Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-11-27
STORY OF AN IN
GENIOUS PARENT
BIZ PERCY wIxoN.


dearly loved a beautiful girl besought
Of her recently to name the happy day.
which she did, with such shy. fond,
reluctant delay that 1t would hardly
have been thought she had made up
her mind when the date was TO be
more than two months before.
They accordingly waited upon her
immediate ancestor on the male side,
and besought his blessing. He was q
practical and economical old gentle
man, with a mind fertile Of resource,
and when the young man had STAN
mered that he loved her more dearly
than his life, and had a salary of ST.
500, and that be hoped-the old man
caught up his trusty walking-stick
and, calling his prospective sonin-law
all sorts of names. drove him out Of
the house; then he bore his daughter
or to the attic and locked her in there.
What is the consequence The
next morning the young man came with
a rope ladder, an ample cloak and q
marriage license, and stole his bride
away, and they were made one at $50.
Then the young wife said to her hus-
band:
"Algernon my father behaved very
badly to you. Still, he was my moth
er's husband, and we ought to have
some Difference for him: so let us go
to him and tell him we are welded,
and ask for that blessing. Besides. /
want to get my brush and comb bag
that l left on the dressing table"
well, I'll CO." said the young hus-
band "but, mind you. Matilda, IL he
lays a hand on me, save in the way
of kindness I'll knock his two eyes
into one. l suffered his previous in
dignities because he was the hoary-
headed author of your being. but now
he is only my bald-headed father-in-
law, and | won't stand 1t, II he is
three times as old as / am"
Accordingly they went home, and
when they got there and were ex-
citedly feeling for the bell-pull the
old gentleman opened the door and
said.
Come In, come in; how's the blush
ing bride, chr Bless you, my children.
Now, by the time you have partaken
of q bottle of champagne the cab viii
be here to convey you to any railway
station you may be pleased to indi-
cate"
They followed the old gentleman
into the parlor like people in dream.
IT was afraid once" he said cheer
fully, when / saw Matilda coming
down that ladder that the thing would
break-for she's fully sixteen ounces
to the pound, Matilda is-and drive all
nv new rose bushes and tulips into
the ground. Why on earth didn't you,
when you were compelled to fee from
my wrath ,elope out of the front door
like Christians? left Matllda's dun
geon cell unlocked. and l left the front
door ajar. and went to the foot OF
the stairs and snored at the top OF
my voice SO as to give you every facil-
ity"
do you mean to say. venerable and
respected sir. that you have and have
had no objections to my paying my
addresses to your daughter?"
Mover III the tCaot, lCPANN eAN W.
man, beaming mildly on them; you
are the son-in-law l should have pick
ed out Of millions II had been permit
ted to choose, and even IL had not
been satisfied of your worth and So
briefly, could not have found II In
my heart to refuse to do what Matilda
desired me to do"
"Then, sir" exclaimed the young
husband, thinking that he had mar
ried into a family having the heredi-
tary faint Of insanity in the blood,
"why did you turn me out of the house
in such an energetic and inconsistent
Manner
Because, my dear boy" said the
good old man, 81 saw that you would
Immediately take out license and
elope with the girl and get married
at an expense Of ten dollars borne ex-
clusively by you, whereas, If the mar
rage took place In the ordinary course
of events. would have been let In for
a trousseau and dresses and flowers
and wedding breakfast, and, on top
of all that presents to the extent OF
about S2O0."-New York News.