New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-05-15
TIT FOR TAT.

romantic, and no one was ashamed
OF 1t, two gentlemen of England CON
celved the preposterous but at the
same time rather fashionable idea,
that, because they were friends, their
son and daughter, then infants in
their cradles, must love each other
kWhen they grew to beman and WON
an; and, having compared notes and
1ound they were quite agreed on this
point, set to work with a zeal worthy
OF a better cause to arrange matters
so that they must turn out exactly
as they desired.
Consequently, each made a will,
and matters were so arranged that
II either of the young people declined
THE hand of the other, the young
person would be penniless, and his
Pr her estate would go to the other
young person who was willing.
After some years the gentleman
whose child was a daughter, left his
native England for America, while
the other, who was a widower, his
wife having given her life for that
son, remained in England, so that
the ocean rolled between the roman
tic friends.
The English resident was named
{ Edmund 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
themselves.
Once, at the age of IA, when news
came that little Harold Harrington
had fallen from tree and broken
his leg, Elsie Seabright was desired
to reply that she felt great regret
and sent her best love and wishes
h Tor his speedy recovery, but the girl
who could never listen to the boys
name with anything like patience,
refused to write one word of this
amiable epistle.
Il wish he had broken his neck, SO
that [ might never hear any more
about him." she said, with a stamp
OF her slippered foot. land I won't
write fbs.''
So again mamma wrote the letter,
having first locked Elsie up in a dark
pantry by way Of punishment.
"And am sorry to find a child of
mines SO unfeeling,' she said. GA
broken leg causes great pain and
may make one lame for life
GA nice thing for me that would be
if I am to marry him." said Elsie.
Indeed if she had been as symDa-
thetic as her mother desired, Elsie
would have had opportunity enough
TO exercise these feelings, for her
young bethrothed was always in
some pickle, and had nearly drowned
and nearly shot himself dozen
times to say nothing Of ordinary
tumbles.
1t was tit for tat, at all events, for
when Elsie had the measles, Master
Harold had received the information
with Il contemptuous Indifference
amounting to heartlessness, and had
indeed said that he did not care.
He hated girls and this one 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 sort ofsad things
happened. Elsie lost both her father
and mother, and away in England
Mr.. Harrington died suddenly of ap-
opleXy. SO the two men who had
looked forward 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 lovely
Elsie, as he had proposed but for
these obstinate wills the whole mat
ter would have been dropped, for the
last thing the young people desired
was to meet each other.
But the young man was Of age,
4 and the young lady also, and the
property must be settled, and could
not be until the match was on or off.
The old lawyers in whose hands
the affair rested knew the feelings OF
their wards, but they judged that a
meeting might mend matters At
least it was necessary that they
should meet.
So Harold, as in duty bound, was
tocross the ocean to meet his be-
trothed and give her an opportun-
ity, to refuse him.
The ssof his arrival brought in
to full activity those feelings of re-
pugnance that Elsie had conceived
for Harold in her childhood.
She had for awhile resolved to yield
to her dead fathers wishes, but now
she felt that itiWas impossible.
e 1et,there was enough of worldly
Y wisdom in her head to teach her how