Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-21
CHRISTINE BLUEBL00D's RUsE.


were in TO snow tnat Ills sou-iu-idn I,
John r. Blackenham was elected to
Congress. II am a little proud OF his
great victory, although ne Is the man
that took from me my daughter and
political life at one fell swoop."t
, The grand old kentucky aristocrat
toyed with spoon a moment with the
mint in an empty glass. humorous Dit
OF political Renaissance showing in his
eyes Then he suddenly turned to the
negro boy, stan0.ng ready to refill the
vessel. and Numbered: Why are you
standin' heah, sub, your chin loose, and
hangin' over your chest, half asleep?
You'll take the nightmare in second,
an turn over thiA table! You darn mig
gers needs KILN. I'd shoot you nov,
but I'd have to borry the money to pay
the ten dollar fine that's imposed on de-
cent folk these days for KILN a mig
GER" and the old judge winked.
The Judge affected great disgust with
the degeneracy OF this age while the ne
gro pocketing the half dollar thrown
down on the table went out with the
tray chuckling as he moved along.
The judge had threatened to kill him
for his negligence in this respect. not
less than dozen times that morning.
"And that daughter OF mine,-the lit
lite traitor! To see her comm in to me
to this day, and putin her swan-neck-
arms about me. an kissin' me. just, as
she did when little girl in short skirts
how could you believe she'd ever con-
spired with a plebeian law student, to
pull an eclipse over her father glorious
political life?
But she did, suh-ooy; tits we'll you
got back with the Jewlips just as you
did! was in the act of putting my
hand to my hip-pocket as you opened
the door
"A-he-a-em! That's tolerably good,
boy! Waitin for a dollar or the
glasses? H eah. take both and git
along"
when John F. Blackenham," contin-
ued the Judge, first came In from his
cabin home on Salt Lick to study law
with me, he would have been good
attraction in a dime museum! But i
saw that the fellow was not all blue
jeans, and knee joints. Big as he was,
he was principally head. Never saw a
fellow take hold OF legal difficulties
with grip like his. Blackstone, Kent,
and Storey were tossed of as easily as
/ toss of this Jewlip!
1T was several months after he came
before he shed the stoop in his should
ers, and shook the knots from his
legs.
When my daughter Christine came
home from Lexington, where she had
graduated, she one day called in at the
law office, and, with secret amusement
I introduced ~ the uncouth, plebelan
youth to the beautiful, highborn aristo-
GRAFT He arose, turning over his chair
in the process, and, sent out his big
hand to shake hers-in obedience to an
imperious edict of mountain etiquette
Through polite curiosity, she began a
conversation with him, and 1t did me
a world of good to notice the astonished
look on her sweet face as the Ad-
disonian periods tumbled like a must
cal cataract from his big mouth.
II should have known better, how
ever, than to have exposed my aris-
tocratic daughter to this big. brilliant
plebeian. l didn't stop to think that
it is brains and not money or birth that
makes certain kinds Of men the
masters Of this Notwithstanding wo-
men! Josephine married the penni-
less Napoleon. Miss Todd, the aristo-
crat Of Kentucky birth, scorns her So
cial equals and looks through the
brains of railsplitter Lincoln and be-
holds the presidency!
"At first, through sympathy with the
poor fellow, encouraged Christine to
treat him kindly, but it soon became
apparent that she needed no encour-
agement. One morning she came to
me as was about LEAVING for the office,
and, putting two soft arms about my
neck, told me Mr.. Blackenham had pro-
posed marriage to her. Thinking she
had regarded 1t as deadly insult,
said, as soon as could get my breath:
Never mind. darling. I'll look after the
gentlemen.
She snuggled closer to my bosom,
patted my cheeks with her rosy fingers
and said: I'm so glad to hear you say
you will look after him! He's 80 poor,
and needs your assistance; and as I'm
the only child you have, l know, being
rich you will not let us starve until he
gets started In his law practice! You
will look after him
Il was moment speechless with
fury: then | said: Dan / believe all