Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1873 — HOW SHE MANAGED IT. [ARTICLE]

HOW SHE MANAGED IT.

Peter Pennywise was in deep grief. All the hopes of a life-time were to be frustrated. The fond ambition lie lmd so long nursed, Tils pet scheme to make the name of Pennywise the greatest in the land, was now no more. His only son, Launcelot, was to be married to a plebeian—to a girl who had wealth, but no no family, no ancestry, or no coat-of-arms on the panel of her coach. Could human misery be greater! Could * the Ossa of grief, piled on the Pelion of disappointment, make a heavier load of sorrow? No. The cup of Pennywise was full to the brim, and he must drain it to the lees, however bitter the draught. Such was the tenor of old Pennywise’s musings as he paced the velvet-carpeted floor or his library on the evening when our story opens. A conversation his son had liaa with him, its they sat together; sipping their wine, after dinner, had been the cause of thjs tumult iu the breast of Peter Penny w ish Launcelot was a weak-eyed and pinkskinned youth, with thin,' yellow hair, which he parted in the canter, and a little whisp of saffron whisker on each side of liis face, the pulling of which with his nervous little:hand constituted the principal employment of the scion of the house of Pennywise. “Father,” said Launcelot, after gulping down two or three glasses of wine to give hint courage. “Father.” “Well, my son, what do you want?” asked the pompous head of the house. “What do you think of marriage?” “What do I think of what?” questioned the surprised Pennywise. “Marriage,” replied Launcelot. “Matrimony, you know. ‘Two hearts with but a single thought, two souls that beat as one,’ and all that.” “I think that every man should marry, and I would be glad to hear that you had fixed your affections on some lady with the proper qualifications.” “•What are the proper qualifications?” inquired Launcelot. “Family;" replied liis father, “family—whatever else you do, be sure to never disgrace the name of Pennywise by a plebeian connection.” “Why, is our family such a very great one?" demanded the young man. “A great one!” echoed Pennywise; “why, it’s the greatest in the land. Study carefully the genealogical tree, that hangs in the hall, and which cost me five thousand dollars to have properly traced, and you will see that the name of Pennywise was as well known as that of William at tlie time of the Norman conquest, and that the coat-ot-arms is, one of the most “respectable and ancient that ever heraldry boasted of.” “Well, of course, that’s true, father; but live heard some of the fellers at the club say that grandfather was a pawn—” “Your grandfather was a broker and banker, as I myself am, and was fully aware of the responsibility of being worthy of liis family,” said Mr. Pennywise, interrupting his son; “ therefore he began mv education by impressing the value ot a family name upon my youthful mind, —and so, when I had grown older, and be intimated to me that I ought to marry the highly respectable Miss Pound foolish, I went to that lady, proposed, and was accepted. Thus I consolidated the two great families of Pennywise and Poundfoolish, and you aud your two sisters are the result. But you ask my opinion of matrimony, and you think of marrying?" “Ye-cs, sir,” gasped Launcelot. E “And whom do you propose honoring vith your name?” “Miss —a —iss Petersham,” answered the youthful Pennywise. - - ..petorsliam—Petersbam ~ I never heard of a Petersham ! Who is she ?” demanded the old gentleman with a darkening brow. ■ “She is very rich.”' And Launce faltered. “Riches are very well, but you do not need them. Your mother left you all her fortune, and I shall leave you half of mine if you marry as I wish. Who is this—this Petersham ? What does her father do ?” “He keeps a large clothing.establishment^ 1 "" “What!” roared Pennywise! A tailor. It shall not be. The arms of Pennywise shall never be marrietj jvith a needle, or disgraced by a—a—great Heaven!—a gOose! - It shall never be. “It must be!” said Launcelot going to the door, “cause I’ve and she’s accepted 1 me.”

