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Oldest NewsoaDer in the Wvoming Valley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1890. A Weedy Local and Family Journal. i uu pass mrougn tnis prison gate joyfully, for you know it is no prison tc you. You toll him that the day is fine, or that it is rainy, as it may happen, and pass on till you come to another gate and another warder. You tell him that it is fine, or that it is rainy, as before. He also calls you by name, and says that you are looking well, and you enter a second passage. This passage is provided with littlo catacombs or columbaria, precisely like those under or near the city of Rome, except that these are much smaller, and that those catacombs have now no doors, but in the security vaults each catacomb has a littlo iron door, and these doors are numbered. canoe. Then poor Robinson looked at his retreating island—the island which he had always called a prison—and wished that he might return to it, because it was home. So poor Antony, who had always despised the Cattaraugus and Opelousas, now wished that he had them in his hands. In point of fact, he put back the box into the cell from which he had taken it, and he went at once to his lawyer cousin. But the lawyer cousin was not in. Antony did not like to tell his queer story to a stranger; he therefore borrowed a hundred dollars from the lawyer cousin's clerk and went that night on the train to Pittsburg. aireaay, sne rusnea to ner nttte ooape and bade William drive her direotiy home. key, at which the bolt flew baok at the right moment, lust as it does in tho "Forty Thieves. She carried the tin box out to the very same cell she had occupied before. Sho felt as if she wore a nun in a convent. She opened the box and—there was nothing there. Then she waited a little—poor child; this was to deceive the warders. Then she locked the box and carried it back. Sho dared not look them in the face as they bade her good day, but she felt in every bone that they disapproved of her and even scorned her. Sadly and doubtfully she bade James take her home, and he did so. lxTw uo uorrow i oraerve in docks that men always borrow money when they want it. I do not see why I cannot borrow this money." The letters were not mine, i put them away." A SAFE DEPOSIT. "Pardon mo," he said. "From yonr tone I thought you were going to say two hundred and fifty thousand. I wish, Miss Edith, you would let me lend it to you myself. You have been kind enough to ask my advice. Will you be good enough to take it?" Trouble in the House. Thay, mlthter, thereth twouble at our houth 1 "Where did you pnt them? they now?" Where are My mamma's tbut up in her room up stairthl My papa goeth out in the back yard 'nd thwearthl The cook hath gone off wiv a pipe in her mouf I 'Nd there ain't a cookey left in the whole houthl Yeth thlr-ee: thereth twouble at our houth] Her only thought was to tell her father all that had happened and to confess that she was a fool. For Edith had been scTlittle tempted In her younger llfo that she had never learned what inoet young men learn when they are yonnger—that there are two devils of special danger in modern life; that the larger devil is named Drink and the smaller devil is named Debt. There had been no occasion for Edith to have these lessons taught her, and thongh the poor child had had some reasons to know the first devil—as everybody has in American life—she was profoundly unconscious of the dangers of the temptations of the second. She did know what a horrible scrape Mrs. John Fisher had got into, and she dreaded any such scrape. But on the other hand she knew that in the jewel case under her hand were baubles she never used, which were worth twenty times the sum that would make her perfectly comfortable till her fathor came home. And eo it was that having read in novels about poor people pledging what they had to borrow money tho thought did cross her mind that she might borrow something, if she knew how, on the pledge of some part of her jewelry. "Where? They are in my safe at the Amicable. I wish I knew where they ought to be." By RET. E. EVEBETT HALE, D. D. Of course this would have been the true thing (or her to do, but there was unfortunately a delay. Her father was In Chicago for two days, and Satan had all that time to inspire her with other counsels. Now, although Satan might have done his worst before he could moke Edith Jane do anything wrong, it was easily in his power to make hor do something rery foolish. For, as Henry Kingsley well says, when the devil cannot achieve his purposes by sending a knave he does the same by a much easier proceaa and sends a fooL For the more she brooded over the matter the more the poor girl persuaded herself that she had better not, at first, speak to her father. Besides the feeling that she was a fool and had made a horrible mistake there was a little aide trouble which increased and increased as she thought of it till it at last became a giant Afrite, destroying all her peace, it was the recollection that she had put in her box the six letters which had been intrusted to her by her cousin Evelyn. Edith was now taken wholly aback. She had chosen her adviser—as he said. Here was a proposal which would lift her out of the depths. For the instant she felt that if only sho had the three bits of paper he spoke of Bhe should be perfectly liappy. She could see the two notes of one hundred—and one of fifty— clean two of them apnea red. crisp and clean, ana one nabby and dirty, before her mind's eye. And Edith was herself again. "Mr. Blake, I think it is for me to turn over to you some property of yours I have here. Indeed, I did not steal it • But are not tlieso Cattaraugus bonds yours, and this hundred dollars, perhaps, too?" And she handed him the well known parcel. Afther brekfuth thith morn in' I wanted my ma; I went to her do' 'nd, my gwathuth I I thaw A gwait jumbo woman with big double chin. Who thald that I muthn't 'nd touldn't turn in. I kied 'cauthe I wanted my ma awful bad, 'Nd I kicked on the do' 'cauthe I wath tho mad! tCopyright. All rights reserved.] laULrufeit JL Antony Bloke left the office of Bumrill A Go. a good deal disappointed. He was himself a shrewd and iataQigsnt fellow. 2# bed secured the patents on his new tavenMcm, tad was ready to proceed with the mnavfaetare. He had carried the papers, the his model machine to Rnmrill A Oo., and they had them in eonnidsration. They now offered him $800 for1the whole thing if be would tern it afl over to them. He had proposed one and mother scheme by which he should go into business as a partner with them. These had been referred by tee managing partner to the Mr. Jorkins behind the scene, who was an imaginary person crested for the purpose of saying no when the managing partner was ashamed to. Practically all these schemes had been refused, and Antony was now to take the $ROO or nothing. My pa he wath walkin' aroun' in the hall, 'Nd he didn't pay no 'tention to me at all, But he kept hith eyeth flxtli all the time on An idea had crossed her in the cell. The bonds she had in place of hers were not hers. No. But they took the place of hers. Now as she could not cut ofi her own coupons and deposit them in the Waverley bank as her father had taught her, might not sho honestly cut off these coupons and deposit them, replacing them when the moment came by her own? ma's do'; I ast him w'y he didn't go to hith sto'f He thaid ma woth thick, 'nd then pitty quick I heard mamma's do' knob go "clicketty-click I" CHAPTER IX. You remember by mnemonic processee known to yourself what is the number of yours; the number of Antony's was 4,937. You meet in this passage a smiling, gentlemanly friend, who also calls you by name, expresses his hope that you are well, and tells you what the weather is. You also tell him. These aro not passwords, but they are the civilities of the occasion. You then mention to him, in a whisper if you please, the number of your box. He affects to Temember—does remember, perhaps— snd with his key adjusts the lock of your catacomb. But please to observe he cannot open the catacomb, because he has not your key. Your key has been given to you long since when you hired your catacomb. You then open the catacomb with your key, which you cannot do till he has first turned his key in the lock. In the catacomb you find a long, narrow tin box, unless you should be a very great don. In that case you have a largo catacomb and you have a large tin box. But Antony was a very little don, as the reader knows, and he had therefore a box long enough for anv coupon bond, but not Ikrge enough to contain many. CHAPTER IV. Mr. Lane's absenco in England was prolonged, and it was September before he returned. Edith met him at the Tamworth station with the carriage to bring him home. This is not one of those stories which torments the reader by refusing to teM him all that the writer knows. But she did not waver even for that instant. Her manner was kind enough, but absolutely firm as she declined. "You are quite right in saying that I had better ask the bank people. I will certainly do so. You are very kind, and I shall always be grateful to you for your willingness. But it will be better so." 'Nd then Docker Rubob turn out 'nd thays he, "Your noath ith bwoke now, ittle man; you will thee!" 