Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-07-05
AT CROSS PURPOSES.

$50 the family record says, father" re-
sponded the eleg ant young gentleman ad
dressed. II AN disposed to place i'm
plicit reliance upon it and on you"
You have done nothing since you left
college but kill time"
at is only retaliation in advance, sir.
Some day or other the old chap with the
seal o lock and scythe will kill me-"
"You are too fippsnt. Since your
AUNT Priscillo left you five thousand a
lear you have done nothing but spend
the money. Your income ought to be
| enough for a single man, but you draw
CD me, too"
CPL try to draw on you less, SIR"
at is not that. Philip. You are quite
welcome TO a check now and then, for |
knoE that you neither game nor revel,
and don't mind your horses, Your club,
your natural history craze, nor your luxu.
rious tastes. But still you spend more
money and get less for it than most
young men of your age-havs too much,
IN fact"
"I don't find it too much, sir. In fret
[ was thinking What a graceful thing 1t
would be if you would double it - mere
trihe to agentlemen of your means. /
have 10 use the most pitiful economy, !
assure you"
"Oh, that's it, Ell? Well, there IS a mode
to Increase it very much. You have
heard me speak of Philander Spriggs, of
New York;"
"Money lender and skinfintr I have
heard of him"
"Nonsense, Philip. He is a quite wor by
ss well as a very wealthy man; and if he
prefers 80 INCEST ready money in short
,kot % hot
or part of it, sometimes"
"But not at cent per cent,
"No matter. | dou't propose that YOU
shall borrow of him. He has an only
child, aaue liter, who will inherit all his
best property, just AS you will mine"
"Does she shave notes, faI herr"
"Phil, be kind enough not to indulge in
chaff. | have seen her and talked with
her. She is young, handsome, we'll edu
Gated, and has good taste-a society
gentlewoman with domestic tastes"
swell. father, you are Lot so old, and
since you admire her so much, 1 see no
reason why -"
Stop your nonsense and listen.
SpriQgs and [ had a talk over it when |
was in New York, ara we have concluded
If you two cone together, TO chip in
equally and settle half million on you
on your wedding day. With what you
| have you'll do well enough for WHILE
"But," demurred Philip, ~ don't like
Sprlggs for father in-law."
Stuff! you don't marry Spriggs."
"And the name! Think of it!
Spr-r iggs!"
What of THAR With marriage the
neme is changed. 1 don't think she'll
gam much by it. Spriggs-Brigge! Six
of one and a half dozen of the other"
"Pc like to obllge you, father. l sup
pose must marry some day! but it will
be some one l love; and then, Philadel-
| Phia like, insist on a woman of good
family"
"Some one you love! How the deuce
do you know you'll not love her till youIsee
herr Good family! OF cours you're en-
titled to that. The peerage of England
is full of VIscount Briegses. The
Briggses are found In the Almanac Won
Gothg among the eripusht families Your
grandfather made $36O,OOO in hides and
tailow, and if he had not invested it in
real estate that multiplied itself more
than ten fold before ne died, | should
have been in the same business to-day,
and you in the counting room or ware
house. Family, indeed! You're a foolish
boy, Philip, and your aunt's legacy has
| ruiIe you"
II Wish, sir, there were a half-doZeu
more old aunts to continue my ruin in
the same way. 1t is of no use getting
! angry, father. You can't keep it up. I'll
| take to anything you say-law, physic, or
divinity; sell my horses, 1ror my club,
read by the cuUic foot, but to marry-ex
cuse me-"
See here, Phil" exclaimed the father,
who by this time was at his white heat
you never knew me to break my word |
merely ask you to marry fer your own
good. | point ont a wife in every way
suitable to you. Marry to please me, and
| will not only start you fairly in life now,
but leave you all have when | am gone
Marry to suit some foolish fancy of your
own and I'ii-yes. I'll found an asylum
for idiots. Now you understand me-" And
Briggs marched off, leaving his son to his
meditatiCus.
at | stay here" said Philip to himself,
"fsther aud l will quarrel. Better give
| the dear old en- leman chance to cool
off. III rnraize q LITTLE"
That afternoon Philip pa ked a port
mantesu, and with tishipg-roi and min
| eral hammer started off to MONTGOMERY
coun y, where an old college mate of his
had married and settled, one of whom he
had long promised to visit. When he ar
| rived there he learned that Boudinot and
his wife had gone to Long Branch for the
! season, and their servants with them, the
house being in charge of care-taker.
Philip heard of good fishing in stream
| four miles off, and concluded to try il.
He ound lodging at a farmhouse pear
the place, owned by man named Seth
| Cooper.
HIS quarters were quite comfort BILE
The house was an old stone building
of ante revolutionary erection, and was
| roomy. He was assigned chamber up
stairs, looking out on a trinity kept gar
len, in Shich old-fashioned flowers and
pot herbs were growing side by side, and
which sent pleasant freq ranc.I through
| the open xindow. Tie rvom itself was
! adorned with pictures and kuick knacks
sho ling feminin tas e, and the beistead
was furnished with hair mattress, and
Dot the bag of feathers of the vicipage
decidedly" said Philip to himself
"there Is another female on the premises,
something younger and possibly fairer
than the substantial Dame Cooper, and
with some refined taste"
Blu nsither that DAY nor that week did
he See any woman other than Mrs. Cooper
or the hued girl. Ho~ever, the cooking
was good, the country air and his walks
round about gave him an appetite, u nd he
was oon'eat. He fshed the stream close
ly, or rsubled here and there, hammer in
hand and bag at side, CT leaning over
fences sud taxed with farmers about
crops" and tie weather
In 4 weeks time the thing grew mono
tonous. The fish We're not always in
clined to bite, good specimens in quarries
and IN situ gres scsrcsr, and his stock of
talk on farming was nearly exhausted
he began TO think of going to the Branch
snd hunting up Boudiuot. As he sat
upon the versnda one afternoon debating
the matter, wagon vas driven up the
lane and stopped at the door. Lightly
out stepped young woman IN a neat
travelling dress, and the driver followed
her With large trunk, under shioh he
stagg cred. bury as be vas. Mrs Cooper
came from the kitchen and exclaimed,
"Why. it's Gv.nny, / declarew
~ on dear old Aunty Ruth!' said the