The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-07-19
CUPID'S MESSEN GER.
How a Stern Parent Was Out
wiitted by Two Lovers.


Of it, said jolly old fellow in q car q
the elevated railway the other day, q
he spread his newspaper on his knees
and leaned back to have hearty laugh
at the story Of an elopement he had
just been reading to New York Trib-
une reporter. s'This story" he contin.
ned, reminds me Of the oourtship ID
myself and my wife. years ago, when ]
was ian ice boy to . crusty old leath.
or merchant Ia the 500: ne usea g
live over ID Brooklyn and pars. ST = "
,neager wages were taken out in board
and lodging at his house. OF course !
left my bed in the attic and was sweep
Ing out the counting-room long before
his old nibs was up and returned to
my supper long after he had left the Of
fee for the day, yet I found time to fall
in love with his pretty daughter for all
that.
..she returned my feelings q may say
1t without vanity, az we have been mar
lied now these thirty years. and |
stepped around in the seventh Heaven
for time, but the old man soon spotted
rs and I narrowly escaped a severe
thrashing at his hands for nay presump-
ton. Twas banished from the house
and Jane was locked up in her room on
= bread and water diet for a week. OF
course, we found a way to meet once in
a very long time, but how to correspond
as frequently as our yearning young
hearts desired was question that puz-
zled us for months. The post-ofice was
no use for there was no house-to-house
delivery in those days, and all the letters
for the family came to the counting
house and passed under the old mans
eye, and there was no one to act as 60
between to whom we dare confide the
secret Can't you hit some plan, Jane,
dear?' said in despair one day, on
which we had managed to arrange for a
clandestine meeting after month spent
without glimpse of each other. is
there nc one in your family or among
your friends CT servants whom you
could trust to carry our notes back and
forth?'
"sNo one,' she replied, with sigh.
'Have I not thought and thought and
thought as much about it as you? But
oh, have it, have it!' she exclaimed,
suddenly ciapping her hands. I have
found some one at last, and she burst
into peal of laughter so long that /
could hardly control nay Impotence to
hear her discovery.
"sWho is it? Tell me quick said.
Papa she gasped, and went off into
another fit of laughter.
''Your father? I said, astounded.
'Jane you're making cruel fun of me-
and turned nay back on her In a huff.
Il am not, indeed, dear Billy she
replied. 'Imean just what say. You
know papa's Old overcoat that he
will insist on wearing nine months IN
the year in spite of all that every body
can say. Well, I'll hide a little note to
you every day in the lining of the coat
tail, and when he hangs it up behind
the counting-room door it will be easy
for you to get it out and hide your an
swer in the same place. Oh! nay, won't
it be funny to think Of papa, who has
set his heart on keeping us apart, him
self carrying our love letters back and
forth from one to the other every day.
and she burst into another merry peal
of laughter, in which joined heartily
this time.
tWell, we adopted the plan and it
worked to a charm. The old boy was
our faithful postman for years, and l
often used to tremble as I thought of
the possible consequences if he should
ever discover one Of my burning love
missives in the tails of his rusty old
coat. But he never did, and in due
course Of time worked my way up to a
place in his business where he could no
longer ignore me or my claims. He was
rather astonished one day, though, when
/ formally asked for his daughters hand
and assured him that she was willing if
he was. He consented, but it was not
until I was his junior partner and he
was handling his first grandson on his
knee that we dared to tell him how for
years he had played the part Of Cupid's
messenger when he thought he was act
ing the stern and careful parent"
PRETTY WORD PICTURE.
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