'Nd I felt of my noath 'nd It want bwoke at all! then, Jimminy cwicketh! I heard thumfln' th quail, Ifd pa he thood thill wir hith eyeth tickin' out; Tftlnkth I,"Wot the Dlckenth ith all tfrtt.ti about?" Once for all, let the reader understand that the bonds and the letters which Antony Blake found in his box belonged to a very nice girl whose name was Edith Lane. How it happened that they were all in this box shall now be briefly told. "I have so much to tell you, papa, and I do not know how to begin." "It is clear that it is good news," said he; "you look so welL And you are a good woman of business—that has appeared all through from your letters." "That you will have to judge of, papa." At that moment as they crossed the station her father saw Antony Blake, pressed his hand warmly and asked hi™ to come and see them, which Antony said he would gladly do. It is Quito clear, dear reader, to an instructed conscience like yours and mine that she might not; but Edith had accustomed herself to thferifttf these coupon* as so much money, and as she certainly would have taken so many greenbacks had she left them In her box and found them there without looking to see if they were the bills of one bank or of another, so she supposed, though she supposed wrongly, that a coupon of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas was money as truly as a coupon of theC., B. & Q., if only it were dated rightlv. She was a little confused when she found that no coupons had been cut off the Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds for five years, but little did she know of the weaknesses of that enterprise. She did know that her quarter's coupons on her own bonds would have yielded her $540; she made out that amount as well as she could from the Cattaraugus and Opelousas coupons, took no more than she needed, wrote a memorandum of what she had done and pinned It upon the coupons. "For," she said, "I may die," and she remembered that she had heard her father say that some written memorandum must be left for the benefit of executors. Then out turn old Jumbo, her faith all in grinth; J Thays pa, "Well, wot ith it?" Thaya thee, "It ith twinth!" Pa thaid he woth glad, but he looked Mn/W "I hope you aro not offended," said he, somewhat proudly. You seem to be distressed. We are not in a novel. I wanted to be of use. That is all." It was somo six months before Antony Blake found them that Edith Lane's father called her into his own room. He then explained to her that she was so old that she must learn to take care of her own affairs. mad— Thaid thumfln' 'bout luck that poor people OW Jumbo thaid 1 muth be 'till ath a mouth; Pa thaid we would bofe dit wlte out of the houth! Now this Cousin Evelyn had had a horrible love passage with Fergus Maclntire. I have no right to call it disgraceful, though I am very glad that none of my readors was ever so compromised. It was a rery bad business, and Evelyn h:wl been pulled out of it only with great tact and difficulty. All the compromising letters had been brought together and should have been burned up. Instead of burning them Evelyn Haddam, when she heard Edith had a safe of her own, liad bogged her to take care of them, and at her second visit to the safe Edith had put these letters with her bonds. The reader knows what had become of them It is a very curious phenomenon belonging to human nature, whether of men or women, that a person in a scrape generally prefers to tell some utter stranger of his trouble and not to tell some near or intimate friend. This is not the place to discuss the reason for this phenomenon, but it is a phenomenon observable by all people who hold the position of general counsel for mankind. This phenomenon showed itself in Edith's case. She did not go to Dr. Witherspoon; she did not go to her father's partner; she did not go to any of her somewhat distant relatives in Tamworth, nor, as has been said, to any of the old friends of the family. But before night came on she felt as if she should die if she did not take advice of somebody. She made her choice of a confidant almost at haphazard."Offended—how could I bo offended?" said she. "I asked for information and advice. You have given me both. I shall get out of my troubles now, I see. And I shall thank you for showing me how. Will you not come in? No? Good night, then." And she gave him her hand. "Please do not think I nm offended."Tho pa gwabbed hith hat 'nd wushed off to hith sto', This was not his first experience in such bnsinc-ss. Ho know by this time that th« p Miplo who bring things before the publid, bo they inventions, be they books or l»o they i(loa3, gen orally expect to be well paid for doing so, and ho knew that the sj-stem of co-operation, which people are hoping for and praying for, was by no means yet established. With some bitterness of feeling, it must be confessed, though he was a good natured fellow enough, he walked down the street of Tamworth considering whether he would take the $800 and be dene with it, or whettier he would go tw Pittsburg and Mio if there were better chances there. "I do not mean," said he, "to turn over to you now the whole of your mother's property, but I do mean to turn over to you so much that you shall not have to come running to me when you want to buy a shoestring and a paper of pins. I have placed in this envelope a number of bonds; I am going to show you how to cut off the coupons from these bonds. You will have to do this twice a year; you will then have to carry these coupons to the Waverly bank, where I have opened an acoount for you. When you want money you will write a check on the Waverly bank, and you will go for the money yourself or send for it. You can do as you please about keeping an account of these If I were you I would keep a little cash book, but I shall ask no questions. If you come to me at any time for money I shall then ask questions. But it is a great deal better that you shall learn to take care of your own affairs before I die." "That young man," said Mr. Lane as they entered the carriage, "is one of the most successful young men in this state. Whyncliff e has been talking to me about him half the time as we came on from New York. Why, Edith, he has an invention which will save thousands of lives and must be used on every railroad. He has established a new machine shop here to make his couplings, and Whyncliffe and all of them are crazy about him. 'Nd mebby I wont thee my pa any mo'l Thay, mithter, wath twinth? Wot «iMi my ma now? Wot bithneth hath Jumbo 'round there anyhow? Ise tl', 'nd Ise lonethum, 'nd Ise hung*y too! 'Nd I want my ma now, 'nd—'nd—boo-hoo oo! | —William Edward Penny In Judg& It was very queer. If they had only known all would have been well. For this president, of tho Chautauqua Circle was Antony Blake. As it was they both went home, and for two or three hours neither of them went to sleep. "Ought I have said this? Why did I say that?" in all possible forms till nature and youth asserted themselves, and the provoking conversation was forgotten. A Dampener. "But, Edith, he is no stranger to yon; yon nsed to know him. He is the mmn man who waa in yonr reading club." "Yes, papa—and, papa, he has asked me to marry him, and I have told him I wonld ask yon. Bnt really, papa, he is the best man in the world, and I never marry any one else." He drew out his box, thanked the courteous attendant, passed warder No. 2 again, who asked him if all was right, and then in the passage between Noa. 1 and 2 selected a little room, like that in which you eat oysters in restaurants ol some cities, when it is supposed that you are ashamed to eat oysters and wish to have a separate cell assigned for the pt& pose. You go into this cell, which ycra find lighted. There is a little table for you, with a pen and ink and blotting paper and a pair of large scissors. These scissors are there that you may cut off the coupons from your bonds. Now this was the only secret which our poor Edith had ever had from her father. She did not want to have these letters brought to light by any investigation which should be made. The poor child instantly fancied herself before a police court as a thief; she fancied the discovery of her box opened by a judge and these letters of Evelyn's and Fergus' read aloud and printed in all the Sunday newspapers. She criad over it; she wrote a note to Evelyn which she destroyed; she wrote another note, which she destroyed also, and finally said to herself Antony Blake did not believe in debt, and ho know how to live on a very little money1, but for all that he had very little monoy in store, and ho certainly did not Vave the $10,000 which would be necessary for him if ha were to equip a little machine shop of his own and make his own automatic car coupler. But, as it happened, he was a person well esteemed in the whole community of Tamworth, as he deserved to be. CHAPTER Vm. Edith rose the next morning with a new resolution. She went to her desk aa soon as breakfast was over and wrote this note: CHAPTER VH. It happened that that was the evening for the meeting of the Chautauquan circle to which Edith belonged. The girl had rather tired of gay society after the first two winters that followed her "ooming out" She had danced quite well, she had received a good deal of attention, she had tasted that eup pretty thoroughly, and then, without being cynical at all about it, she thought she bad drunk about aa much of it as she wanted. On the other hand, some near friends of hers had engaged in the Chautauquan course of reading; she was sitting with them one evening when some reading aloud went on, and found herself interested in the solid and practical work which they had engaged in. She thought rightly that she had time to make up some back work, had sent to Plainfield to connect herself with the circle and had become one of the most diligent of the readers. This accident determined her now in the choice of her adviser. Thus it was that Edith made her revelation. It was not nntil the wedding day, however, that she told her father that the new machine shop was built with the proceeds of the sales of ner governments and C., B. and Q.'s. She then ordered her carriage again and rode to the Waverley bank. She handed her bank book to the teller, as she had done before, and the man bowed, as the other men bowed, and said it was a fine day. She also said it was a fine day, but the spell did not work. When he looked at the coupons he made no entry in her little book. Indeed she thought he started, and he crossed the room and spoke to his ohief. The attentive chief at once came to the window.Man of the House (just arrived from the city)—Ah, I didn't know we had a gnest. Wouldn't you like a little—er— liquid refreshment before yon eat? LETTERS LOST.