Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-22
deceived you from

upon my nCnOr.
Whom are we talking about, then?
Who is herr"
Her? Why, Lucy Monckton."
And who is Lucy M0nckton?"
"Why, the girl / fell in love with, and
she deceived me nicely; but | found her
out in time"
And so you came home to snivel?"
mo, sir, | didn't; I'm not such a muff.
I'm too much your son to love any wo-
man long when l have learned to de-
spiSe her. | came home to apologize,
and to place myself under your orders,
II you VIII forgive me, and find some
thing useful fer me to do"
$50 | will. u hoy: there's my hand.
Now out with it. What did you go
away for, since it wasn't petticOat?"
well, sir, | am afraid shall offend
you"
Not bit of it, after I've given you
my hand. Come, now, what was it,"
Walter pondered and hesitated, but
at last hit upon a way to explain.
"Sir," said he, until | was six years
old they used to give me peaches from
OddingtOn House; but one fine day the
supply stopped, and | uttered a small
howl to my nurse. Old John heardm me,
and told me Oddington was sold, house,
garden, estate, and all"
Colonel Clifford snorted.
Walter resumed, mOdestly but firmly:
Il was thirteen; | used to fsh III a
brook that ran near DraytOn Park. One
day l was fishing there, when a brown
velveteen chap stopped me, and told me
| was trespassing. 'TreSpasSing! said
l. L have fished here all my life; I an
Walter Clifford, and this belongs to my
fo4hoY- EINon +ha
heerd it did belong to Colonel Clifford
onst, but nowit belongs to Muster Mills;
so you must fish in your own water,
owns it, Till was eighteen [ used to
shoot snipes in rusty bottom near
Calverley Church. One day fellow in
black velveteen, and CATERS up to his
middle, warned me out of that in the
name of Muster Cannon"
Colonel Clifford, who had been drum
ming on the table all this time, looked
uneasy, and muttered, with some little
air of cOmpunctiOn: "They have pluck
ed my feathers deucedly, that's fact.
Hang that fellow Stevens, perSuading
me to keep race-horses;it's all his fault.
Well, sir, proceed with your observa-
TONS"
well, l inquired who could afford to
buy what we were too poor to keep, and
/ found these wealthy purchasers were
all in trade, not one of them a gentle
man."
"You might have guessed that" said
Colonel Clifford; "it is as much as
gentleman can do to live outOf jailnoW-
a-days."
Eyes, sir" said Walter. Cotton had
bought one of these estates, tallOW an
al o,,A
plague take them all threep roared
the Colonel.
well, then, sir, said Walter, II could
not help thinking there must be some
magic in trade, and | had better go into
it. | didn't think you would consent to
that. l wasn't game to defy you; so |
did meanish thing, and slipped away
into merchants Office"
And made your fortune in three
mOnthS?" inquired the Colonel.
mo, | didn't; and don't think trade
is the thing for me. [ saw a deal of
avarice and meanneSS, and thief of a
clerk got his master to suspect me of
dishonesty; SO [ snapped my fingers at
them all, and here [ am. But" said the
poor young fellow, Il do wish, father,
you would put me into something where
/ can make little money, so that when
tbiS estate comes to be sold, | may be
the purchaser"
Colonel Clifford started up in great
emotion.
''Sell Clifford Hall, where I was born,
and you were born, and everybody was
bornl Those estates | sold were only
Outlaying properties"
They were beautiful ones" said Wal
ter. 81 never see such peaches now"
las you did when you were six years
Old" suggested the Colonel. NO. nor
you never will. I've been six myself
Lord knows when it was, thought"
But, sir, | don't see any such trout,
and no such haunts for snipe."
do you mean to insult me?" cried
the Colonel, rather suddenly. This is
what we are come to now. Here's a
brat of six begins taking notes against
his own father; and he improves on the
Scotch pOet-he doesn't print 'em. No,
he accumulateS them cannily until he is
twenty, but never says a word. HeloadS
ms gun up to the muZZle, and waits, as
the years roll on, with his linstOck in
his hand, and one fine day at breakfast
he fires his treble charge of grape-ShOt
at his own father"
At this moment the steward entered.
Jackson" said the Colonel, in the very
same tone he was speaking in, put up
my race-horseS to auction by public adj
vertisement."
"But, sir, Jenny has got torun at Der
by, and the brown colt at Nottingham,
and the siX-year-old gelding at handi-
cap at Chester, and the chestnut is en-
tered for the Syllinger next year."
sell them with their engagements"
And the trainer, sir?"
"Give him his warming"
And the jockey"
Discharge him on the spot, and take
him by the ear out or the premises be-
fore he pOisons the lot. Keep one of the
Stable-boys, and let my groom do the
rest"
But who is to take them to the place
of auction, sir?"
Nobody. I'll have the auction here,
and sell them where they stand. Sub
nit all your books of account to this
young gentleman"
The steward looked a little blue. and
Walter demonstrated gently. ITO me,
father?"
why, you can cipher, can't YEP"
Rather; it is the best thing | do"
And you have been in trade, haven't
yep
why, yes"
Then you Will detect plenty Of swim
dies, if you find out one in ten. Above
all, cut down my expenditure tie my in
come. a gentleman Of the nineteenth
century, sharpened by trade, can easily
do that. Sell Clifford Hall? I'd rather
live on the rabbits and the pigeons and
the blackbirds, and the carp in the pond,
and drive to church in the wheelbar-
row"
So for time Walter administered his
fathers estate, and it was very instruc-
tive. Walter soon cut the expenses
down to the income, which was ample,
and even paid off the one mortgage that
encountered this noble estate at five per