The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-13

he wanted was Patience; but wife is q
wife, and costs something for her keep,
whoever she may be.
you'll take my girl without pen
nyP" he asked, at last.
"Ay; and have the best of the bar
gain" .T0
mo doubt; If you was young man.
You'd look to come in for Leys Croft
after I'm gone; but I'm ten times
heartier man than you ever were."
"Mayn't chap be in love, Tom
Blackthorn? Didn't such a thing ever
happen to youP"
"Ay, Such thing has happened to
me- Well-love does play tricks;
though I'd have thought he'd sooner
play tricks on hurdle-post than on
you"
1.-The day 1 marry Patience" said
Marrish, THAT mortgage goes into the
fire; ay, and I'll let you have thou
sand without interest, and no better Sc
curity than your own word.
Harder and harder Farmer Black
thorn stared. But there sat the other
rugged and uncouth, indeed, but utter
ly in earnest anybody with eyes and
ears could see that, though how much
in earnest none could have seen. But
something else tugged at Tom Black
thorn's heart-strings. She was not to
him what his only son would have
been; but she was his only girl. mo,
no, neighbor," said he. you're kind
at the core, and I'm sorry if you care
for the lass-but, no, no, it won't do"
A glow came into Enoch's eyes.
"You don't mean to tell me she's still
fretting about that"
THAT internal, ungrateful viper?
What do you mean? Patience Black
thorn fretting after the spawn of q
drunken blacksmith? But / beg your
pardon, Marrish. 'Tisn't likely you'd
understand the Blackthorn pride"
No sting touched the man who had
but two ideas-what he wanted, and
how to get it. late or soon.
Then" said he, ''if Patience says
ay, you won't say nayP"
"Ah, but she won't say ay."
"But if? Only y-that's alp"
"If she says ay-well, neighbor, all
my notions of womankind would be
turned upside down"
Tom Blackthorn was perfectly sim
cere in believing himself to be sincere.
He did think that girl must have a
pretty large throat before she could
contriye to swallow old Enoch Marrish,
even with all his money-bags to send
him down. But if she only could it
would be q great thing. For, thanks
(as he held) to the treachery of Stephen
Harlow, ruin stared him full in the face
again.
Patience" said he, after supper,
when he usually chatted for half an
hour or so over the events Of the day
and tumbler. "Enoch Marrish has
been over"
"Yes, father?" she asked, feigning
more interest than she could feel II
he had said the Prince of Wales had
been at Legs Croft it would have been
the same.
"Marrish isn't a bad fellow, Pa
tience. He's rough to look at, but he's
stanch and sound. And he's really an
uncommonly fine young man for his
age"
He thought he was leading up to
things with the most delicate tact in
the world; and he also thought he was
making no attempt to bias her. But
she only thought he was jesting; and
that was good thing, for his jests had
of late been rare.
Patience" he went on, "fve been
thinking good bit; and It's about
you"
about me, fatherP Oh, never mind
me. I'm all right"
For If she had that Blackthorn pride
which a Marrish could not be sup
posed to understand, she had her own.
No. You're not all right You're
not right at all. I'm a selfish old
brute to keep you here, through the
best Of your days"
Father? What do you meanp
Where else should be, but with youP"
You're a good girl, Patience. l
know that. But good daughter u
but waste II she don't become a good
wife and good mother all in good
time. / say, what should you say If o
young fellow, or he needn't be so very
young, was to be wanting TO take you
away to be mistress of farm of your
own"
"Oh, hush, father!'' said she, with
alarm. You're only wanting to try
me. There's nobody wants me but
you; and II there was-oh, don't you
know what should sayp should say
No; If he was the King"
And so clear did her heart show itself
through her eyes that her father could
only say:
"Give me a kiss, my lass. So you
do care for your old father more than
all the worldP"
"Not more -only!" said she.
He should have let well alone. But
then he would not have been Tom
Blackthorn. 'And il anybody" he
said, "says you're fretting after that
viper, Stephen Harlow, l may knock
him down for liar-ehP"
"What is Stephen Harlow to meP"
she said, with q tremble in her voice
that would have told sharper ears that,
whether in love or hate, he was O great
deal. "Oh, father! l thought -
thought-we were never TO speak Of
him again. For oh, you know-I did
care for him"
"There-there- -that'll do" said Tom
Blackthorn, hastily, with dread Of
woman tears; which, however, showed