—A parcel of six letters, dated in May, 1883, and tied together with a white ribbon. The finder will be thanked and liberally rewarded if he will send a note t* 0. R., at the poetoffice.Poor Edith was distressed and pained to hear her father talk of dying. She said as much. She said that she knew nothing about business, and she had a great deal rather go on as they were. But he was flint. He told her that his precise object was to teach her to draw a check and to keep a bank account, and to teach her something of her interest in the community, not to say her duties in the community. He begun with thirty or forty thousand dollars of her fortune, which he had put Into these bonds. This advertisement she inserted in The Argus of that day. The, hep* «he had was well eneugh founded. &ut, alas! Antony hated the politics of The Argus, which pretended to be an independent paper, and was on any side which the proprietor thought profitable. Antony never looked at any part of The Argus, least of all at the advertisements. So poor Edith's notice might have been published a month and he would have been none the wiser. Turning the Tables. THE END. Wandering Peleg—I seldom refuse, sir. I should like to know, however, how much of this esteem he owed to one queer circumstance. While he had to start in life with absolutely no property it happened that he did hold as trustee for his mother some bonds which he considered worthless in the second issue of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas railroad. These bonds had long since been taken off all lists known to brokers, and it was long since any coupons had been paid. Stffl tho Cattaraugus and Opelousas existed, and there were sanguine people, among whom his mother was one, who supposed that at some time payment would be resumed. Antony, being her trustee, had to keep these bonds somewhere, and he had been notified by legal advisers that he must keep them in one of the security vaults which are now established in all the considerable citiee. He had hired a modest safe at the Amitable of Tamworth, and at the Amicable you have the facilities of a charming -eading room, where are all the new magazines, where you can wash your hands if you need, you can make an appointment with a friend, you can write a note on the Amicable's paper. Observe with admiration tint both the requirements which have be- u referred to are fulfilled. You are here as lonely as Robinson Crusoe was before Friday came. All your wealth is in your hands; you can do with it what you choose. A minute before this wealth was in a safe which nobody excepting you could open, and a minute hence it will bo in that safe again. that sho had rather lose all her own property which was in the safe than havo any revelation made as to what was in the box. If she could only be sure that whoever had the bonds would burn those hateful letters it seemed to her that she should be perfectly happy. "By the way, Mr. Trotter," inquired the young man who was waiting to see Miss Rosalie, "when are you going to bury your dog?" "Bury him!" growled the old man; "I only bought him yesterday." "So yonr daughter informed me," replied the youth calmly; "but I met him coming in to-night, and I think you'll find him a good subject for a funeral. I always did dislike dogs."— New York Herald. "Miss Lane," he said, "your father has made a mistake. These are Cattaraugus and Opelousas coupons, and you know it is long since those could be negotiated. I think your coupons are C„ B. and Q., C. EL and W., and from United States bonds, are they not?" In all this of course Edith Lane was quite wrong; but. as the reader will see, she was in a false position, which she had stumbled into really from no fault of her own. On this occasion Antony Blake found some difficulty in opening his box. His key seemed to be out of order, but being an ingenious person it happened that he had a little skeleton key with him, and with this he threw open the lock of the box. He saw in a moment that it was not his box. The securities in it were those of the C., K. and W., C., B. and Q., B., C. and D.—securities, many of them, absolutely "gilt edged" in the market of the moment. There were on« or two United States bonds, and, in short, if a good fairy had touched hia mother's bonds and changed them into bonds of the very best she could not have done better for him than had been done here. Edith was frightened, and said she did not know where she would keep the bonds, and she was afraid they might be stolen. On his part, he went to the Waverley bank and asked the cashier if he would lend him $250. "What collateral?" said the cashier, who was his old ally and friend. "None," said Antony, "unless you will take stock in the Self Acting Coupler corporation, not yet organized. But if you would indorse my note I think the directors would pass it." Poor Antony Blake is the person who deserves the most consideration and sympathy from the reader. Antony Blake spent two or three days in Pittsburg. He was most hospitably received by old friends whom he had known at the Polytechnic institute. He saw all the marvels of gas distribution, of glass making, of ironfounding, and by Mr. Weetinghouse's kindness he was taken through the wonderful machine works from which that exquisite apparatus is produced which preserves every yea? the lives of I dare not say how many thousand people in this world. He saw some of the Tubal Cains whom he had gone to see; he showed to them the plans of his machine, which were cordially commended. He had one and another suggestion made to him as to the ways for putting it upon the market. But it was clear to him, as it had boen in Tamworth, that the destruction of the poor is their poverty, and that he was in no way to get any decent return for the very exquisite contrivance which everybody admitted he had in hand unless he himself could invest $10,000 or $15,000 in the complicated machinery which was necessary for produing it Daddy Wai Right. "Are these pot just the Bame thing?" said Edith, feeling as if she should sink through the ground. "I know nothing about it, only I found them in my safe." Here she held closely to the truth. "That," said her father, "is the second thing that you are to be taught. You will not keep these bonds; I do not keep mine. I have brought these thia morning from my own safe to give them to you. I have ordered the carriage, and I am now going to take you down to what is known as the Amicable Safe company. I am going to hire a little safe there in your name, and you will keep your bonds in that safe. When you want to cut off the coupons yon will go down to the Amicable, you will have the safe opened, and yon will cut off what yon need." Man of the House—Looks as though he were going to this time, anyhow.— Puck. She could see a vague smile of contempt pass over the cashier's face as he saidi "Well, I don't know what hopeful people would say, Miss Lane, only these things have no value on the market. Bring us around your C., B. and Q. and we will cash them for you gladly.' She had meant today to make some afternoon visits. But the day was hot and the air sultry, and she made this an excuse for sending James with his carriage back to the stable. She would go to Vincent chapel in the evening. And to Vinoent chapel she went. It was the last meeting of the circle before the summer recess. "Nonsense," said the cashier. "Bank rules will not permit that But if you want $250, old fellow, here it is. (Jive me a memorandum and pay me when you like. Make it to me. This ii not the bank's money; it is mine. You know I am glad to serve you." An Original Idea. George (dining in restaurant, to rriend)—Good gracious, Gus, what are you catching that fly for? Gus (sententiously)—That is a little scheme you're not on to, my boyl f. get about half through my ioe cream, tBan I put the fly in it and call the waiter. I get a fresh plate. See?