The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-07

to take the name of Slugg. or the money
passed to her next or kin save an al
lowance Of I'VE hundred a year for
life
''Whatr' 1 yelled. starting TO my feet.
Moreover" he continued, paying no
attention To my outburst. she cannot
touch her capital. The fun income is
hers for life. but. had she died unmar-
ried. il would have passed to our side OF
the family. it will do should she die
she NAV have will inherit the whole for
tune at her death. but they must keep
the name of Slugg."
II don't believe it, I stammered. sink
ing back into my chair.
Here is the copy" he replied handing
IL to me. You'll find it all there. though
possibly not in such plain English.
Alas, it was too true. Amid all the
tangle OF verbiage one fact stood dis
tinctly out: the husband of Belinda
would have To adopt her name or forfelt
her fortune. What was | to do? Aban-
don the name Of Lympet. which I loved,
and assume the name OF SluSg. which
loathed? Impossible. Yet what was
the alternatives Genteel poverty. My
pride pulled one way. my prudence the
other; and prudence won. had my
wife to think Of / could not rob her
of her fortune and drag her down from
affiuence TO Indulgence for mere senu-
ment, however noble. For her sake l
resolved to subdue my pride and sacri-
flee my name To parody Gibbon,
sighed as a Lympet, / obeyed as hus-
band. After all" concluded not
knowing that | spoke aloud. by the aid
of a hyphen it may be made endurable.
Lympet-Slugg, 1t is at least uncom-
mon
IF you look on the other page" broke
I'm an unsympathetic voice, you
will see a clause which provides for any
rph n NJ
tator declares that he will have no tam
pering with the fine old Anglo-SaXon
name Of Slugg, that he Will not have
II linked to hyphen. and converted into
a hybrid compound. The plain old-fash-
toned name Of Slugg must not be spoiled
by any unnecessary additions. My
brother loved his name. YOU see. sir. and
as l told you, was uncommonly proud
of it
"Confound his pride" I cried, throw
ing down the will and stamping on IT,
Come, come" said Mr.. Slugg. you
need not give way So You are not
compelled to take our name. OF course
YOU mean to refuse, No one whose
privilege 1t is TO be called Lympet would
like to be called anything else!
Had ] been wavering the mans gibeS
would have decided me. BY accepting
the name of Slugg ! kept his hands
from the fortune for which they were
itching. and this knowledge considera-
bly, lessened the pain my decision cost
me.
THAT will do" I said coldly 81 think
there is nothing to detain US here longer.
Let me go upstairs. No doubt you are
anxious to congratulate your niece, Mrs.
Mrs. Sluggr'
And that is how I came TO be called
Slugg An. if l had known the contents
of that abominab BILE will when / made
my choice between Miss Merrick and
Miss Slugg, | would certainly have
chosen Miss Merrick. It would have cost
me go 0O0 but the name Of Lympet was
we'll worth the sacrifice. As it is. 1 have
through life ticketed with the price l
paid for it, Nor is that all.
| have children. but / can take little in
terest in them for they are not Lympets.
but Sluggs. My father is much annoyed
with me. and can hardly bring himself
to recognize a Slugg as a member of the
family; CumbergrOund chaffs me unmer-
cifully. and my sisters call my wife that
creature, and compare me to Esau. But
perhaps my greatest cross is the prosper
ity of the Slugg candle business which
hated name flames on every boarding,
fiauntS on the backs of novels and mag
azines. and has become familiar to every
ear. And strangers and casual acquaint-
anceS will persist in installing me for a
member of the firm, More than once
have overheard people describing me as
''Slugg, the candleman. YOU know in
perfectly audible 'asdes' Even my
friends do not spare me. for they have
bestowed on me a nickname which. re-
calling as it does all | have lost costs
me pang every time I hear IT, They
call me the late Mr. Lympet.-An the
Year Round