The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-02-20
WHY
HE PAID.

y ~ sis asts ~ ~ ~ ~ ts -
- LID man Boyhe, the boss team
ster, was sitting by a coal
oil lamp in his best room
- BE 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
1t was his habit to read every word,
including ads, and he had filed his
old clay pipe for the third time when
a rap at the door caused him to shout:
Come inn
Good evening, Mr.. Boyne," said the
stalwart, well-groomed young man who
came in
"She's out" growled the old chap,
resuming his reading.
4 know she is, sir. That's why l
called"
The old fellow put down his paper
and peered over his spectacles.
"At least" resumed the young man.
nervously, 81 came to talk to you about
her sir. We want to get married"
He sat down, looking flushed and eX-
cited, and the old man stared at MN
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'I buy the furniture. How
long did it take you to save that"
GA 1itt1n over n wear. -
"a year! You must be an awfu
spendthrift. How much do you get"
Thirty a week since the beginning
of this year. I'll get a raise
-~~~What?" shrllled the father, putting
his hands on his knees and peering a
the lover. Thirty dollars a week
bachelor, all alone, and have only thre
hundred left How the mischief-d
you drink"
ooh, no; it isn't that, sir; must liy
pretty we'll You sec, l wasn't tlSurin
on getting married till 1 met Marg!
and you see I've always been used
having everything"
do you own place, house
anythingf"
mo, sir"
"You must be daft, then. Whe'
was you going to live? At the Aud
forum, maybe"
ooh, we could get neat Eat for
little money, and
'And pay rent? You're a fool, n
boy. I won't give her to you till "
get a house, don't care if it's on
two rooms. so it's your own-to Ike
her in"
Margy's voice singing was heard tn
from tho rear rooms. Boyne resum
his paper. Joe Stewart, mutteri
"skinfint, miser" and other endeari
cDithets directed against his hoped
father-in-Iaw but wisely keeping "
quiet, waited for Marcy to come
That was his first but not final eff
to get dads consent. He came ag
on Saturday evening, while the
was at market, and the crusty
drayman, with coarse frankness, S
gested that lie had a tidy little pla
in the West Side, three rooms ant
summer kitchen, that he would sci
Stewart if he really meant to ma
the girl at all. The meanness of
prefer struck him like a blow, but
said he'd think about it, and he
He talked it over with Marcy, a VIII
souled winsome girl who had /
trained for q school teacher by
canny old man, who "knew the VI
of money"
Lets try it, Joe" she laughed;
rusty old cottage, but Wen fix it
Dad won't be hard on US for the
ments, and perhaps by the time
paid for we can sell it and get q l
home"
Stewart, thoroughly despising
Boyne, bought the place on time
ments and signed about sixty note
\ S25 each, listening with suppre
hatred TO the misery old man who
thus unloaded $500 worth of fl
ehanty and cheap ground on his
daughters husband For the wed
took place within a month. Whel
cottage was painted and furni
and the young couple was wei
stalled the old man would come ar
during the day to see Marcy,
Joe's hatred of him rose to the
mitch when the first note fell due
old Boyne in person came to the
10 collect it. After that the y
man quit speaking to his wife's Il
|and the young Yife herself