Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-17
in that room a goold mine!o


ness of his discovery.
3 won't you keep my saycret
4 Mrs. O'Leary, ma'am, or you'll ge
> me into the awfulest mess a poo
, fellow ever stumbled intoW
) 81 promise to keep your secret,
said the widow, as the waiter, toe
full of the thought of the soveer
eigns to muster up courage for {
declaration or insinuation of love
rose to depart.
: "Ah!" pondered Mrs. O'Leary
with smile, when she found her
self alone. 81 knew he was enor
mously wealthy, and those profess
ions of poverty were put on Just L
frighten me. And, sure, / NIGH
have guessed there was something
in the wind when he said that al
his worldly goods were in this
very house-the dear creature
He wanted to see if loved him fol
himself alone; and so / do-almost
I'll accept him tonight" sighed
the widow, s'if he presses me very
hard; Connolly's discovery decides
gold-fields, condensed within the
compass of an iron-bound trunk,
fioated through her mind.
Matty Connolly spent a very
queer night. At one time ne
thought a colossal chest was crush
ing him to death; at another time
he felt the grip of a citizen of the
United States at his throat; at
another time, he fancied he was
blown out of bed with a charge OF
dynamite; at another time, that he
was literally rolling in hard cash.
Strange to say, the widows image
never disturbed him. He actually
forgot that negotiations for her
hand had been set on foot. His
mental faculties were centered sole
ly in Mr.. Walkers trunk. He was
so ill the following morning that he
was unable to get up and attend to
his ordinary duties. He had prOba-
bly, never heard of gold-fever, or he
would have known the nature of
his complaint.
On the morning of the second
day after his great discovery, Matty
felt much better, and went about
his work as usual. Then he refiec-
ted that it was sinful and hopeless
to covet his neighbor Walkers
goods, and his desire to 'make
things straight" with Mrs. O'Leary
came back to him with renewed
force. He still felt unequal to the
task of boldly taking the matrimo-
nial negotiations into his own hands,
and waited to consult his friend and
| patron once more.
Mr.. Walker was Invisible most of
the day, and SO was Mrs. O'Leary.
1t was rumored that that they had
gone to visit the Dargle together,
and Connolly was in high spirits
when he heard this rumor.
"He wants to settle matthers for
me all on the quiet" he murmured.
"Ah, he's a real friend! IT'S a
pity the world isn't full of the likes
of Kim"
Mr.. Walker and Mrs, O'Leary
drove up to the door of the Dublin
Bay Hotel about five o'clock that
evening. They had not gone out
together in the morning, so Con-
molly made up his mind that he
had quietly succeeded in getting a
favorable reply from the widow
when he saw them return together.
'"The bashfulness seems to be clane
gone," he reflected, as he observed
Mr.. Walker helping his companion
to aligbt. "The iaya of sthran-
ger takin' such a hape of trouble
on my account! 1t almost makes
Il chap think them Americans is too
good for this world"
"Oh, / should like to have a
word with you, Mr.. Connolly"
said Mr.. Walker, as he met Matty
in the hall. "J1st step into Mrs.
O'Leary's parlor for moment, and
Pll join you there"
Connolly remained in the private
parlor for about a quarter of an
hour in fever of expectancy. At
last an underwater answered and
said:
"Mr. Walker sent me with this
note, Matty, and this glass OF
brandy" laying tray on a side
table.
Show dar' you address me so fa-
meeliarly, you spalpeen ~ said the
head-waiter. "But I'll soon be
tachin' you how to mend your
manners"
Tremblingly he opened a bulky
looking letter, and read:-
"Sir, Your presumption is equaled
only by your stupidity. 1t is al
most superfluous for me to say that
/ never dreamed of broaching to
Mrs. O'Leary your insane proposal
of marriage. You will find en-
closed a months wages in lieu of
months notice, and you will oblige
Mrs. O'Leary by packing up your
traps at once and skedaddling. /
may mention that am now virtu-
ally master of this establishment,
Mrs. O'Leary having consented to-
day to become Mrs. Walker. Yours
truly,
"HOoKER j. WALKER"
The following week Mr.. Walker
led Mrs. O'Leary to the altar, and
when the marriage ceremony had
been performed the happy pair re-
turned to the Dublin Bay Hotel. 1t
was arranged that there should be no
honeymoon holidays, and that the
business was to be carried on as If
no alteration in the current of
events had taken place.
The evening of the wedding a
few friends of the bride "dropped
in," and Mrs. Walker suggested a
game of cards.
"You play cards, of course,
Hooker dear, don't you ?" inquired
the bride.
Certainly, my love-" he replied,
"Im dead nuts on 'em; but / never
play for money. Could never afford
it. Spent my last half-sov. at the
church this morning. If you will
run up to my room my love-" TAX
ing a key from his pocket, "and
open a big iron-clamped trunk of
mine there, you will find the top OF |
it pretty well crammed with Han
overian coins, which use for card
counters"
"You villain! You swindler ~
shrieked Mrs. Hooker J. Walker,
and tainted.