The Somerset reporter., 1886-07-14
SELECTED.
THE DAUGHTERS RUSE.

I've been Mary Ann all my life and
should like my lit { girl to have AN cle-
giant name said Young Mrs. Alexander,
holding up her first baby for its father ;
| inspection
MIR Alexander, an elderly gentleman,
three times tie aye of his wife, took the
child awkwardly into his plump hands and
! held it at arms length, as he did the
newspaper, to look AT its small face.
y very pretty child, indeed said he,
al least for her aye my dear. And what
do YOU think will be an elegant Nance
II don't quite know yet said Mrs Al
eXandcr, softly. II must think 1t over
carefully. want To be sure that She ha>
really IL beautiful name and one that Is
not common
Those were nearly the last words the
poor little soul ever said.
She was feeling strangely weak and
faint even then.
Before the day was gone the husband
was a widower
It was terrible thing to him. He had
loved his wife as fondly rs man could
love, and. though he was 50 much Older
than she, the girl had married him becuase
she liked him.
He is nicer in every way than any
young man know She declared, land
hand,omer too
They had been so very happy, and now
he was alone again--a man approaching
sixty. with IA little morScl of girl baby
ON his hands.
After those first terrible days We're over
and he could not even gaze upon the mar
Bile face any longer, when all the terrible
paraphclnalia of the funeral had been
taken away, he used to sit for hours in
the nursery staring at the cradle
When step sounded on the stairs or
the door opened he used to lift his head
and half expect to see his wife light tig
IRE enter til" room.
At any moment hc could have been
brought to believe that all his SORROWS
had been only Il dream.
Nothing aroused him until they began
to talk about the child's name. 1T should
be chriStencd. II Was wrong of Chris
tian father Ia leave the thing undonc 50
long" said the nurse; and the old clergy
man spoke of il also
Their talk brought back his wifr'> last
words. She had desired her child To have
an elegant and an uncommon name. She
should havc il.
He set his mind to work, He Thought
over all the tine names in history. NJ last
he fixed on one. that 80 far none of his
friends had used, which certainly was ell
cgant-thc name, also. of II very beautiful
woman.
Let Us hope that the spirits of our depart
ed friends are not permitted at all times
10 look down upon us; for the name that
Mr. Alexander chose for his little daugh-
ter WAS tlcopatra
CLEOPATRA the child was chri>tencd, and
Cleopatra was the name written in til .
family bible; but nobody but her father
ever called the girl 50.
pntra was the dimnutivc her nurse
gave her, aud as patra she made mud-pirN
in the garden. spilled the contents OF her
parents inkstand over his law papers.
pulled the kitten about and stole the pre-
serves from the pantry.
The widest, mcrricst, most uncontroll-
able of all children was little Patra.
But she would sit for hours together ON
her fathers knee. pctting him and being
pcttcd by him. looking 50 like her mother
in miniature that the old man could have
fanried that his girl-wife had been chang
ed into some beautiful little elf
Slowly he gre happy again-aS happy
sorrow and disappointment.
He lnvshcd all his love on his girl lie
gave her all that wealth could give.
4 grim hou,ekeepcr ruled the establish
meni. and Pa,ra grew to be young wo-
man. And all was going well until that
happened which fathers are Away, the
last to believe possible occurrence to
one of their little gir :. Some one fell
in love with Cleopalra.
Mr.. Alexander did not like the idea
and who can blame him: His daughter
was his all: but he might have allowed
the girl 10 have her own way but for Mrs.
Prynnc. the hou>ckccprr.
Long ago, in Mr.. Alexander compare
tive youth, Mrs. PrNnnc then Miss Smith
rrS. had been Il sort of flame of his Moth
ng had come of it but passing iiirta-
ton: but women are long in forgetting
The widow did not doubt that she might
even vet possess herself of the hand II
not of the heart of the WidoWer but Tor
this girl in whom he was SO wrapped mp
Mr.. Prynne dslikcd Cleopatra, A.
formal women do often dislike gay and
charmi . girls She knew that Cleopatra
had no love for hcr-that She would rebel
against the idea of a stcpmpthcr: and now
she craftily set herself To work to make
the father think i'll of his daughters 10y
cr Many were the evil tales She wills
pcrcd about him-many the warnings she
gave.
Hes after your money said she.
That is the secret of his admiration for
Miss Patra,'
And il was out of love for his daugh-
ter, and to guard her against "A great evil
that the old man at last forbade her To
speak again TO Henry Bush
With Il girl like Cleopatra this was
enough
II was not long before she clipped with
her lover and married him.
Mr.. Alexander WAS furious. In his
rage he said many terrible things Among
Others that his daughter should never
again darkcn his doors Then he was
taken i'll with violent fit of the govt,
and was prisoner in his room.
II was the hour of Mrs. prynnc,> tri-
nmph. for when some days later, pcni-
tent aud fearful, latra came To the door.
longing for her beloved fathers forgive
ness, and, indeed, making quite sure of
ii. after all that had passed and gone.
Mrs. prynnc drove her away.
Your father is very sick, Patra,' She
said. land he has ordered me to keep
Won out. You've made your bed and You
must lie in it. YouN hrrwcd and You
must drink Yon can t come in I've my
orders :" and the door was shut i'll hel
face.
Up in his room the old man sal helpless
/ with his foot ON a pillow, longing for hi
daughter. She must come and he WON'T
/ forgive her: yes and also that worthless
4 Young rascal She had married. for hel