Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-08-31
FOURTH COUSINS.
by CHARLES ID. WILLARD.
Something had happenedl

Fortunately they had chosen the hill
road, tho least travelled of all the ways
that lead down from the Montccito
valley into Santa Barbara, and for the
Arst half-hour after the event they met
no ono.
1t was what the Inhabitants of the
Channel City call genuine Santa
Barbara day" The sun shone warm
and bright, and soft perfumed breeze
came out Of the west. There was June
In the air, although the calendar was
set for midwinter. The birds sang in
the trees above them, the squirrels
chirped from the hillside, and their
horses. wandering at times from the
road, sank to the knee in a waving sea
Of flowers.
"First of ALL" she said, breaking the
silence of n whole minute, "you must
tell my father"
Certainly" said the young man.
"Who's afraid?"
"You have never seen papa do the
role Of the cruel parent" said the girl;
''he can be quite dragon. AS you are
y kinsman, however,"
"A fifth cousin" cried the young
man. with laugh.
"Well, fifth cousins are better than
nothing, aren't they?"
"Truly; how else should we be here
to-day?" Then the young man added
with peculiar and significant emphasis:
'I am inclined to pride myself on that
little scheme"
The girl brought her horse to sud-
den stop md turned her clear brown
eyes, half opened under their long
lashes, upon her companion.
THAT little scheme" she repeated,
slowly. II don't understand"
Tho young man laughed uneasily.
"why, Catherine" said he, you don't
mean that you have believed in the en-
tertaining fiction about our great
great-et-cetern-grandfather?"
"Old Ebenezer Strong!" exclaimed
the girl. How dare you call him fic-
titious, when saw his portrait at my
own grandfathcr's."
"As your ancestor, my dear one, he
Ia an undoubted reality-but as mine,
I regret to say, he is merely figment
Of your worthy fathers imagination.
In short-I would fain break it to you
rs gently as possible-we are not fifth
cousins at all, but just plain ordi-
nary"
mot fifth cousins!"
"No, darling; and II you are going
to faint, please fall on this side, with
your head right here on my shoulder"
~ won't! Wretched boy, how could
YOU deceive poor papa SOP"
II didn't deceive him. He deceived
himself. From the very beginning of
our acquaintance he seemed deter
mined to locate me somewhere on the
Weston family tree, and you aided and
abetted him in the attempt"
"Richard Strong, how can you'll"
II have sweet and gentle disposi-
| ton, and when he asked me If was
not descended from Ebenezer Strong,
of West Brighton Center, and you
looked Mt me SO appealingly-"
~ didn't any such thingr
| "Why shouldn't l assent? l have
doubtless had several hundred ances-
tors named Strong, and l took the
chances that some one of them rejoiced
in the prsnomen of Ebenezer. 1t is
just the sort of q name that my for
bears were given to putting upon them
selves. as an effective and continuous
modification of the flesh. A horsehair
shirt, now. would be nothing to it,"
"You may laugh, If it pleases you,
said the girl, severely, "but If papa
had known you were not relative we
should not be riding alone together.
He generally disapproves of the east
ern people who spend the winter at
the hotel"
III you really feel that have been
guilty of false pr"tenses," said the
young man, drawing his horse little
nearer, suppose we begin all over
again"
Keep your distance, sir!" exclaimed
the girl, steering to the opposite side
of the road. "If we are to start afresh,
let it be from the very beginning,
three weeks ago"
"Now, as to your father" resumed
the young man, ~ think understand
him pretty we'll, because my one and
only parent, the governor himself, is
CONSTRUCTED ON much the same plan
Wherever he goes he is continually in
search of the lost tribes of the Strong
genealogy. The last letter 1 had from
him in Colorado, where he is spending
the winter, contained the announce
.ment that he had unearthed four OF
five new cousins-choicc specimens,
doubt not, that he will expect me tt
meet and embrace on my way home.
'sPerhaps it was wrong" he contin
ned, after moment of reflection, ''tc
play upon that little popularity o
your fathers, to get into his goot
grnces, but you must consider the ex
traordinnry provocation, dear. i
seemed like my only chance-arc yo,
sorry took it?"
She looked her answer, but did no
speak II, and then, avoiding the hant
extended to seize her own, she strucl
her horse light blow and dashet
down the road ahead.
A 1ong, even canter in silence fol
lowed, and they were again we'll int