The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-14
b BY MRS. J. II. RIDDELL,
r,,r.sl, rs By Nr. J. H RIaasll

nj
been addressed 20 the chan
,.Hs- which signally failed to light a
- s-4ving-room in Leinster terrace
= huge mirror over the white marble
.--.-rieee. 70 a grand plano, "Erard' 1
4 - best" a. Mrs. Broxdaiie often as
.--.5 al and sundry-to a group of palms
- ferns. which lent some grace 10 a
-,,-sr drsary department-to any one,
- ANYTHING. IN fact save the quiet-loak-
.-- gs1,.eman who with "self-made' writ
r,-ea all over him-sat beside shaded
l,~p reading the Engineer.
XsrsrfEe.ess, IL was he who. laying
ar that most admirable. though not
---Irr Journal. in which," Mrs. BroX-
g.r. said his life was wrapped up, ~
why should she DO anything OF the
kind
n that way
- thought she died OF measles
"a che doctor said; but measles
-.-rs-.f have hurt her II she hadn't got
~. low state Of health fretung about
,,.rg man across the sea before she
,adk them.
.Eva has had measles, therefore you
80 not be uneasy concerning her" re-
,f,5 ratter-of-fact Mr.. Broxdaile. which
',rr1u-scnse answer elected the start
.ng rc50.Uder:
..Re.-Reu-I always knew you could
10 Stubborn as a mule, but / never thought
90 an4 YOU hard as tho neither milestone
How have l been hard?'
.uaVe Why. lust look at that sweet
child pln.ng and dwindling away under
,agr very eyes fretting ever end always;
Fsr sgyery laughter silent; scarcely a
smile 10 be seen. hardly a word TO be got
o,f ~ hcr-aud all because you won't
lei her marry the man OF her choice"
NV dear wife, / don't prevent her
marrying the man OF her choice. This is
q free country. IN a very few months she
will he Of age and then she can marry
any man she pleases; that is, supposing
D. uIeases 10 marry her.
Blu, how are they 10 marry without
money.
THAT is A question Mr.. Sidney ought to
have asked himself before he proposed"
How was he TO know you would re-
fuse % give her any fortune%
Why should | give her a fortune?'
Why" repeated Mrs. Broxdaile. drop
ping her knitting as she spoke. Isn't
shc your only child? The only one left
oai OF seven? Have you ever denied her
anything till now? Has she not been
dcaTer 10 you than aught else IN the
VorId2 When a baby, if she had cried
for the moon, would you not have striven
10 bring IL down 10 her.? And now-ani
now
she Is crying for husband instead of
the moon. which l could not have got for
her had she cried for year"
And you won't give her the husband
sho has set her heart on"
Most certainly / will not. As / said
Just now. she can marry Mr.. Sidney in
iCW months without any consent of mine
Il he likes TO take her, but ! utterly de-
cline 90 give her dowry. which is all
the man wants. If he had not known /
was fairly well off. we should never have
heard a word Of this nonsense"
Mr. Sidney has lots of rich relations"
Then let them ind the sineWs of war
/ never will"
And he such a perfect gentleman
Mrs. Vennetts own words-and you know
She kept school for the first IN the
land"
Il do not care what she kept say
the mans an impostor and cad"
Dear, dear. when he won't even let me
open "A door for myself. He's up like a
shot the minute he sees me stir from my
chair"
oh! said Mr.. Broxdaile, who could not
be accused of erring in the way Of excess
as regarded such delicate attentions
And he is the best OF good company.
He can keep the room In a roar. AS Mrs.
stark said no later than last week, no
body need hire professionals when pri-
Yates can sing and act like him"
Il have no doubt he can act a part
very well. | only wish he had refrained
from giving proof of his powers in this
house"
Ben, what has come over you? / have
often heard you talk nasty; but | never
did hear you speak so spiteful as about
Mr., Sidney, who, as everybody, except
Yourself, declares, has not a fault-unless
being TOO nice is one"
Il was not born in the purple, Susan
hut | think l know a gentleman when /
meet one "
That is Just what gets over me. Why
IS II you can't, or won't see Mr.. Sidney
comes Of the best in the land?"
Unless l am greatly mistaken, Mr.. Bid
ney cannot lay claim 10 airy high origin
And his father in the Commons and
Waste Lands Office fer six-and-twenty
years"
IF he had been in 1t for Elk hundred and
twenty ii would make no difference 10
ne"
Not when your only child's life is in
ddueer?'
Il would rather see her IN her coffin
than married 70 Mr.. Sldney-she'd be safe
Il she were dead: bu: / don't know what
she might have TO so through as his
WIFE
Is that your last word, Benjamin.?
Yes. II the girl wanted to take poison,
would not give il TO her-and / am not
going TO help her 10 the man she has
son, crazy about. AS / said Just now,
can't prevent the marriage, supposing
they choose to marry; but / can refuse to
throw hard-eaTned money after foolish
daughter. and do refuse, most distinctly,
to Bet your friend have the handling of a
shilling OF mine. That is my last word
n-san, and l shall stick 10 it"
Whorcupca Mrs Broxdaile retired from
lho room in tears. and sought her pretty
oau Ghter, who wept freely when she
L,sri-not for the hrst time-Mr. Brox-
Gales stern oecision.
And When he sets down his foot"
finished the foolish wife and mother.
Wild horses could not make him take il
Up again,' which was true, though il is
only fair 90 add the "self-made" one
rerely set IL down without gocd reason.
What Clement will say I'm sure |
can't imagine" sobb6d pretty Eva. 1T
really Is too dreadful. / wish there was
rpt such a Thing as money IN the world"
.ll very We'll i'm theory. but when the
Innocent child's soul longed for sweet
bDHe," and a Just too lovely dress"
str lil not 1iscain the humble check.
Which speedily MADE unto itself wings
What Clement said later on in the
'sratcAed" interview, which was all the
happiness Mr. BroXdaile's ''peculiarities"
Permitted may be summed up az follows:
Never mind darling; ! must only work !
tn harder The seven years seemed but /
Jag 90 Jacob while serving for his |
Rachel and love Will make toll sweet for I
Die ot course. my father will do all he /
Can. b, is not millionaire, however, /
s.-s' y he Were-but there" Re |
"ise4 into a silence which pointed more 4
t.'4lerl.y than words gould have done, I
W. mental and moral difference that 1
t+i"a between Mr. Stephen Sidney late !