The old man mechanically arose, and walked to his study, where lie began pacing the floor, as we found him at the commencement of our story. A gentle knock on the library door roused Mr. Pennywise, and bidding the 'knocker come in, he settled himself in his easy chair, and prepared to receive his visitor. The visitor proved to be the governess of the two Misses Pennywise—aged twelve and fourteen —whose disorderly conduct and willful destruction of wardrobe and text-books occasioned many a visit to the library, after the dinner hour, by the governess. She W'as a neat, pretty little body, this governess, and had often attracted the notice of the young bloods who came to visit Launcelot, but she paid not the slightest attention either to their compliments or glances, attending quietly to her pupils, and seeming wholly wrapped up in their charge. In fact, Charley Gushington, who was falling in love with every girl he met, once observed of her to Launcelot: “Launce, that governess gal—what’s her name? —Amy Door? —ain’t got any heart. Tiie only tiling she could love would be more pupils, or plenty of money.” “Good evening, Miss Door,” said Pennywise, when Amy had entered the library. “What can I do for you this evening ?” “Excuse me, sir,” said Amy hesitatingly. “I wished to see you about my pupils, but I can see you are grieved and agitated, and as I fancy I know the Cause of your agitation, I will not annoy you with my commonplace complaints.” “You know the cause?” gasped P. “Yes, sir; I have no wish to intrude my opinions or my knowledge but the cause of your grief is, I imagine, the approaching marriage of your son, and 1 think he is acting very foolishly.’-’ “You are right, Miss Door,” asserted the old .gentleman—“you are right. lie is acting foolishly—most foolishly.” “Cannot you prevent it?” she asked. “No: I am powerless—powerless. He will wed the tailor’s daughter, and disgrace the great, the aristocratic name of Pennywise.” There was a smile playing around the coiners of Miss Door’s mouth, and a satirical twinkle in ker eye, as Mr. Pennywise spoke of his aristocratic name. “Can you not threaten to disinherit him,” she asked. “No use—no use,” groaned the disconsolate Pennywise, “he has half a million left to him by his mother." “A half a million !” cried Amy, and the smile and twinkle faded away, leaving her face stern and calculating-looking. “Mr. Pennywise, this marriage would be scandalous. Listen; I know Miss Petersham very well; iu fact, she considers me her intimate friend—” “My son’s wife the intimate friend of a governess,” sighed Pennywise, regardless of the feelings of tire girl before him. “ Yes,” replied Amy, not heeding the insult; “but she is only a tailor’s daughter.” “Alas,! alas! too true, too true,” said the unfortunate Pennywise. “Mr. Pennywise," continued Amy, “you are rich, very rich, and I am poor, very poor. You regard this marriage as a disgrace to your family. I think I can prevent it. What will you give me if I do?” “ My dearJMiss.Door,” cried old Pennywise, jumping up'from his chair, “ifyou can prevent my son from manying the tailor’s daughter, I will bestow upon you ten thousand dollars.” “ ’Tis.a bargain,” said the governess. “Please write a little agreement to this effect: That as soon ns 1 give you proof that Miss Petersham is married to some one else than your son, that you will pay me ten thousand dollars." “Married to some one else than my son!” said Pennywise, as lie was writing the.agreement, “Yes,” answered Amy, “that fg my plan. I will make her marry a young man I have in mv mind now.” “But my son will not permit it ; he is fascinated by this tailor’s daughter.” “I will see that lie permits it,” the governess said, taking the agreement Mr. Pennywise had drawn out and signed. My duty is to prevent his mariiage with Miss Petersham ” “Yes,” said the old man, “do that and I will bless you;" and here the interview ended. For the week immediately following the evening tlie foregoing conversation took place, Miss Amy—very much to their delight—absented herself entirely from her pupils; and she might have been seen any afternoon walking arm in arm with the lovely Miss Petersham, During these walks, somehow, Mr. Charley Gushington invariably met the two ladies and joined them,in their walk —nor did he seem to regard the meetings as at all unexpected. The fact was that the wily governess had introduced Mr, Gushington to Miss Petersham, and was, unknown to them, limning the flame that they- declared was consuming their young hearts. Three weeks had passed since the night Miss Amy had agreed to prevent the marriage of young Pennywise with Miss Petersham, when one morning the governess presented herself to the clerks in the office of Mr. Pennywise, and asked to sec that gentleman. She was ushered' into a private office where she found tlie aristo T cratic Pennywise very much surprised at his visitor. “To what good fortune am I indebted for this visit?” ho asked. .“ To tlie best of. fortune,” answered the governess. “Please read this advertisement that I am going to insert in to-nmr-row morning’s papers.” and she handed him a slip of paper from which he read tlie following: “ Gusiiinoton Petersham— On the 17th inst., at Grace Church, by the Rev. Jeremiah Wailer. D. D., 8. T. D., Mr. Charles Gushington to Emeline, eldest daughter of Jacob Pdfersham, Esq., all ot -this city. No cards,” —1 “ My dear Miss Dorr,” said Pennywise, jumping up from his chair, “you have saved tlie family—you have done wonders —I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never pay.” “Well, here is a debt you qwe me that you can pay," said Amy, producing the agreement. “I will thank you for ten thousand dollars in greenbacks. I don’t want a cheek, I want the money, ‘‘My dear Miss Door,” said the banker, “if it took my last dollar, I would not repudiate your claim.” And, drawing a check for the amount, he called a messenger, and Bade him go to till? bank and get fen one thousand dollar notes. After the messenger had departed on liis errand, Pennywise turned to the gpvemess, and said; “How did my son bear the news that Miss Petersham was false to him? Thank t j

Heaven, my family will not be dis-. graced," , - “When first he discovered that Miss Petersham was receiving attentions from Mr. Gushington, lie threatened to commit suicide; but I finally induced him to listen to reason, and he attended tlie*ceremony last niglit.” “But how did jmu effect this alteration in him? You are a witch; or, I should say, a good fairy. Ho\v did you do it?” “Will the boy belong at the bank?" asked the governess. “No; he is here now. I see you want your money before you give your, information; quite right. Well, there It is.” And lie handed liet 1 tlie money. Miss Amy walked to the other end of the room and placed the money safe in her bosom. Then, turning to Mr. Pennywise, she said: “Mr. Pennywise, you asked me how I obtained your son’s consent to the marriage between Mr. Gushington and Miss Petersham.” “And saved my son from an alliance with a woman socially beneath him,” interrupted Mr. Pennywise. “You marvel among women, will you tell me?” “I will.” “How did you do it?” “I married him myself. Good morning, sir.”