Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-06-16

that will i'll adapt her for finding con-
tentment without the qualification of
rather expensive tastes. Her expendi-
lures for perfumes and toilet knick-
knacks are more than the salary of an
expert bookkeeper, and many a pro-
fessional man would be happy to see
his annual fees reach such a sum as
she pays for flowers. You understand
L do not revert to these things with
any purpose of mere ostentation, Mr..
Sewall, but simply as factors in the
problem of securing my child's hap
piness by marrying her to q man
whose present, and so far as we can
positively affirm, prospective, capital
is limited to $4,000"
And do youth and energy and edu-
cation count for nothing, Mr.. Will
martin" asked Chester a little bit
terly.
"They may be satisfactory securi-
ties to the original holder, but are not
readily convertible into cash. Their
value is merely speculative"
But, sir, lrma md / love each other
and can only be happy together. The
voice of the heart is louder than the
chink of dollars"
"Rhetorically, perhaps, but l have
not found it so practically. Every
child, once at least, cries for the
moon, and being unable to get it
abandons that desire, but goes on cry
ing for something else. You and Irma
are each others moon just at pres
emit"
you are very hard hearted, Mr..
Willmarth."
"My child has never had reason to
complain of me, and will not, / think,
even in this matter when her head
gets 10 work. The head is a much bet
ter adviser than the heart. You may
very naturally suppose that might
take IL upon myself to continue to
provide for my daughter, and even do
more, in case of her marriage, but if
so you will do we'll to disabuse your
mind of that anticipation
Excuse me, sir. l am an American
and a gentleman. ! sue to you for the
hand of your daughter, but / do not
beg for your money"
III am pleased to hear you say so.
IT shows n manly spirit in you. New
ertheless let me say what / was about
to-that when Irma marries she will
have to be entirely dependent upon
N'N hhAaiA tiSoN wiz III III
l die, and | am likely to live q good
many years yet. She is old enough to
make an intelligent choice and | hope
she will. If she finds for herself a
course i'm which true love runs
smooth, l shall not seek to roughen il
for her. But, on the other hand,I will
not attempt by financial fabrication
to smooth n rough course chosen by
hnrnlf I,nl1 Ax.ln.- tL.. To- l L., 4,
her, and il she still chooses to marry
you | will interpose no active opposi.
ton. But / must decline being made
in any way n party to SO i'll advised q
step as her marriage with you in the
present state of your finances"
The old banker stood up during his
utterance of that last sentence, show.
ing that he considered the interview
at an end. Chester also rose to his
feet and listened, silent, p%erturbed
and bafied. Nothing that he could
say, as he very we'll knew would have
any effect upon this man, who prob
ably had a wallet or a bond box in the
place where anybody else would have
a heart. If the old fellow had shown
temper, he might have expressed de
fiance, which would have been some
relief, but no good chance was giver
him for that. He had simply beer
gracefully inwrapped and quietly
crushed by the folds of the cold-blood
ed anaconda of fact. What could TO
nance do against fact? Nothing. Ant
if he had been powerless, what was tc
be expected from Trina? Would sh,
be influenced to scorn the man OF
$4,000 and to look for some brighter
moon?
Gnntinned Next Wenk