—Lowell Citixen. Then as she was turning away the teller whispered to him again, and he said, "Do not give yourself any trouble, but you have overdrawn your aocount a little." Antony thanked him and said, what was true, that he would do as much for him gladly. Then he went to the Amicable reading room and wrote to Edith this letter: Antony Blake was amazed and dazed. He lifted the bonds out one after another to see by what process of evolution the Cattaraugus and Opelousas had been thus changed, and with a vagus feeling that he should find his two fifty dollar notes at the bottom. The fifty dollar notes were not there, but there was a little parcel of five or six manuscript notes tied up with a white ribbon. Antony had no disposition to get at other people's secrets, but he did want to know how these things came into his box, and he looked at their addresses, as he could do without opening them. Three were to Evelyn Haddam. Three were to Fergus Maclntire. Antony had never heard of either of these people. The lettex* were numbered and the date of each was written on the envelope. Antony observed that the last two were written on the same day, May 89. "It is a romance, I think," said he, and he thought so because of the ribbon. But clearly the most curious thing in the romance was that the letters were in his box. She had been chosen secretary and recorder of the Gill circle at the meeting in April, and her record was carefully prepared. It was the year for English history, and they had set apart the subject—always interesting to young people —of Mary Stuart for their evening discussion. That happened which is apt to happen, that all the women were very hard on poor Mary, while all the men defended her. As there were more women than men the men had to stand well to their guns. These facilities are thrown open to you because you have hired, perhaps for ealy $10 a year, a safe in that bank. Antony had found that here was by far the best club room in Tamworth. In that city they have what is known as the "Strangers' Best" well developed; you ean go in and pay ten cents an hour for all tho comforts of a club room, and then go out again. But Antony found that, in tho long run, $10 a year was cheaper for him than the Strangers' Best at ten cents an hour, and what I should like to know is whether his standing in ..that community had not materially risen since tho old dons and widows and railroad trustees and, other such persons who had their safes there found that he was one of the habitues of the reading room of the Amicable. This frightened Edith more than ever. She almost cried, but in her distress she referred to an old joke of the family bor- Why He Broke Down. Poor Edith did not know what meant, and he explained that she had drawn more money from the bank than she had in it: that this wonld be made clear to her as she looked at the checks which the teller gave her. It was of no conseqnenoe, the cashier said; only he thought he wonld call her attention to it. So poor Edith left the bank without any money, and feeling that she was much deeper down in the bog of disgrace than she had known. Drum Major (furiously)—You broke down a dozen times during the parade, sir. Why was that sir? 1 ANTOXY BLAKE TO EDITH LANE. Wednesday Moiotnq, July I rowed from the "Georgia Sketches." It is the story of a young man whose father was urging him to marry, and said to him, "Where would you be if I had not married?" The young fellow replied between his sobs, "Yes, dad, but you married mother, and I shall have to be put out to a strange gaL" Edith said she did not want to be put out to any Amicable Safe company or any Waverly bank. She wanted her father to take care of her money and to give her what she wanted to spend. My Dear Miss Lake—As I absolutely hare these bills la my hand I take the liberty of asking you to use them as you will. There la ao reason why you should have the annoyance of addressing the officers of the bank. Please Imagine me te be president of the Waverley bank, as well as president of the Chautauqua circle. Terr truly yvurs, Cornet Player (apologetically)—In order to keep in time I had to look at you, and whenever I did that I laughed.— Street & Smith's Good News. Mrs. Sartain—Oh, John! Baby isn't big enough to come down stairs alone. So poor Edith actually saw her way elear to pay all her debts by incurring this one very pleasant debt to this one very gentlemanly raau._ She asked the servant if the bearer were waiting and was told he had gone. Aktont Blakk. Mr. Sartain—Yes, he is; of course he is. One Drawback. Explorer—Africa is a very malarious country, too. "I understand the president very well," said Edith firmly. "I meant to do justice to his argument before. But it seems to me to mean this—that because this woman was pretty she is to be excused for being wicked, and that because she was a woman it is to be expected that she will act like a fooL" Penelope (anxious to appear interested) —J suppose it must be. I understand it is not sewered.—New York Evening Sun. v. CHAPTER V. Fortunately she did not understand that, if anybody had supposed that she was dishonest in overdrawing her bank account, she could have been arrested before she left the building. This wonld not have happened, however, in any circumstance to her father's daughter. The Waverley bank was a new bank, and the people were very glad that he had Drought her account and placed it there. Edith retired to her carriage with as good grace aa she could, and bade James to take her home. Edith Lane resolved once and again after her father's return that she would tell him that she had lost her bonds. But all day he was at his office, and each time when he returned she hated to tell him, and so put it off till morning. Each morning he was in haste for his breakfast, and the poor girl put it off again. After the second of these failures she had no chance. As she came home in the afternoon from an early archery party she found a note from her father saying that he was called to New York. This was followed by a telegram from New York saying he was called to London. And so poor Edith was left to her own newly acquired skill in managing her own business for the next six weeks. "Send James to me. I want to send a note down town." But he was perfectly figzi. The carriage came to the door, and Edith had to go up to put on her hat and sacque and gloves to go down for her first lesson. What she was taught the reader already knows. She was taken through the gates, she was introduced to the attentive warder, and she had assigned to her one of the smallest safes, exactly such a safe as Antony Blake had, and as it happened the number was next to his, No. 4,928. The reader now has a partial notion of what mistake had occurred. Cards for Next Jane. He suspected himself that it gave him these advantages, and he was careful not to presume on them. He took care not to sit there writing letters in timee when a business man would be at his counting room; he only looked in there at the hours when the most prominent of the dons were there; he took care not to appear to regard it as the only loafing place which he had. In proportion ae he was cautious in these regards the dons began to respect him as one of themselves; that is to say, as a person who did not have to work very hard for h» money, and who had in the chamber adjacent the secrets by which a quarterly revenue comes to the initiated without much cracking of their finger nails or griming of their hands. EDITH LANE TO ANTONY BLAKE. Philadelphia Girl—I feel lost here in all this noise and hurry of New York. They all laughed heartily at this, and the president hastened to say that this was not the center of his position; that Mary certainly had been very badly educated, etc., eta, etc., and that Bothwell had, etc., etc., etc., and that John Knox had, etc., etc., etc., and so on, and so on, as may be imagined. Dear Mr. Blake—You are most kind. But already I see my way out of my embarrassments, and I return the notes at once. Very truly yours, Edith Lurx. New York Man—If "findings is keepings," Miss Fairmount, 111 head a search party.—Puck. James found Antony at the St. Clair, where he had been bidden to go. Was It In New Jersey or on Staten Island? Antony did not quite like the note. It seemed to him a little shorter or more sharp than it need be. Anyway, if she could be proud he could also. He put the note in his pocket and turned it over "Aren't you afraid to leave your window open? The mosquitoes will get in?" "No fear of that. The mosquitoes here are too large to come through that window."—Harper's Bazar. CHAPTER HL If young Blake had gone at once to the head center of the wonderful combination of warders, guardians, clerks assistants who made up the hierarchy of the Amicable this story would never have been written, and the reader would at this moment bo seeking other occupation than that he has in "Before a story can be told," says Mr. Anthony Troll ope. "there must be a story to telL" CHAPTER VL "Still, I cannot see that this changes our opinion on the question whether she did right or wrong." She had several courses before her. First, she could telegraph to her father in London: "I am disgraced and without money. What shall I do?" Second— and of this she thought seriously—she could go to Dr. Witherspoon, who had christened her twenty years ago, and had received her into the church six years ago, and loved her as her father did. In point of fact, about a month before Antony Blake had met thin disappointment it had been so ordered by those minor powers who, under orders, overrule this world, that he and Edith Lane went nearly at the Bame time to the Amicable. Antony had gone Bimply to show himself, that he might keep up the reputation which he had acquired asa don among dons. Edith had gone, on her second visit, to cut off some coupons, which she had done successfully, and which she had carried to deposit at her bank. But it had so happened that when she brought back her little box to place it in her safe, Antony Blake was already in that corridor of the columbarium, and was opening his safe to put his box away. The lock made some little obstacle, and he had laid his box on the floor that he might have both hands in handling the key. Edith had to wait a moment for his operations to be finished, and, as it happened, she laid her box on the floor as she stood by him, in fact, if the reader is curious, putting on her gloves at the same moment. Antony touched his hat to her, stooped, picked up the box and put it into his own safe, without any thought that he had made a transfer. He passed out of the doors, saluted the wardens and was gone. Edith put the other box into her safe, and, as the reader sees, the change was completed without a thought from either party. This was the unflinching reply of the stern Edith. "It shows why she did wrong, but it does not show that she did right—unless the president means that when a woman dresses her hair in a becoming way, ana invents a new beaddrtts, she may do as she chooses." in his mind all through a long interview which he had with the Rumrills, who had sent for him again. men ne uetenmnea to can on Miss Edith that evening. But lest she should be out he wrote the following letter: Theatrical Note. Little Johnny—I say, pa, what d«es a "star" mean? What soon became very clear was that she must have money. Indeed this is something which generally becomes clear to most people in modern society. Edith first made the mistake which many other people make of thinking that it will do any good to say aloud, "I must have some money." She said this to the looking glass twice as she dressed herself. But no money came from that. As to housekeeping and wages there was no trouble. The housekeeper had been supplied. But for herself Edith knew there wonld be trouble very soon. Pa (who is an actor and has starred)— It is an abbreviation of starvation, my son.