to state that none of these
children promised to be pretty, for
neither Mr.. Harkwell nor his wife
was handsome, and the girls took
after them. Jenny, the fourth, was
the incest looking of the four, but
they were all good girls fond of one
another, and of their parents.
"My dears," said Mr.. Harkwell, "I
have summoned you that you may
hear an account Of my circumstances
and decide for yourselves whether
you would like to be put in the way
of becoming honorably independent
when you grow older. Please God, I
may live to see you all grow up; but
even if my highest ambitions were
realized, and | could leave you each
a small competency when l die. I
could never do so much for you as
you may do for yourself if you try.
The attention of the girls was
keenly aroused by this exordium.-
The eager hopefulness as to the fu-
ture, which is always SO strong in
boys, but which can scarcely exist in
girls, to whom the future is an enig-
ma sort OF stone wall beyond
which they can not see-kindled in
their eyes and showed that all their
faculties were quickened. One need
not detail the conversation that en-.
sued, but the upshot Of it was this:
Mary, the eldest, caught the idea Of
being q doctor; Florrie, the second,
agreed TO act as clerk in her fathers
office; Evie, the third, was to apply
herself seriously to study, with a
view Of going to college by.and.by
and obtaining q certificate thatshould
enable her to get first class situa-
tion as a school-mistress; and Jenny,
the fourth, who had q great taste for
mimicry, playing charades and so
forth, decided that she would like to
become an actress.
Withina a month after these schemes
had been formed, Mr.. HarkweIl had
taken measures to realize them
Mary and Jenny were sent to Lon.
don, the one to reside ina physicians
house and commence medical stud
les, the other, to live with an actor
and his wife, who had undertaken tc
train her for the stage. Evie went
to school in Paris, and Florric sue.