Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-11-13
From the San Francisco Call.
TIT FOR TAT.

In the days when all the world was
romantic, and no one ashamed oft, two
gentlemen of England conceived the
preposterous, but at the same time rath-
er fashionable, idea that, because they
were friends, their son and daughter,
then infants in their cradles, must love
each other when they grew to be man
and woman; and, having compared
notes and found that they quite agreed
on this point, set to work with zeal
worthy of better cause, to arrange
matters so that they must turn out ex-
actly as they desired,
Consequently each made will, and
matters were SO arranged that if either
of the young people declined the hand
ofthe other the young person would be
penniless, and his or her estate would go
TO the other young person who was will
ing.
After some years the gentleman
whose child was daughter left his ma
tive England for America, while the
other, who was widower, his wife
having given her life for that son, re-
IudlH0u Ill EuRlduu, 81 tlldG tAO OCOd4
rolled between the romantic friends.
The English resident was named Ed
mund Harrington; the American,
Charles Seabright.
Both were wealthy and brought their
children up carefully.
As they grew older they permitted
them to correspond with each other,
but each detested the task, so that the
letters were written by the elders them
selves.
Once, at the age of IA, when news
came that little Harry Hamilton had
fallen from tree and broken leg,
Elsie Seabright was desired to reply
that she felt great regret and sent her
covery, but the girl, who could never
listen to the boys name with anything
like patience, refused to write one
word of this amiable eplstle.
81 wish he had broken his neck, SO
that [ might never hear any more
about him." she said with a stamp of
her slippered foot, 'and l won't write
fbs.''
So again mamma wrote the letter,
having first locked Els up In dark
pantry by way Of punishment.
And am sorry to find child OF
mine so unfeeling," she said. GA
broken leg causes great pain and may
make one lame for life.
"A nice thing for me that would be if
am to marry him." said Elsie.
Indeed, it she had been as sympa-
thetie as her mother desired, Elsie
would have had opportunity enough to
exercise these feelings, for her young
betroehed was always in some pickle
and had nearly drowned and nearly
shot himself dozen times to say moth
ing of ordinary troubles.
It was tit for tat, at all events, for
when Elsie had the measles Master
Harold bad received the information
with a contemptuous Indifference
amounting to heartlessness, and had
indeed said that he did not care.
He hated girls and this was the worst
of them all.
So, with the ocean between them,
the young people grew to maturity, and
the year approached in which they
were to meet.
But meanwhile all sorts of sad things
happened. Elsie lost both her father
and mother, and, away in England, Mr..
Harrington died suddenly of apoplexy.
So the two men, who had looked for
ward for so many years to meeting
when their children were married.
never met again.
Mr.. Harrington would not bring his
son to America to see his love Elsie, as
he had proposed, and but for these OBJ
stinate wills the matter would have
been dropped, for the last thing these
young people desired was to meet each
other.
But the young man was of age and the
young lady also, and the property must
be settled, and could not until the
match was either on or off.
The old lawyers in whose hands the
affairs rested knew the feelings of their
wards, but they Judged that meeting
might end matters. At least it was nee
essary that they should meet.
Harold, as in duty bound, was to cross
the ocean to meet his betrothed and
give her an opportunity to refuse him.
The news of his arrival brought into
full activity those feelings of repug-
nance that Elsie had conceived for Har-
old In her childhood.
She had for while resolved to yield
10 her dead fathers wishes, but now
she felt that it was impossible.
Yetther was enough of worldly wis
dom in her head to teach her how much
better it was to be rich than it was to be
poor.
If he refused her, her fortune and
his also would be her own by law.
One WOuIO force MIN TO refuse n0r,
and then she would return him his for
tune, and ali would be as it should be.
But how could she do this?
The girl sat awhile in deep reverie,
Il then clasped her hands together.
ought had struck her.
vas in the house seamstress,
'ch conceit IS any young
n blessed with.
r7aTs aud ways of
- proyerolai @mong
her own cTsss, Cne other servants speak
ing of her generally as crusty Betsy.
And this girl had of late been occupied
IN the room of her young mistress over
some new dresses.
Straight to this apartment Elsie flew,
and, locking the door, sat opposite
Betsy and said:
81 have something for you to do,
Betsy, and I'll pay you well for it."
"Just name it theE," said Betsy.
"When [ was little girl, Betsy" said
Elsie, "poor papa promised that |
should marry Young gentleman who
lives in England when / was grown, and
that if did not | should lose my for
tune Now the time has come and he