—Texas Sittings. All that follows on these pages sprang from Mr. Blake's aversion to take the head center into his confidence, or, indeed, any other of the guardians in the hierarchy. After this it may be imagined that the president and Edith were very good friends through the rest of that evening, and the reader will not bo surprised that in the simple and admirable code of Tamworth and of that circle Edith asked him, as they ate their ice cream together, if he would do her the favor to walk home with her. She had not liked to fix a time for the carriage, she said. He gladly agreed to do so, as any young man in Tamworth would have been glad to do. Wednesday Afternoon, July. 8. On this particular morning Antony was obliged to break his rule. It was just the hour when he should ncjt ordinarily have gone to the Amicable. It was seldom indeed that he had any occasion to look at his mother's bonds in his safe, for they were as worthless one month aa they were another. But to preserve the respectabilities of the place it had been his habit to have his safe opened for him once a quarter—about the 1st of May, August and tho corresponding quarters—which he observed to be "coupon quarters" for some very diattngutshed dons. He would retire into one of the little eeDs provided for the occasion, open his Jjox nd Ihro carry it back that it might be tepoafted in his safe again. The last tine that he had done tbis Antony had ifased few* ftfty dollar bills in his little tin box to guard M—elf from spending them. He knew that be should have enough money for has current expenses besides, and he had not cared to make a permanent la vestment of this sun. But if he were to go to Pittsburg ho must have these two fifties in his pocket, and he •walked down to tho Amicable, gave the samber oi hb safe and his box waa given tobku. This would have been the wisest thing for her to do, but she had a sense of mortification which hindered her from doing this. Then she thought over the list of her mother's old friends among the ladios of Tamworth, and there was not one of them whom she liked as a counselor. Then she remembered a sermon which Dr. Witherspoon had preached a few weeks before, of which the doctrine was, "Face Your Perplexities." He had told them they should not run away from their perplexities, but must look them in the face and find out how great they were. She remembered that some man she had talked with not long before had told her that the turning point of Robinson Crusoe's fortunes comes in the moment when he faces his perplexities. On some piece of paper he had, with some ink he had mado, he wrote them down so that he oould look at them and see what they were. Edith took a sheet of note paper and proceeded to write down hers. The list took the following order: Mt Dear Miss Lane—Lest I do not find you at home I venture to write. For I have at bottom the feeling that you think I have taken a liberty and presumed on the confidence which you gave me bo generously last evening. There; didn't I tell you he was? —Puck. Two Points of View. Benedict—A baby asleep always makes me think of heaven. The Jokes Showed It. Bachelor—It always makes me think what a blessed thing sleep is.—Munsey's Weekly. I want simply to say that you are unjust to me if you think so. I know that from the standard of the novel writers of fifty years ago my proposal was not to be heard ol But I think the standard of America Is higher and better. I hope the standard of Tamworth Is higher and better. I think men and women meet each other with mutual respect and mutual confidence. It Is not in vain that we go to the same schools, work In the same causes, study In the same circles, and in a word live In the same life. Constant Reader—And you have to write this column of jokes every week, whether you f oel like it or not? Joke Man—Every week. . ■D Constant Reader—Even when you are feeling very sick? In the first place, he knew none of them personally, though, as has been seen, they all knew him professionally. That is to say, it was tho professional business of each of them to know Antony Blake by sight and to see that he always had the box in No. 4,927 when he wanted it and that no one else ever had it, and also that he never had any other box than Us own. But all of them had been imported from New York to carry on the Amicable, which was a new enterprise in Tamworth, so that he had not made their acquaintance other than offUSVtf, MSt « to him now for the first time, he should have gone to the head center before if he meant to go at all. He should have gone when his little key did not open the bond box. He should not have picked the lock of a box which, as he now knew, waa not his with his little skeleton key. In the third place, he was not sure whether he should best advance the ends of justice by going to the head center. He could say that his $100 were not in his box. But here were securities of three or four hundred times as much worth; and, as he well knew, there was not any one outside an idiot asylum who would steal the Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds. It might be that the head center and some of the others were engaged in a common fraud, of which he had in his hands a little clew. These considerations passed through his mind and determined him, wisely or not, to make no complaint to the head center till he had taken the advice of a lawyer friend. Wife—Did you notice Mrs. stunner's bonnet in church this morning? Farried. She at once put herself on short allowance. She did not go into a shop. She passed the most attractive book stores saying, "Lead us not into temptation." She went on foot if she could not ride in her own carriage, by which I mean she never took the people's carriage—the street car. She was even mean enough to put a nickle into the contribution box at church, sitting in the very pew where the deacon was always sure of a five dollar bill. But then Edith made an account of this, and solemnly pledged herself for every nickle she laid on the altar to place a ten dollar bill when—she had it. Dear child, she knew the difference between little turtle doves and good largo lambs. These economies she kept up steadily. But economies do not create money. Joke Man—It makes no difference how sick I may be. Husband—No, indeed. I was lost in admiration of your own.—New York Sun. Constant Reader—Well, I have often thought so.—Boston Times. So soon aa they were well in the street, away from light, Edith, who had studied out the whole conversation in advance, said to him: "I have a question of conscience on which I want the advice of a man—of a business man. My father is away for six weeks. I find there is a mistake about my money, and I have overdrawn at the bank on my private account. Now it happens that I have received f 100 by accident—I know not from whom. It is lying in my desk unused. Shonld you think I micrht nu that, as if it were lent to me, and repay It when my father comes home?" If you and I were "Henry and Emma" or "Paul and Virginia" or "Silly and Billy" or "Fergus and Evelyn" or any other absurd people In a novel of course you would not wish to have me help you in any sensible way, and I should never think of proposing ts. But seeing wo are plain Tamworth people, members of the same church and officer* in the same circle, I see no harm In what I have done, and I will not say I da Truly yours, An Insinuating Question. Valuable Time. Ted—That girl loves me so she is almost a nuisance. Ned—Do you think she is in her right mind?—Epoch. "I see that the president of the Standard Oil company has an income of $7.50 an hour." "Well, I've heard that time is money, bat I didn't know an hour was as valuable as that."—Yenowine's News. Antont Blake. Musical Management. When Edith came home late from a long drive which she had taken in the country this note was waiting for her. Mr. Bliffers—Bobby, there's an organ grinder four blocks down the street. Slip around there and get into some doorway. Then when he sees you step up to him and give him this quarter. No Dancer. She read it more than half through with approval of the young man's pluck and pride. But when she came to "Fergus and Evelyn" the words seemed to stand out of the paper. Young Skipjack—Ah, I would like to cross that field. Do you think—ah—that cow would hurt me? Bobby—Yes, pa. What for? 1. I am a fool. Farmer—Did you ever hear of a cow hnrtin' a c»lf?