The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-06-24
THELATEMR. LYMPET

There was only one thing on which we
Lympets did pride ourselvcs-it was on
che family name. From our earliest child
hood we were taught to believe that a
Lympet was apart from and superior to all
other men. AS my dear father used to
say, there were working people, gentry,
mobility and Lympets The family held
the first place In our destinations. We
were Lynpets first and Britons afterward.
Not one Of us but gloried in his birth and
did his bost to live up to our proud old
family motto, "Quod tango teneo.''
need hardly soy that not one of them
ever so for forgot himself as to stoop to
trade. Their sense of what was due TO
their NAME was too powerful to allow them
TO sink 80 far. So strong indeed was this
feeling that the daughters of our house
often preferred to pass their lives in single
blessedness rathor than change the dear
old name Of which they were so Justly
proud. Few families can boast SO many
old maids. Tho rlbald have vcntured to
attribute this fact to tho Lympet dowries,
which are unfortunately small, and to the
Lympet mouth, which is undeniably large,
rather than to the Lympet pride. But how
can such rude clay sy1npnthfye with the
noble spark which fires Lynpet s breast?
What can they know Of the glorious asso-
Citations which endear tho grand old name
of Lympet to every member of that noble
house?
Unfortunately ono cannot live upon a
name-at least not forever. lived on
mine as long as 1t was possible, but u time
at last came when / found that tho Lynn
pet naIne, highly as we rated it, was of
little value on tho back of bill. Com
feI k,t.l ~
ed ut 1t askance and requested tho addi-
t:1Aial security of some wretched Jones OF
Smith, who could not trace his pedigree
beyond his grandfather. In short, was
becoming financially embarrassed, and,
what was worse, did not know how to ex-
tricate myself. i had no occupation, no
profession.
My father had designed me for the
church, for he was the patron of q very
snug living on his Irish property; but, alas!
while was still at school the man Glad
stone came along with his AK and Topped
the Irish church away like the diseased
limb OF Hawarden oak. Thus prevented
from serving cio church, would have
been very willing to serve the state, but
these arc evil dayc for Lympets-the sys-
tenn of competitive examination proved o
barrier / was unable to surnourt, and
England lost a valuable servant. As trade
was out of tho question and tho bar offered
no opening, / decided to adopt the career
for which my taionts best fitted Inc and
to do nothing at all. And did it in ex-
cellent style, too, az Lympet should. Tho
honor of our name suffered nothing at my
hands, can assure you. ,ur,r
My allowance from my father, which
was small--for my sisters had to be pro-
vided for, and Cu1nberground, my elder
brother, was wickedly eytravagant-and q
small private fortune which / inherited
from my mother l employed mainly as
pocket money. Almost everything else
obtained on credit. And so, throwing an
occasional sop to Cerberus in the shape of
a payment on account to the more
pressing OF my creditors and resorting to
an elaborate system Of paper when
was In want OF ready money, I contrived
to live in honorable ease for good many
years.
But time brings all things to perfection
and bills to maturity. Then thoy have
to be renewed, and a renewed bill is a re-
doubled difficulty. Ii7ing on paper is like
skating on leo.
So long as 1t Is strong enough to bear
you you can flourish about cutting fig
ures with the best, but If you overweight
1t 1t suddenly gives way beneath your feet,
and you vanish out of sight. EARLY last
year certain unmistalsablo groans and
cracks warned mo that my footing was
dangeroul. Bill di5ccunters who had al
ways smiled on mo began to frown, every
post brought letters requesting payment
of little accounts and trades1nen besieged
my doors or lay in wait for me on the
street. Altogether the outlook was very
black, or at best dun colored. Many q
night I sat in my rooms gloomily srnol
ing my Pipe and reviewing the situation,
but I could only see ono way out of my
difficulties
My debts were SO largo that could ney
or hope to pay theln unaidod, and where
was that aid to come fromP Not from my
father, who had no money TO spare. The
irish properly of Kilproctor, from which
the chief title of our house is derived, is
situated in q particularly lawless corner
of tho country, the inhabitants of which
always had rooted objection to paying
anybody, and latterly under the Land
League they have eyadcd their legal obliga-
tions in the most shameless manner, so
that most Of them owe arrears OF rent
which they can never hope and never in
tend to pay. In fact, the Kilproctor es-
tatc5 might IS well DO in Spain as in Ire
land for all the money my father gets out
of them. No. It is useless to appeal to
him, and equally SO to Camberground,
who was in debt himself. Obviously there
was only one course to pursue-I should
have to marry money.
But it was necessary first to catch my
heiress. Luckily knew where to lay my
hand on two who, flattered myself, wero