The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-01-02

ster. was sitting by coal
Y oil lamp i'm his best room.
lie had taken off his shoes
and his coat, and his coarse wooden
socks and his hickory shirt showed
that he was not a man Of airs. lie
was deep in his newspaper, Of which
Ii was his habit 10 read every word
including ads, and he had filled his
old clay pipe for the third time when
a rap at the door caused him TO shout:
"Come inr
Good evening, Mr.. Boyne," said the
Btalwart, well-groomed young man who
came I'm.
"She's out" growled the old chap,
resuming his reading.
II know she Is, sir. That's why |
called"
The old fellow put down his paper
and peered over his spectacles.
AT least" resumed the young man,
nervously, II came to talk TO you about
her, sir We want TO get married"
lie sat down, looking flushed and ex-
cited, and the old man stared at him
a minute before he began;
"Well, suppose you do? Have you
the means TO keep her decent? How
much have you saved? Three hun
dred that'll buy the furniture. How
long did ii take you to save thatY
"a little over year !"
"a year! You must be an awful
Ependthrift. How much do you getY
Thirty week since the beginning
OF this year. I'll get n raise"
What" shrllled the father, putting
his hands on his knees and peering at
the lover. "Thlrty dollars a week-a
bachelor, all alone, and have only three
hundred left! How the mischief-do
you drinkT'
"Oh, no; 1t isn't that. sir; must live
pretty well. You see. wasn't figuring
on getting married till | met Marcy.
and you see I've always been used to
having everything"
'Do you own a place, n house or
anythingT
"No, sir"
"You must be daft. then. Where
was you going to live? At the Audi.
torium, maybeW
"Oh, we could get n neat dat for
little money, and"
"And pay rent2 You're fool, my
boy. I won't give her to you till you
get house, don't care if it's only
two rooms, so it's your own--to keep
her in."
Margy's voice singing was heard then
from the rear rooms. Boyne resumed
his paper. Joe Stewart. muttcring
~skinflint, miser," and other cndCaring
rpithets directed against his hoped for
father-in-law. but wisely keeping very
quiet, waited for Marcy to come in.
That was his first hut not final effort
TO get dads consent. He came again
on Saturday evening. while the girl
was at market. and the cruSty old
drayman, with coarse franllness. sug-
gested that he had tidy little place"
I'm the West Side. three rooms and n
summer kitchen, that he would sell to
Stewart if he really meant TO marry
the girl at all. The mcanncss of this
prof1er struck him like n blow. but he
said he'd think about It. and he did.
He talked it over with Marcy. n whole.
soulcd winsome girl who had been
trained for 4 school teacher by the
canny old man, who "knew the value
OF money"
Lets try IL. joe" she laughed: "its
a rusty old cottage, but wen fix II up.
Dad won't be hard on us for the pay.
ments, and perhaps by the time it's
paid for we can sell il and get nicer
home"
Stewart, thoroughly despising old
Boyne, bought the place on time pay
ments and signed about sixty notes at
s25 each, listening with suppressed
hatred to the miserly old man who had
thus unloadod $500 worth of frame
shanty and cheap ground on his own
daughters husband. For the wedding
took place within month. When the
cottage was painted and furnished
and the young couple was well in
stalled the old man would come around
during the day to see Marcy. but
Joe's hatred of him rose TO the tor
pitch when the first note fell due and
old Boyne in person came 10 the office
20 collect it, After that the young
man quit speaking to his wife's father
and the young wife herself felt
ashamed and grieved TO observe tho
grasping eagerness with which he pur
sued Joe for the payments.
Month after month the efforts TO pay
Boyne came harder. for there wer,
the painters and carpenters TO pay.
bathroom had been built into the cot
tage, and the plumbers bill was q eau
tion. To make matters harder TO
Joe. the little Stewarts began to ar
rive. and when the time came 60 pa.
the young husband saw that he'd hav
60 "stand orr either the doctor @
Boync. lie paid the doctor. Iii
father-in-law bounded him at the OF
fee. at the house. waited for him a
the street corner. and then scrawled
letter i'm which he threatened TO for,
close IL the note past due wasn't palt
Marcy almost broke her heart whe
she found out the truth. but whe
Dad called she pleaded with him I
give them n little more time. Sll
showed him her pretty baby and prom
ised that they would now begin [
economize in earnest.
Old Boyne promised an extension
but harped upon the need Of econom
until she felt like striking him. II wa
the same every time new note can