—Yenowine's News. Mr. Bliffers—So he'll keep on playing down there instead of coming here.— Street & Smith's Good News. 3. I believe I am a thief, but am not certain. The president heard her through, waited a moment and then said: "I believe at law you might. I doubt if you could be sued for doing it But it is not a nice thing to do. If it had been you would not be in doubt yourself." Or was she crazy herself? Did she see words which were not there? ills Strong Point. She—Why, you couldn't even buy my dresses." It was not till Antony Blake was well in Pittsburg, dealing with the various sons of Tubal Cain who make that city one of the richest and loveliest in the world, that Edith one iay ordered the carriage, drove down to the Amicable, took out what she supposed to be her box, and found in it Antony's Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds and his hundred dollars. 8. I have no money. 4. I have taken from the Waverley bank $47 whioh I had no right to. And it seemed as if never were the unexpected expenses so terrible. Then came a bill for annual costs at the cemetery which her father had forgotten. Edith promptly paid that Then came her annual subscription at the Sheltering Arms, her assessment at the Ladies' Relief and the Sewing Women's Friend. The same afternoon came a man from the Oklohoma free school. Every young lady of her acquaintance had subscribed $10. Dr. Witherspoon had recommended it and Edith knew that she was expected to subscribe. Endless anneals were made, indeed, from one and another similar charity. And as a climax the 1st of July came and all her quarterly bills. The footing was terrible. And she with so little in her pocket, and, if there was any virtue in arithmetic, not $40 in the Waverley bank! Or were there ever two other people in love with each other with those two names? One Follows the Other. CHAPTER H. He—But I could borrow the money from your father,—Epoch. Dr. Bright—We work at rather cross purposes, do we not, Miss Modiste? Miss Modiste (the fashionable dressmaker—How so, Dr. Bright? B is •owfUe that there are one or two «f tba fcumbkr readers of this little story Wh« m not acquainted with the careful ■anMnsry of a security safe company, and aq the story hinges an that machinery it may be w«U to explain it Yam see you are to have the double combination, patent, absolute security that ia given to the largest corporation in the world—say the Bank of England—and at the same time you who are as poor ai Antony Blake was are to have your own little separate cell in which your own property is kept, and nobody else in th« world may interfere with it. All this ii arranged by a very ingenious system oi policemen, attentive clerks, doorkeepers, gilt pickets of iron, iron floors below and above, so that fire cannot burn your securities nor water drown them, noj thieves break in nor rust corrupt them. The most honorable and virtuous wardshts are selected by the most ingeniouf a»d highly approved competitive exami*u»taona. You present yourself at the gaN and you axe personally known to the w.vder, who speaks to you cordially and ope*B the gate to you, as he would not do if jo* were one of those unknown loafer* hare no safe in the security By adding up the amount on her ohecks and comparing It with her own account she had found the fatal mistakes whioh showed that Instead of having $40 in the bank she had taken out $47 more than she should have done. "Thank you," said Edith. "You feel just as I do." But he did not let her go on. "You see," he said, "your unknown correspondent might appear to-morrow morning, and you would want to have her money ready for her. You would do much better to borrow yourself at your bank or of some friend." The Lut of the Season at Bar Harbor. She read the note through and then went to her father's den. She looked in the Telepliono Directory, and then asked for 297. Dr. Bright—Well, you see, people come to you to get fits, and then come to me to get cured of them.—Journal of Education. "Hjello! "Does Mr. Antony Blake live in the St. Clair? Of course Edith knew she had made a mistake, and she instantly supposed, as she usually did, that everything which was wrong was her own fault This, then. was the first result of her father's training her to business—that she had lost all her own property, and had stolen some other property of vastly more value, for the girl knew nothing of the worthlessness of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas, and it was very easy for her to see that whereas she had left in her box only thirty or forty thousand dollars' worth of bonds, Bhe had under her hands two hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of the second issue of that unfortunate road. Edith's list went on: 8. I owe honest tradespeople who have trusted me $173.11. "Ask Mr. Antony Blake if he can come to No. 09 Curwen street." 6. I wish I had as much as $75 in the house, if it were only to keep up decent appearances till papa gets home. 7. In fact I have ill.97. I suppose the housekeeper would lend me something, but I do not like to ask her, and I have no right to starve the family. Then, by an unfortunate suggestion of one of thoae lower powers whohave been alluded to, who are permitted to have some part in the government of this world, under strict orders from higher authorities, however, it happened that Edith remembered a horrible scandal which had convulsed Tainworth a year r- whan a certain Mrs .Tnhn ndp tad borrowed a thousand dollars ttftdraelaj's on tha nladae of a bracelet, which heoame very famous in the scandal of the town. "I have so many friends," said Edith, more bitterly than she meant, "that I cannot select, and I am afraid my father would be wretchedly annoyed if he knew I was in this scrape, though really it is from no fault of mine. I cannot well borrow at the bank without saying that he has been careless or making people think so. It gives a certain publicity to the mistake ho mMe when ho thought that for six weeks I could—paddle my own canoe." Gazzam—The United States constitution grants the right to bear arms, I believe?Highlanders Seem to Have It. In ton minutes Mr. Antony Blake was there, though it was half-past 10 at night. Meanwhile his first business was to go to Pittsburg and to get the $100 which he needed for his journey. There was no money in the box, and of course Antony could not have taken it if there had been, seeing it was not his. "Greenbacks," says an eminent legal authority, "are the currency of thieves." But even had Antony been a thief he had no opportunity to steal. "Mr. Blake, pardon me for troubling you, but who are Fergus and Evelyn?" "I am sure I do not know. I wish I did," he said ruefully. Larkin—Yes. Gazzam—I suppose that the Scotch constitution, then, grants the right of bare legs.—Yenowine's News. Poor Edith! She could have dropped on the floor for her disappointment And He Went On with His Work. Edith, on the 2d of July, did what you or I would have done. She ordered her coupe and bade James take her to the Amicable again. It was just possible that the things might have changed themselves back again. '•What did you mean then, Mr. Blake, when you said Silly and Billy, Evelyn and Fergus?" "Pshaw!" said the sarcastic city editor to Mr. Eistedfodd, the Welsh reporter, "nothing ever came out of Wales." "I do not think there is such publicity as you fear. You see," said ho good naturedly, "the bank people would be only too glad to lend your father's daughter anything. It can be most easily arranged. How much do you want?" "What's the matter with Jonah?" murmured Mr. Eistedfodd and went on with his work.—Washington Star. There were the six letters tied up with the white ribbon. Antony did look at their addresses, as has been said. She had read the words forty times while ho was coming. She did not do what Antony did, however. She took the whole parcel, hundred dollars and all, and put it infcr her little satchel. She put back the box into her safe, and as quickly as she could escape the eye of the warders, all of whom she thought looked on her with suspicion, as if shewq?e p det$£$ed thief Baggage Master—Sorry, lady, but you'll have to pay excess baggage rate on this valia®. It's twenty pounds overweight.But at the moment his only wish was that his despised Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds were in his hands. He remembered, as ho often had remembered before, the pathetic grief of Robinson Crusoe when the great current of the Orinoco was sweenimr him to m In The warders knew her and told her it was a pleasant morning, as it was. But it seemed to Edith that they looked on her with an inquiring air, as If they wondered that she dared to come. Still she braced herself to her duty. She gave the mystic number and her Now it was his turn to blush and stammer. Nor did he see how near was the crisis. Criticising the Baby. "There," said the proud father. "How is that for a baby?" "Oh, I want as much as $250. These are all the subscriptions pa likes mo to make—and" "Oh—only—well, you see — well, I once had some letters—I thought they were love letters—addressed to Evejyn Somebody and Fergus Somebody. I do. not know who the Somebodys were. fidith said to herself: "I wonder if I could not borrow $200 of somebody? I think if I were § man I should know Miss Chamberlin — How provoking! Mathilde, I thought I told you to distribute those engagement rings among the trunks.—Judge. "Ah!" said Chollie, embarrassed to know what to say. "Magnificent! How young he looks!"—New York Evening Sun. j The young man laughed very lightly, as «he thnnarhi.
