The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-07-01
A WEDDING PRESENT.

/ "EE Jill tVA ID uotl1AuS tu Uut q
tinker" said old Mr.. Spicer. He's nc
match for you, Ianthe, and I won't
permit you to marry him." =
"Why, pa, I don't know. what you
mean by calling a clerk in a hardware
store a tinker" sobbed Ianthe Spicer
"But if he was a gypsy I couldn't help
loving him."
"And you'd go about mending pots
and cans and telling fortunes with him,
I presume" said Mr.. Spicer. "Then
you might; not a dollar should you have
from me-"
ss"Oh, pa" sighed Ianthe. money
wouldn't trouble me, but to have you
angry with me would. Please forgive
U.S."
II forgive YOU" said Mr.. Spicer, land
you must never see the fellow again"
Poor Ianthe burst into sobs and left
the room with her face hidden In her
pocket-handkerchief.
The night before, after a long and
hard fight against Mr.. Spicer's preju.
dices, after doing everything to con-
vince. him that he was worthy Of his
daughter. Tome had met Ianthe at
their usual rendezyous-a lonely little
park where no one ever went in the
evening, had produced a pistol, and
vowed then and there to take his life
if Ianthe did not swear to marry
him in, spite of her father, If he would
not give consent.
Il cannot live without you," Tom de-
clared., "And I'd rather die on. the
spot than by slow d~egrees-so here
He produced a pistol. nnthe
screamed and promised to make one
more effort to soften her father, and
If that failed, to do as Tom desired.
I'm sure he will forgive Inc when
he knows he cannot help it," she said.
mot for the moneys sake, but because
I love him."
"An right" said Tom. Money is not
my object. I shall get on very well,
I'm sure, and no thanks to any one"
So the promise was given. Ianthe
had tried the softening process with the
result recorded. Again she tried it.
Late at night she crept into her fathers
room and knelt down beside his bed.
whats that?' cried the old gentle
man, as she put her hand upon his
cheek. "Eh-what's that?"
ME-" sobbed Isanthe, emotion MAX
ing her ungrammatical. Wont you lei
me marry Tom, papa! Not give us
any money, but just your br-br-
blessing"
y"Youu drive me mad with your folly.
Ianthe!' cried the indignant parent
"'waking me just as I was dreaming
that I had bought land in the moon
and had struck oil-to talk about your
young tinker. Go to bed and say your
prayers, and ask to be made an obed''
ent daughter to the best father that
ever WIS tormented into his gIa75.o-
And poor Ianthe kissed him very
tenderly, and went away, and in her
own room sat down and wrote a let
ter:
Dear Papa,-To-night I shall spend
at Selma Hulrs. At eight tomorrow
I shall be married to poor Tom.
Il never would have done it II he
had not sworn to kill himself Che had
a pistol and it was loaded).
MY heart is breaking. Please for
give me. I love, love, love you. x
Where I put the cross is a kiss, not for
goodbye, only for au revoir.
Your ever atfectionate daughter, :,
"Ianthe."
Then she put on her hat and cape,
took her travelling bag in her hand,
| and went out into the night.
About Z o'clock a. m. Mrs. Burridge,
the housekeeper, came down stairs,
and saw Ianthe's door on the crack.
Peering in, she perceived that the bed
had not been slept in, and that the
room was in confusion, and guessed
what had happened. Ianthe's' letter
was on the pillow. Mrs. Burridge
seized upon it, and putting on her eye
glasses, read it over twice.
1.-The artful thing!' she said. "She
knows her father will post after her.
full speed, as soon as he reads this
He will get there just as she is married
She'll 60 on her knees, he'll threaten
a bit, and then cry and forgive her,
I know him-and it's best for him not
to get this letter."
Then she tore the little note into
small pieces, and went about her morn,
ing tasks.
1t was half-past eight o'clock before
she rung the breakfast bell, and not
until some time had elapsed did Mr.
Spicer send the maid upstairs to call
Miss Ianthe.
The maid came down stairs to say
that Miss Ianthe had not been to bed
and confusion followed.
The maid was greatly touched when
old Mr.. Spicer put his head down and
wept, crying:
"Without a word! If she had only
left a line to tell me all about it and
ask my pardon, I would have forgiven
her, but now, never-never!"
He was very, very wretched.
However, Mrs. B~urridge rejoiced
For a long while she had felt that but
for Ianthe she might become the sec
ond Mrs. Spicer.
Had not Mr.. spicer spoken of her as
q ~fne-loOking woman? y
Once when Ianthe had been abroad
he had paid her a compliment on hel
complexion.
Il hate the mink" she said to her.
self. "She shall never enter these
doors again. I will rule here where
have served so long. 1 will be rich
infuential-happy. Who cares fol-
herr" g..
Old Mr.. Spicer waited a week for
a penitent letter, and every day his
heart softened more and more. He
felt that he could not live without
1anthe:
| Slowly his hopes deserted him, and
he began to believe that his daughter
scorned to ask his pardon.
Meanwhile, she had sent three let
tiers through the mail, piteous prayers
for forgiveness, all Of which had gone
into the housekeeper's pocket.
At last agitation made Mr.. Spicer
ill; he took to his bed.
When this had been announced in
the local paper, Ianthe appeared at
her fathers door, and would have hur-
ried to his room, but Mrs. Burridge-
who was a very large woman-stood
at the foot of the stairs.