The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-08
Our Daily Short Stories
HER FATE.
BY E. w. BAR KSDALE
copyright. 1901. by Authors syndicate,

Mans a stubborn brute at best. Put
Vim, in the wrong and he will go
through birthstone and fire before he
,,,,u admit it, if he can help it, and
.,,han he must, driven into a corner,
Va does it ungraciously, begrudgingly,
s,rlilv and with ire that he has been
found out.
They say this is the day and hour
~ woman's emancipation; that she
thinks as she pleases, does as she likes,
acknowledges no master. These things
NAV be. 1t is not for mere writers of
tales. however true, to cast discredit
IN accepted tents, but it is certain that
two loving hearts which beat as one
dovn on the banks of the Wabash met
with trial and tribulation for many
weary months and came together only
the other day because a girls mother
insisted on dominating her pretty
daughters love affairs and marrying
pretty Nellie''-that's what all the
likely young men thereabouts persist
ed in calling her-to the wrong sutton.
And pretty Nellie was. ready, though
weeping, to accept her fate. Which is
ouite wrong, of course, and deeply hui
initiating to poor Dan Cupid, who does
the best he can, God bless him.
Old man Dietrich was a boss carpen-
ter in a rural sort of way. His cousin
Fritz was a Junior partner in his build
ing affairs. Upon his own account Fritz
did building for himself, his principal
structure under contract being ris-
ing hope that when he could afford it
he would take his cousin Nellie, Diet
rich's daughter, to be his dutiful and
loving wife and gracious helpmate.
over and beyond certain dreams fem
mine, Miss Nellie was a bit of an heir
ess-for the Wabash country-and held
prospects of becoming some day sole
legatee of many fat acres of black
loan and rotund bank account. These
dual attractions had quite o'ermaster-
ed the sluggish nature of Cousin Fritz.
He imagined himself desperately in
love Having declared his passion to
Nellie upon more than one occasion,
and having been merrily laughed at
for his pains, he had carried his suit
to a higher court and laid siege to the
heart of Mamma Dietrich. Here he
prospered.
astute lady. Because she has refused
you once or twice don't be discouraged.
That is nothing. A girl likes a man
who won't take a No. Never say
die, my dear Fritz. I'll promise you
the little mink shall be yours yet
And then they plotted, these two. All
is fair in. love and war, said pretty
Nellies mamma, which is a. sentiment
we'll enough for a proverb, but no less
than atrocious when it comes to moral
ity and ethical culture.
Jess Saunders, tall, handsome, broad
shouldered, honest-browed, was Diet
rich's foreman: He and Nellie had
plighted troth-and a most charming
couple indeed they made, everybody
not directly interested declared, and in
this instance everybody was quite
right. even the boss carpenter himself
looking with complacence upon the
prospect of having Jess for son-in-
law. The young man had no money!,
as yet, but he hoped to have some in
the sweet by and by, and he was study
ing to become an architect, so he could
design Federal buildings and thus Sc
cure a life job. Neither he nor Nell
lie was quite content to wait. but as
they really hadn't a penny, and as
they were very young, and as Nellie S
mamma was so obstinately opposed to
her daughters match with anyone but
Cousin Fritz, why, they waited per-
force.
On the Saturday afternoon when the
big, new barn on the Dietrich farm re-
ceived its last nail 1.-The hands, OF Pa
pa DIETRICH filed up at nightfall to re-
ceive their weekly wage. The old man
always paid off in hard cash, and
promptly, too. He was an honest soul
and would as soon have had a note GO
10 protest as stand off, an employe
for his due.
In making change, the paymaster
called to Fritz to break a $40 goldpiece
for him. The latter had not enough
money, but gave Dietrich what was in
his pockets. took the $40. placed 1t in
an old note book, put the book in the
pocket of coat he carried on his arm,
hung the coat on a peg in the wood
shed, and went into the farmhouse
kitchen to wash up
Jess Saunders was going home to
town, three miles away. He drew his
wages, said a few words to Nellie. and
then stepped into the woodshed to get
his saddle, for he rode to and from his
work. The old barn had been torn down
To make way for the new one, and his
forse had been picketed all the after
noon, grazing at ease, and saddleless.
When he took down his saddle he
Knocked Fritz's coat from its peg. AS
ne picked it up Mother Dietrich and