Year: 1875

BLIFINCH'S WEDDING.


Rugged, saturnine and cynical as 70
appearances; Grabbed, miserly and reti-
cent as to disposition; such was Blifinch
Il Co., general merchandise brokers and
provision dealers. For Blifnch was
Bhfinch, and Company also, the latter
attachment of the firm being purely fic-
titious, and designed possibly for eupho-
ny-perhaps to give distinction to the
firm title.


Bifinch dwelt in q ram-shackle, tum-
ble-down old rcohery in Pearl street, an
establishment which had come to him
strictly in the way of business, having
fallen into his clutches through the fore
closure of q mortgage, by which process
an estimable but impecunious family
were summarily elected into the street
one raw November afternoon, from
which period they vanished out Of mans
cognizaRce.


As there could be found no tenant for
the rookery Blifnch moved into it him
self, being enabled thereby to lease his
former dwelling place, in q more agreea-
BILE location, to excellent advantage.


Blifinch was as universally disliked
and contemned as it is possible for q
man to be. His hardness at driving a
bargain, his want Of charity-eithe-
for frailty or misfortune-his absolute
disregard for the customary amenities Of
life; these peculiarities caused him to be
Stunned by oil who were not driven to
intercourse with him through business
eMgencies. OF these latter, however,
there were very many, and his line Of
trade was so successful in its competi-
WIT IF fha I
that Blifinch had amassed no inconsid-
erable amount of property, which was
securely invested in the best possible
securities at profitable interest.


There was, however, in regard to Bill.
finch one single redeeming feature he
had daughter-Polly Blifnch-whose
characteristics were in such marked con-
trast to those of her father that they
shed halo of reflected brightness and
beauty over the latter which made even
the surly meanness of Blifinch seem less
obnoxious when she was by.


Polly was by this time twenty years
old, and as sweetly- pretty girl as one
would wish to see. Her charms of dis
position seemed to have given a special
loveliness to her every expression, and
her amiability aud kindness went far
in the estimate of those who knew both
to atone for the rugged and unhandsome
protuberances of character which can 3ed
Blifinch to be SO disliked.


OF course Polly had many admirers:
for. though she was not permitted to see
any company whatever under the inhos-
pltable roof which covered her gloomy
habitation, there were still ways and
means innumerable by which she could
form companionships, and Through which
these could grow into affectionate inter
ests: But though many pleasing and
wholly unobjectionable young men
sought Polly from time to time with q
direct view to matrimonial results, these
efforts had been invariably unsuccessful
until period about one year prior to
the date of the present narrative.


At that time Polly had made the &C
quaintance of young sailor, then mate
OF q merchant vessel trading with the
West Indies, and who was the brother of
one OF Polly's special friends. Constant
association with this mariner when he
was on shore, and as constantly listening
to his praises when he was at sea, had
at last their natural effects; and when
Sam Collier proposed, just before sailing
on one OF his voyages, Polly consented
TO be his wife before she had given Bill
PhobablO iCcOPoioh VI biio uldUU6T
q single thought. When, after the first
transports of the position had subsided,
she did reflect upon her fathers interest
IN the important question. her spirits
went down with startling rapidity. In.
deed, about five minutes of practical
consideration of the subject resulted in
her conveying to her lover, with many
sobs and tears, the unqualified certainty
that Biifiach would no more let them
marry than he would present his son.in-
law presumptive with new ship. Young
Collier was of sanguine temperament,
however, had very good opinion OF
himself, and had never seen old Blifincb:
30, of course, he had no doubt ON the
subject, and insisted on proceeding at
once to communicate with the "Can-
tain, as he brevetted Polly's father In
his reference to him.


Polly consented finally, as the shortest
way OF surmeunting the difficulty; and