Connecticut western news., 1892-04-21
A FATHERS DREAD

"Why is she still unmarried, if she has so many admirers-is she a man. haterp"
 "Not in the least. Her affability to- ward them clearly proves her apprecia- ton of men. The difficulty is all with her father, who appears to suffer untold torments every time he sees man near her."
 "How very extraordinary And is she beautifulY' 1
 Decidedly so. Beautiful, ycong, charming in manner, rich. What more could be askedY'
 Nothing. It is quite sufficient. am going to go presently and pay most devoted coss-. to her, despite the can- tankerous antics of her father"
 "Are you speaking of Miss Tulking- ham2" asked another youthful clubman, who was sitting in the same alcove.
 "We are."
 sThen I advise you to lower your voices. Young Greenwood over wonder is very desperate about her, and he is the sort of fellow who could be trouble some if the occasion required it."
 The person designated, though deli cately featured, was so tall and brawny that he looked as if he could indeed be troublesome in the broadest sense of the term.
 He was oblivious to the conversation, however, and to all other present things if the expression on his face was a true index to his feelings. He was holding a newspaper in his hands, but it was up- side down, and though he was mechan- ically sucking on his cigar, it had been out several minutes. .-
 At length he pulled himself together with start, dropping both paper and cigar. A nasty glance about the room satisfied him that no one had witnessed his abstraction.
 Presently he left the clubhouse, saun- tering up Fifth avenue till he reached Thirty-fourth street, where for a mo- nent he paused to eye the wavering hickering electric light cast upon the crosswalk.
 A few minutes later he was on ferry, journeying toward an elegant but quiet Long Island residence quarter.
 Exactly two hours after leaving the club he was standing before handsome house ringing for admittance, but with hand whose shakiness betokened sadly unsettled nerves.
 The face of the man into whose pres ence he was shown bore the stamp of premature old age. Aside from the deep furrows in an otherwise fresh, fair skin, o,-1 hoiy- Nf- xl whiteness.
 He arose with considerable difficulty, when his library door was thrown open, and twinge of pain drew down the corners of his mouth when he saw who his visitor was.
 "Again" he said reproach fully.
 "Yes; I am here now for the truth"
 "It has already been told you"
 "Only portion of it. I want the rest"
 "But"-
 "Mr. Tulkingham, you have refused me your daughters hand in marriage"
 "Yes."
 "You have also done me the honor to say that that refusal is in no sense a personal reflection upon me-"
 Certainly, and I can go much further. I can also add that not only have no fault to find with you, but that so far as you are personally concerned l am alto gether predisposed in your favor."
 "Sir, I, speak plainly because it is a time for plain speech" continued Green wood. "I believe Miss Tulkingham to be all that there is of chaste and holy spotlessness; but shall wed her just the same were she corruption personifed. MT. 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 own feelings in the affair, it ;s my delight to know that 1 am not altogether indiffer- ent to her, and so, whatever your objec- ton, 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," he said, though what will force me to destroy your peace of mind forever. Will you not waive this thing, which can solemnly assure you that you will repent hearing?"
 
 tient firt.
 "Go on," he said coldly. Twenty-Five years ago, then" said Tulkingham, '1 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.
 "The weather was severe, and for several days the skies were laden and | ominous.
 "Then it began showing. Lightly, at 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 guido tc direction failed us. It was accidentally dropped by the man who carried it, and l never recovered.
 "Stin we were strong hearted, and plunged blindly forward several days longer through the snow.
 "Helplessly bewildered, we finally de, cided that our only hope was to go into permanent encampment till the storm was over.
 "After we had been in camp ten days we had to content ourselves with but one meal, and that 8 small one, each twenty-four hours. A few days more and even that gave out.
 Then we had nothing with which tc Datisfy our hunger but the moss which l Sea Aas aaSess st Ala sssnSS sss1