Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-02-22
HIS BROTHERS SIN.
Suffering for the Evil Deeds of An
other.

other.
"Have you seen, Dick anywhere, Miss
Jeffries?"
"Not since last night" she replied,
''and l was sorry enough to see him
then"
"Why, what scrape is he in now?"
asked Gerald, who knew that his twin
brother Dick was wild enough to get in
any kind of mischief.
"Here is father coming, and he will
tell you all about it," answered the
girl as she turned away from her ques-
tioner.
Notwithstanding Gerry" said bluff
old Captain Jeftries, "'bout ready for
your trip?"
"Yes, all ready, but Dick hasn't been
home all night, and don't know what
has become of him. don't want to start
short-handed.
oval, I'm dummedp'
"What has he been up 10 now% asked
Gerald, who was really anxious.
'Wall they amt no good chasin' old
Nick around the stump" was the reply;
'fact is, he came up here last night
staggerin' drunk n jest opened out on
him. l told him no drunkards could
come a-loverin' my gal, Mollie, and l
ordered him out of the house."
AT this moment old Seth Cranbrook
Joined the other two, and catching the
last words Joined in the conversation.
"Talkin' bout Dick, l guess" he
drawled. "Wall, see him poundin'
long toward Gulf Cliff bout leven
O'Clock last night"
n
An hour later, all the seaweed-lined
pools and crannies were being thoroughly
examined for long distance on either
side of the cliff. At length as the search
was about to be abandoned, one of the
men turned over a clump of seaweed
with his boat hook, and beneath it, in a
little pool, he saw what proved to be a
blue cloth coat, torn and ragged from
being ground between the sharp stones.
The man hastily showed his hand into
the breast pocket and took from it a
mass of soaking, almost pulpy papers.
The writing on them was still legible,
although the ink had run good deal,
and 1t needed but glance to read the
address on one of the envelopes: "Mr. r.
Weston, Seabrook, Mass"
The corpse was never found, but it
was universally conceded that Richard
Weston, in a fit of drunken anger, had
drowned himself, and his body had been
carried out to sea by something mysteri-
ously alluded to as the currents.
-
Three years passed. Seth's persist
ence and her fathers opportunities at
last drove Mollie into matrimony. The
Captain, and in fact nearly every one in
terested in the fishery business, was in
the clutches of old Seth, who had grown
kapidly rich by the misfortunes of other
people. For three seasons, successfully,
the mackerel had deserted the coast and
run far north into Canadian waters. The
Canadians, in most unneighborly
spirit, had seized boats and in other
ways molested the American fishermen
who had followed the fish. Gerald
Weston had been compelled to mort
gage his two schooners and all their
tackle to Seth, and on the very morning
of the latter's marriage to Mollie, he
had been unable to pay the interest
due.
"Wal, Weston, business is business"
said Seth, "and every man must purtect
himself"
1t was quiet little wedding, and the
bride was as pale as death itself as she
tremblingly repeated the words which
bound her to man whom, in her heart,
she despised. In spite of all her efforts
to Danish it, the picture of the hand
some, dashing young fellow who had
gone to his death for love of her was
constantly before her.
Hard-hsted old Seth kept his word
with Weston, in spite of the prayers and
remonstrances of Gerald and his
friends.
"You kinder tend your own nets,
said Cranbrook when deputation called
on him. ''Ef you be SO 'tarnal anxious
bout Gerry's business, you jest pony III
fer him and Pm satisfied" The mer
were willing enough to help but they
were unable to do SO.
Boys" said Gerald, 'it's all up. Th'
internal old shark has me by the scruf
of the neck, and he's only too blamed
glad of the chance to sell me up"
Some threatening remarks were in
dulged in by the men, and, spurred OF
by them, Weston continued:
SITS dad-ratted good thing for hin
he hain't here now, or I'd break ever