Object Description
Title | Pittston Gazette |
Masthead | Pittston Gazette, Volume 41 Number 50, October 31, 1890 |
Volume | 41 |
Issue | 50 |
Subject | Pittston Gazette newspaper |
Description | The collection contains the archive of the Pittston Gazette, a northeastern Pennsylvania newspaper published from 1850 through 1965. This archive spans 1850-1907 and is significant to genealogists and historians focused on northeastern Pennsylvania. |
Publisher | Pittston Gazette |
Physical Description | microfilm |
Date | 1890-10-31 |
Location Covered | United States; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Pittston |
Type | Text |
Original Format | newspaper |
Digital Format | image/tiff |
Language | English |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
Contact | For information on source and images, contact the West Pittston Public Library, 200 Exeter Ave, West Pittston, PA 18643. Phone: (570) 654-9847. Email: wplibrary@luzernelibraries.org |
Contributing Institution | West Pittston Public Library |
Sponsorship | This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER Library: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education. |
Description
Title | Pittston Gazette |
Masthead | Pittston Gazette, Volume 41 Number 50, October 31, 1890 |
Volume | 41 |
Issue | 50 |
Subject | Pittston Gazette newspaper |
Description | The collection contains the archive of the Pittston Gazette, a northeastern Pennsylvania newspaper published from 1850 through 1965. This archive spans 1850-1907 and is significant to genealogists and historians focused on northeastern Pennsylvania. |
Publisher | Pittston Gazette |
Physical Description | microfilm |
Date | 1890-10-31 |
Location Covered | United States; Pennsylvania; Luzerne County; Pittston |
Type | Text |
Original Format | newspaper |
Digital Format | image/tiff |
Identifier | PGZ_18901031_001.tif |
Language | English |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/ |
Contact | For information on source and images, contact the West Pittston Public Library, 200 Exeter Ave, West Pittston, PA 18643. Phone: (570) 654-9847. Email: wplibrary@luzernelibraries.org |
Contributing Institution | West Pittston Public Library |
Sponsorship | This Digital Object is provided in a collection that is included in POWER Library: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of Education. |
Full Text | Oldest NewsoaDer in the Wvoming Valley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1890. A Weedy Local and Family Journal. i uu pass mrougn tnis prison gate joyfully, for you know it is no prison tc you. You toll him that the day is fine, or that it is rainy, as it may happen, and pass on till you come to another gate and another warder. You tell him that it is fine, or that it is rainy, as before. He also calls you by name, and says that you are looking well, and you enter a second passage. This passage is provided with littlo catacombs or columbaria, precisely like those under or near the city of Rome, except that these are much smaller, and that those catacombs have now no doors, but in the security vaults each catacomb has a littlo iron door, and these doors are numbered. canoe. Then poor Robinson looked at his retreating island—the island which he had always called a prison—and wished that he might return to it, because it was home. So poor Antony, who had always despised the Cattaraugus and Opelousas, now wished that he had them in his hands. In point of fact, he put back the box into the cell from which he had taken it, and he went at once to his lawyer cousin. But the lawyer cousin was not in. Antony did not like to tell his queer story to a stranger; he therefore borrowed a hundred dollars from the lawyer cousin's clerk and went that night on the train to Pittsburg. aireaay, sne rusnea to ner nttte ooape and bade William drive her direotiy home. key, at which the bolt flew baok at the right moment, lust as it does in tho "Forty Thieves. She carried the tin box out to the very same cell she had occupied before. Sho felt as if she wore a nun in a convent. She opened the box and—there was nothing there. Then she waited a little—poor child; this was to deceive the warders. Then she locked the box and carried it back. Sho dared not look them in the face as they bade her good day, but she felt in every bone that they disapproved of her and even scorned her. Sadly and doubtfully she bade James take her home, and he did so. lxTw uo uorrow i oraerve in docks that men always borrow money when they want it. I do not see why I cannot borrow this money." The letters were not mine, i put them away." A SAFE DEPOSIT. "Pardon mo," he said. "From yonr tone I thought you were going to say two hundred and fifty thousand. I wish, Miss Edith, you would let me lend it to you myself. You have been kind enough to ask my advice. Will you be good enough to take it?" Trouble in the House. Thay, mlthter, thereth twouble at our houth 1 "Where did you pnt them? they now?" Where are My mamma's tbut up in her room up stairthl My papa goeth out in the back yard 'nd thwearthl The cook hath gone off wiv a pipe in her mouf I 'Nd there ain't a cookey left in the whole houthl Yeth thlr-ee: thereth twouble at our houth] Her only thought was to tell her father all that had happened and to confess that she was a fool. For Edith had been scTlittle tempted In her younger llfo that she had never learned what inoet young men learn when they are yonnger—that there are two devils of special danger in modern life; that the larger devil is named Drink and the smaller devil is named Debt. There had been no occasion for Edith to have these lessons taught her, and thongh the poor child had had some reasons to know the first devil—as everybody has in American life—she was profoundly unconscious of the dangers of the temptations of the second. She did know what a horrible scrape Mrs. John Fisher had got into, and she dreaded any such scrape. But on the other hand she knew that in the jewel case under her hand were baubles she never used, which were worth twenty times the sum that would make her perfectly comfortable till her fathor came home. And eo it was that having read in novels about poor people pledging what they had to borrow money tho thought did cross her mind that she might borrow something, if she knew how, on the pledge of some part of her jewelry. "Where? They are in my safe at the Amicable. I wish I knew where they ought to be." By RET. E. EVEBETT HALE, D. D. Of course this would have been the true thing (or her to do, but there was unfortunately a delay. Her father was In Chicago for two days, and Satan had all that time to inspire her with other counsels. Now, although Satan might have done his worst before he could moke Edith Jane do anything wrong, it was easily in his power to make hor do something rery foolish. For, as Henry Kingsley well says, when the devil cannot achieve his purposes by sending a knave he does the same by a much easier proceaa and sends a fooL For the more she brooded over the matter the more the poor girl persuaded herself that she had better not, at first, speak to her father. Besides the feeling that she was a fool and had made a horrible mistake there was a little aide trouble which increased and increased as she thought of it till it at last became a giant Afrite, destroying all her peace, it was the recollection that she had put in her box the six letters which had been intrusted to her by her cousin Evelyn. Edith was now taken wholly aback. She had chosen her adviser—as he said. Here was a proposal which would lift her out of the depths. For the instant she felt that if only sho had the three bits of paper he spoke of Bhe should be perfectly liappy. She could see the two notes of one hundred—and one of fifty— clean two of them apnea red. crisp and clean, ana one nabby and dirty, before her mind's eye. And Edith was herself again. "Mr. Blake, I think it is for me to turn over to you some property of yours I have here. Indeed, I did not steal it • But are not tlieso Cattaraugus bonds yours, and this hundred dollars, perhaps, too?" And she handed him the well known parcel. Afther brekfuth thith morn in' I wanted my ma; I went to her do' 'nd, my gwathuth I I thaw A gwait jumbo woman with big double chin. Who thald that I muthn't 'nd touldn't turn in. I kied 'cauthe I wanted my ma awful bad, 'Nd I kicked on the do' 'cauthe I wath tho mad! tCopyright. All rights reserved.] laULrufeit JL Antony Bloke left the office of Bumrill A Go. a good deal disappointed. He was himself a shrewd and iataQigsnt fellow. 