The Red Cloud chief., 1891-11-20
CHAPTER IL
pIsIxHEnITrD.

father retaliated by declaring that no
son Of his should ever marry into a
family the head Of which presumed To
look down on the Greens.
Having come 10 this kind Of terms on
both sides, the elder Blatchford, the
banker. and the elder Green, the farm
er. strutted about with a. much pom
posity a. they could command, each
doing everything in his power to show
how vastly superior he wa, Ia the
other, and each succeeding to pcrfec-
ton in making himself ridiculous in the
eyes Of everybody but himself.
Thus il went on for a year, the two
old men passing and repassing and new
er speaking. or deigning t. look at each
other. In the meantime the two lovers
met ciandestinely. and enjoyed them
selves fully a. well il not better than
they would il their parents had acted
with more sense. They met, courted
and married-married two OF three
years sooner than they would nave done
if they had not been intcrfercd with,
but had been allowed TO continue their
courtship uninterruptedly. 50 much
for the wisdom Of their parents.
John held a position at "A fair salary.
and had saved up money enough u buy
and furnish a neat little cottage home.
Here the couple settled down as happy
a. two lovers could be, and Mary land
aside her rich attire and easy life, and
readily transformed the bankers daugh-
ter into the poor clerks wife: and she
felt none the worse by the change. She
took up the duties of housekeeping and
soon became quite proficient.
Banker Blatchford and Farmer
Green, as soon as they learned that
their children were married. proceeded
forthwith Ia disown them. Mary made
one attempt to win her fathers for
givcncss. but he refused her petition.
saying she need no longer consider him
in the light of "a father, nor, indeed, in
any other light save that Of a total
stranger.
lyon have married as you wished.
and not as ! would have had you," he
said, $50 go your way and I'll go mine.
You have chosen to disregard my adj
vice and desires, and have tied yourself
to a %Dennilcss wretch, and from this
time forth | know o not. You must
look to John Green for everything, and
when poverty and want overtakc
you, as they certainly will, don't come
To me for assistance, for ] swear that
you shall never have a penny or
crumb from me-"
That quite settled matters between
the rich, proud, old banker and his low
ing, tcndcr-hcartcd daughter and from
that time forth they were strange 10
each other; and though for two years
they lived i'm the same town. and often
met and passed on the street. no sign
Of recognition was shown by either.
Poor Mary could show pride and def
ancc enough when she was in her
fathers presence, but no one ever knew
what tears she shed and what heart
aches She suffered when she was at
lone ai6nc. She loved her father next
To John, and even after his cruel speech
she would have gladly thrown her arms
about his neck and plead for his love
and forgiveness, only she knew hat he
would repulse her if she did.
Johns father, not to he outdonc by
B~latchford, notified his % eve to
come back home, hut 10 consider him
self disinhcritcd and disowncd. This
notice did not quite crush John, since
home had never been particularly pleas
ant. and to bc relegatcd from il was not
such a terrible blow rs his father might
have supposed; and as to being disin-
hcritcd. well. hat was little short Of a
joke, for the elder Green's possessions
were extremely limited, consisting in
the main of forty acres of poor.
mortgage-ridden land, and a dozen farm
animals, one of which were very
choice.
So. disinherited and disowncd. John
and Mary Green vent To work on their
own responsibility and for n time sue
ceeded remarkably well. They brought
their little home up to a point of mar
vicious perfection. and had "a neat sun
in bank to which they were regularly
making additions. They were content
cd, and even happy. in spite of the fact
that they were strangers To their par
cntS.
But by and by reverses came. First,
Mary took with a fever and for weeks
lay in the edge of deaths shadow.
Then. after she recovered, John lost his
position on account of the house with
which he was connected failing.
Months of idlcness followed, for there
was a business crash in the land ,and
employment was hard To obtain, with
an army Of suddenly-dischargcd en-
ployes tramping the streets of every
town and village in search of work.
The little store in the hank began to
melt away. hut to make short work of
that the bank failed. Then John, dis
hcartened and worn out, fell sick, and
for months was unable tn leave the
house. In this condition they began To-
feel the effects of want. and having no
other means nf raising money Ia live on. |
they gave a mortgage on their home. !
Other sickness and other misfortuncs
followed. 50 that John was never able
Ia release the debt on his home. and in
time. when the interest had eaten in
the place was sold.
To IF CoNTINUED.l
EDlSON'S FIRST MARRIAGE,
Great Inventors lnfstuation for Ills