Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
A FIGHT FOR A FORTUNE.
CHApTER /
Observation-Disclosures FOUNDER.

ana very ldiet ana gEill9. Tue ttIidii4t-
ments OF the previous tenant for window
floral decoration were conspicuou-ly neg
lected, because Mr.. Clacy hated flowers.
which in his opinion are no better1han
weeds, since the bloom does not develop
into food. He regarded the blOssamsng OF
fruit trees as a deplorable waste OF the
force of nature, for if there was any beauty
in the blossom, which he stOutly DENIED, the
fruit was none the better for it. Ii be had
had the ordering OF nature the trees would
nave borne fruit crop in spring as well
as in autumn, and there would have been
no season of blossom. The furniture Of
the house and the dress Of Mr.. Clacy we're
plain and shabby. The most liberal Old
ClO'" would not have given a setuf cheap
est jugs in exchange for his coat, waist
coat, trousers and hat. His charity, as
he often boosted, was limited To the conf
pulsOry payment of poor rates. He did
not conceal his love for gold. Yellow was
the only color he admired. Sometimes
when he did not feel SO well as usual he
would have d golden bath-that Is, he pro
cured four or five hundred sOyerelgns.
spread them on his bed and rolled in them.
tie said 1t was sovereign cure, but he
did not intend the remark to be funny,
becaus he held humOr and laughter to be
frivclities that involved waste Of vital
force. He did not buy newspapers, be-
cause it would be foolish to part with pre-
ciOuS pence tor the sake of knowing what
his follower eatures were saying and do
ing. Ia his walks he never passed pin
or piece of paper, and during twenty
years he had picked up pins and waste
paper that sold for four pounds eleven
shIllings and el4ven-pence halt-penny.
But "A mIser is "a man who loves gold 50
passiOnately rs TO deny himself the com
forts and even the necessaries of life.
That was not the case with Mr.. CuthbeFJ
Ciacy. His outer garments We're shabby,
but for the preservation of health he wore
the best flannel next his skin that money
could purchase, ald his boots were of the
tiueSt leather and best make, because il
is sanitary to be vel shod. He paid his
cook thirty guineas year, because good
cooking pleases the palate and agrees
with the stomach. lie drank costly wines
and he smoked cigarE of the dearest
brands, He denounced marriage as a
senseless and ruinOus folly. and so he was
bachelor OF seventy winters; but besides
an efficient hOusekeeper and a prOfessed
cook he fed and paid two servants, so that
he might have due attention.
No, MIR. Cuthbert Clacy was not miser.
He was avariciOus, which is perhaps not
an uncommon failing; he was very fond
OF himself, which is probably not q rare
phase Of affection; but he did not care for
appearances and the opinion OF society,
which is certainly an exceptional pecu-
liarity. The main difference between him
and those who called him a miser was due
to his not caring to seem what he was not;
he was content TO be an unwhited sepul-
chre, while they We're asslduOusly white
washed sepuIchres. 1T he had dressed
well, gone To church regularly, and sub
scribed few pounds to advertising char
tiles, he would, despite his avarice, have
lived IN the OdOr Of responsibility, and,
like other hundred-thO FOUNDERS,
been prOtusely lick-spittled.
Gold is Sceutess, but it has the power
of attracting the patchOuli-peTlumed ill.,
cense that fills the hearts OF the decOrOus
yet most devoted worshipers Of the yell
low Calf.
Mr.. Clacv had but two relations, Miss
Eliza Rispn, the only child of his only
and decea., ID sister, and Conrad Clacy.
the ONLY child &c his only and deceased
brother. Miss Risplm, aiter snort ca
reer as a family goyerness. had been her
uncie's halieHkeeper for nearly twenty
wears, and consequently she must have :
been rather "a matured spinster. She was
of the lean kind and probably no sy stem
of feeding would have fattentd her. An
angular figure, sharp features, with
voice to match, and small, deep-set eyes,
most Jealous and capable hOusekeeper,
and also useful as secretary and compan-
ion. Early in the morning, all day long
and late at night Miss Rispin was at nand
to wait upon her uncle. She wrote his
letters and kept his accounts. She was
silent unless asked a question, and that
was just the sort of companion to suit
Mr.. Clacy. She had begun with salary
of $40 year and never suggested an III
crease, and that also suited MIR. Clacy.
GOssips reported she was to inherit the
bulk of her uncle's property and She had
several offers Of marriage, but she rel Ct
ed them curly and scOrnfully, and that
pleased Dir. Clacy. Indeed, he liked her
SO we'll that when she had an attack of
illness he was anxious about her recO, cry,
because, as be said, he did not know how
he should be able to replace Der as house
keeper, secretary anu cOmpaniUH.
The nephew did not suit the uncle as
well as the niece. Conrad Clacy was a
barrister eft seven years standing, yet the
entries IN his Textbook were few, and as he
had inherited only $4,000 when he came OF
age. with a taste for suppers and society,
ne was poor, and Mr.. Clacy did not like
poor people, for ne lvS.,tarded them as Can
geroHs.
Don't tell me that a man can he poor
and honest. He may not steal, but that Is
because he can't do so without being de-
tected and punished. Our cat is honest,
but half-starve her and see if she wOuldn
be at the food when the pantry door was
left Open.'
still. Mr.. Clacy did not cut his nephew,
but asked him to dinner once month, and
even intlmated an intention OF leaving
him the whole of his property.
Look here, Conrad, when L am gone
some one must have the money, and l
would rather it went to a Clacy. Only
not penny for you while l live, and l
will live as long as 1 can. l may keep 1T
till you are too old to ENJOY 1t, Ell! Be
sides, Conrad, come first 20 first is not al
ways the rule. l am very lucky and
NAV live to see the last of my relations
buried, eh 20
That prospect so delighted him that he
laughed, it being the first time for many
years that he had been guilty of the fri
vOlity that involves "a waste of vital
force.
The cousins were apparently on turtle
dove terms. They kissed when they met
and when they parted. She was dear
Eliza" and he was Conrad dear" He
always brought her a little present and
she knitted him cuffs and mutflers. y"
circultousiy limited that If it were not for
the stern anti-matrimOnIal principle of
their dear uncle-they always deaTed their
atfluent relation to each Other-he should
ask her to be his bride, and she, also cir
cautiously, intimated that the actual rea-
son why she renamed single was that she
loved Conrad dear so fOndly that marriage
with any other man was impossible.
When dear Eliza was ill Conrad dear
called on her and was so affected that he
had to turn his head away and apply
cambria to the tear corner of his left eye.
When Conrad dear was thrown from
horse dear Eliza FASTENED to his cham
bers with eyes as inflamed as if she had
been chOppng large raw onions.
But the cousins really hated each other