Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-03-24
A FATHERS DREAD

'sNot in the least. Her affability to
ward them clearly proves her apprecia
ton Of men. The difficulty is all witt
her father, who appears to suffer untold
torments every time he secs man neal
her."
Glow very extraordinary! And il
she beautiful"
Decidedly SO. Beautiful, young
charming in manner, rich. What more
could be askedf7
Nothing. 1t is quite sufficient.
am going to go presently and pay mos
devoted court to her, despite the can
tankerous antics of her father
Are you speaking of Miss Tulking
ham:" asked another youthful clubman
who was sitting in the same alcove.
1--WE are"
''Then l advise You to lower you
\ voices. Young Greenwood over yondel
is very desperate about her, and he i,
the sort of fellow who could be trouble
some if the occasion required it.
The person designated, though deli
cately featured, was so tail and brawny
that he looked as if he could indeed b,
troublesome in the broadest sense Of thu
| term.
He was oblivious to the conversation
however, and to all other present thing,
if the expression on his face was a tru'
index to his feelings. He was holding
newspaper in his hands, but it was up
side down. and though he was mechan
ically sucking on his cigar, it had beer
out several minutes.
AT length he pulled himself together
with start, dropping both paper ana
cigar. A hasty glance about the room
satisfied him that no one had witnessei
his abstraction.
4 Presently he left the clubhouse, saun
tering up Fifth avenue till he reached
( Thirty-fourth street, where for mo
ment he paused to eye the waverinl
shadows of his colossal self which {
Pickering electric light cast upon til,
/ crosswalk.
4 A few minutes later he was on a ferry
/ journeying toward an elegant but quief
Long Island residence quarter.
Exactly two hours after leaving tn,
Club lie was standing before a handsome
house ringing for admittance, but witt
q hand whose shakiness betokened sadly
unsettled nerves.
The face of the man into whose pres
ence he was shown bore the stamp ol
premature old age. Aside from the deer
burrows in an otherwise fresh, fair skin
his beard and hair were of nearly SNOWY
whiteness.
\ He arose with considerable difficulty
when his library door was thrown open
and twinge of pain drew down tht
corners of his mouth when he saw who
his visitor was.
Again he said reproachfully.
eyes; am here now for the truth.
lit has already been told you
"Only a portion Of it. | want The
rest"
sBut'
''Mr. TullinghaIn, you have refused
me your daughters hand in marriage
ssYes."
! .'You have also done me the honor tc
say that that refusal is in no sense 9
personal reflection upon me"
Certainly, and can go much further
l can also add that not only have nc
fault to find with you, but that so far as
you are personally concerned am alto
/ gether predisposed IN your favor"
''Sir, | speak plainly because it is q
time for plain speech, . continued Green
wood. II believe Miss Tulkingham tC
be all that there is of chaste and holy
4 spotlessness; hut shall wed her just the
same were she corruption personifed
Mr.. Tulkingham, love your daughter
and that love is great enough to excuse
and obliterate everything, no matter
what, which you might think it natural
for me to consider. Aside from my OWL
feelings in the affair, it is my delight tc
know that | am not altogether indiffer.
ent to her, and so, whatever your objec-
tion, sooner or later shall marry her"
The old man brushed one hand swiftly
across his brow
"There is no other way than to be
plain with you," be said, Though what
will force me to destroy your peace Of
mind forever. VIII You not waive this
thing, which l can solemnly assure you
that you viii repent hearing?1
Greenwood gave one hand an impa-
tent fiirt.
go on, he said coldly.
twenty-five years ago, then," said
Tulkingham, II was one Of a party OF
seven gold seekers in the California
Sierras. That year at the beginning OF
winter we pushed northward into the
mountains of Donner lake.
.sThe weather was severe, and for
several days the skies were laden and
ominous
'sThen it began showing. Lightly, at
I first, but more and more heavily as the
days wore on. No person who was not
there ever saw such snow. Soon it had
so changed the appearance OF both
mountains and valleys that but for our
compass we should have been hopeless
ly confused. At last even that guide to
direction failed us. 1t was accidentally
dropped by the man who carried it, and
never recovered.
Still we We're shcng hearted, and
plunged blindIy forward several dayf
longer through the snow.
''Helplessly bewildered, we finally de-
cided that our only hope was to go into
permanent encampment till tho storm
was over
After we had been in camp ten days
we had to content ourselves with bui
one meal. and that small one, eacl
twenty-four hours. A few days mors
and even that gave out.
Then we had nothing with which te
satisfy our hunger but the moss which
we dug down through the snow and
tore from the rocks, and the bark from
| the branches of dead trees.
''Soon, so awful was it all, b great dis
trust grew up among us. Each mar
feared that he would be slain and cate,
by his nelghbor After that none Of u
1 dared sleep
4 For two nights and days we stood
and sat around that roaring fire witt
unclosed, glaring eyes.
| Then the end came One after an
J other our overstrained minds succumbed