Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-10-26

contracted unnecessary debts, as boy
will do, and then came home to fall il
love with you"
You speak as If that was a mis-
fortune
No, but the captain is very prout
and very determined. i think he i:
more determined than your GRANDPA.
Their was. You must remember that
refused the captain, and he would new
er consent to his son marrying my
granddaughter unless he had fortune
and standing equal to her own"
Unto the third and fourth genera
tion,' quoted the girl, with a tremulous
smile. But I'm in love with the grim
old captain. now. and the only way to
get him for father is to marry Dick.
Just as l intend doing. Miser, indeed.
He's grand and noble, no matter il he
was smuggier, or pirate, or whatever
it was. No wonder Dicks so dashing
and brave and independent. He only
writes me that he's doing very we'll
cut there. but he wouldn't talk about
coming home to fix things up with the
dear old governor" as he calls the cap
tain, unless he was successful. Dick
thinks all the world OF him, although
they did quarrel"
why doesn't he write his father,
then?"
Because he forbade it when they
parted, and YOU know they are not n
yielding family, l believe. l wish they
were more So"
At the very time this conversation
was going or the few people that the
captain had about him were rapidly
concurrring in an opinion that he had
gone crazy. His two latest meals had
been like banquets compared with his
usual repasts. He had issued a stand
ing order that hereafter he would live
as became the proprietor of one of the
finest landed properties in the state.
In the evening he went so far as to
join himself in bottle of ale and TO
sing in his fog horn voice some Of the
nautical classics that only so at their
best in the teeth Of gale. The simple
truth was that he had paid the last
dollar due on the mortgages, and was
now longing for the safe return of
Dick. who had threatened to own gold
mine before he came back to claim a
bride. The captain even thought Of
Margaret. and how like she was to what
her grandmother had once been, but
dismissed her with conviction that
she would not have remained true tc
Dick on so weak a foundation as q
girls first love.
Within a week the quiet community
was shocked by the report of Richard
Spankers death. He was on his way
home, and had been shot by train rob-
bers whom he had attempted to resist
The letter bringing this brief account
of q sragedy that left the captain moth
ing to live for and almost broke the
heart Of Margaret, told that the papers
and money belonging TO the young mar
had been forwarded. They followed
closely, and showed that Dick had
made good his promise to win a for
tune. He was richer than the captain
himself Then the girl pocketed her
pride and went to Dicks father. She
read him the love letter from his son,
and in each of them was some senti-
ment of regard that filled the old man
with rejoicing while he groaned at the
thought of what might have been. The
were drawn to each other in their COM
mon affection until she was as his
daughter and had already been named
as the sole inheritor of his property.
One afternoon they sat talking in the
library when one wbite-faced servant
rushed through the hallway to the rear
Of the house while another stood, wide
eyed and speeches., supporting herself
against the newell post.
'Dickw shrieked the girl, as a merry
laugh came from without.
Dick echoed the hoarse voice of
the old captain. as he caught the faint
ing girl on his arm. and stood as
though to defend beleaguered ship.
Whats the row, governor? Did I
give you bit OF fright?" shouted the
same JONidl fOlCc. Anu
as he encountered the obstacle to Civ
ing the captain a sonly embrace. al
low me-" and he transferred the burden
to his own arms. Nor was it water
that brought her back to consciousness
and bushes. And the first coherent
sentence OF the captain was: She's
yours, Dick"
Yes, it was Dick. bigger and hand
somer and more manly than ever. His
volunteer travelling partner had laid
him out with the heavy butt OF Colts
revolver while they were on the way
to the nearest depot to the East, and it
was the robber who had been killed.
with all Dicks money and papers on
his person. When grandma and the
captain danced quaint old figures at
the wedding it was plain to the pretty
bride that they were living for the time
in the atmosphere OF forty years agone.
Transfer Of Tires.
When the back tire has punctured