2# bed secured the patents on his new tavenMcm, tad was ready to proceed with the mnavfaetare. He had carried the papers, the his model machine to Rnmrill A Oo., and they had them in eonnidsration. They now offered him $800 for1the whole thing if be would tern it afl over to them. He had proposed one and mother scheme by which he should go into business as a partner with them. These had been referred by tee managing partner to the Mr. Jorkins behind the scene, who was an imaginary person crested for the purpose of saying no when the managing partner was ashamed to. Practically all these schemes had been refused, and Antony was now to take the $ROO or nothing. My pa he wath walkin' aroun' in the hall, 'Nd he didn't pay no 'tention to me at all, But he kept hith eyeth flxtli all the time on An idea had crossed her in the cell. The bonds she had in place of hers were not hers. No. But they took the place of hers. Now as she could not cut ofi her own coupons and deposit them in the Waverley bank as her father had taught her, might not sho honestly cut off these coupons and deposit them, replacing them when the moment came by her own? ma's do'; I ast him w'y he didn't go to hith sto'f He thaid ma woth thick, 'nd then pitty quick I heard mamma's do' knob go "clicketty-click I" CHAPTER IX. You remember by mnemonic processee known to yourself what is the number of yours; the number of Antony's was 4,937. You meet in this passage a smiling, gentlemanly friend, who also calls you by name, expresses his hope that you are well, and tells you what the weather is. You also tell him. These aro not passwords, but they are the civilities of the occasion. You then mention to him, in a whisper if you please, the number of your box. He affects to Temember—does remember, perhaps— snd with his key adjusts the lock of your catacomb. But please to observe he cannot open the catacomb, because he has not your key. Your key has been given to you long since when you hired your catacomb. You then open the catacomb with your key, which you cannot do till he has first turned his key in the lock. In the catacomb you find a long, narrow tin box, unless you should be a very great don. In that case you have a largo catacomb and you have a large tin box. But Antony was a very little don, as the reader knows, and he had therefore a box long enough for anv coupon bond, but not Ikrge enough to contain many. CHAPTER IV. Mr. Lane's absenco in England was prolonged, and it was September before he returned. Edith met him at the Tamworth station with the carriage to bring him home. This is not one of those stories which torments the reader by refusing to teM him all that the writer knows. But she did not waver even for that instant. Her manner was kind enough, but absolutely firm as she declined. "You are quite right in saying that I had better ask the bank people. I will certainly do so. You are very kind, and I shall always be grateful to you for your willingness. But it will be better so." 'Nd then Docker Rubob turn out 'nd thays he, "Your noath ith bwoke now, ittle man; you will thee!" 'Nd I felt of my noath 'nd It want bwoke at all! then, Jimminy cwicketh! I heard thumfln' th quail, Ifd pa he thood thill wir hith eyeth tickin' out; Tftlnkth I,"Wot the Dlckenth ith all tfrtt.ti about?" Once for all, let the reader understand that the bonds and the letters which Antony Blake found in his box belonged to a very nice girl whose name was Edith Lane. How it happened that they were all in this box shall now be briefly told. "I have so much to tell you, papa, and I do not know how to begin." "It is clear that it is good news," said he; "you look so welL And you are a good woman of business—that has appeared all through from your letters." "That you will have to judge of, papa." At that moment as they crossed the station her father saw Antony Blake, pressed his hand warmly and asked hi™ to come and see them, which Antony said he would gladly do. It is Quito clear, dear reader, to an instructed conscience like yours and mine that she might not; but Edith had accustomed herself to thferifttf these coupon* as so much money, and as she certainly would have taken so many greenbacks had she left them In her box and found them there without looking to see if they were the bills of one bank or of another, so she supposed, though she supposed wrongly, that a coupon of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas was money as truly as a coupon of theC., B. & Q., if only it were dated rightlv. She was a little confused when she found that no coupons had been cut off the Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds for five years, but little did she know of the weaknesses of that enterprise. She did know that her quarter's coupons on her own bonds would have yielded her $540; she made out that amount as well as she could from the Cattaraugus and Opelousas coupons, took no more than she needed, wrote a memorandum of what she had done and pinned It upon the coupons. "For," she said, "I may die," and she remembered that she had heard her father say that some written memorandum must be left for the benefit of executors. Then out turn old Jumbo, her faith all in grinth; J Thays pa, "Well, wot ith it?" Thaya thee, "It ith twinth!" Pa thaid he woth glad, but he looked Mn/W "I hope you aro not offended," said he, somewhat proudly. You seem to be distressed. We are not in a novel. I wanted to be of use. That is all." It was somo six months before Antony Blake found them that Edith Lane's father called her into his own room. He then explained to her that she was so old that she must learn to take care of her own affairs. mad— Thaid thumfln' 'bout luck that poor people OW Jumbo thaid 1 muth be 'till ath a mouth; Pa thaid we would bofe dit wlte out of the houth! Now this Cousin Evelyn had had a horrible love passage with Fergus Maclntire. I have no right to call it disgraceful, though I am very glad that none of my readors was ever so compromised. It was a rery bad business, and Evelyn h:wl been pulled out of it only with great tact and difficulty. All the compromising letters had been brought together and should have been burned up. Instead of burning them Evelyn Haddam, when she heard Edith had a safe of her own, liad bogged her to take care of them, and at her second visit to the safe Edith had put these letters with her bonds. The reader knows what had become of them It is a very curious phenomenon belonging to human nature, whether of men or women, that a person in a scrape generally prefers to tell some utter stranger of his trouble and not to tell some near or intimate friend. This is not the place to discuss the reason for this phenomenon, but it is a phenomenon observable by all people who hold the position of general counsel for mankind. This phenomenon showed itself in Edith's case. She did not go to Dr. Witherspoon; she did not go to her father's partner; she did not go to any of her somewhat distant relatives in Tamworth, nor, as has been said, to any of the old friends of the family. But before night came on she felt as if she should die if she did not take advice of somebody. She made her choice of a confidant almost at haphazard."Offended—how could I bo offended?" said she. "I asked for information and advice. You have given me both. I shall get out of my troubles now, I see. And I shall thank you for showing me how. Will you not come in? No? Good night, then." And she gave him her hand. "Please do not think I nm offended."Tho pa gwabbed hith hat 'nd wushed off to hith sto', This was not his first experience in such bnsinc-ss. Ho know by this time that th« p Miplo who bring things before the publid, bo they inventions, be they books or l»o they i(loa3, gen orally expect to be well paid for doing so, and ho knew that the sj-stem of co-operation, which people are hoping for and praying for, was by no means yet established. With some bitterness of feeling, it must be confessed, though he was a good natured fellow enough, he walked down the street of Tamworth considering whether he would take the $800 and be dene with it, or whettier he would go tw Pittsburg and Mio if there were better chances there. "I do not mean," said he, "to turn over to you now the whole of your mother's property, but I do mean to turn over to you so much that you shall not have to come running to me when you want to buy a shoestring and a paper of pins. I have placed in this envelope a number of bonds; I am going to show you how to cut off the coupons from these bonds. You will have to do this twice a year; you will then have to carry these coupons to the Waverly bank, where I have opened an acoount for you. When you want money you will write a check on the Waverly bank, and you will go for the money yourself or send for it. You can do as you please about keeping an account of these If I were you I would keep a little cash book, but I shall ask no questions. If you come to me at any time for money I shall then ask questions. But it is a great deal better that you shall learn to take care of your own affairs before I die." "That young man," said Mr. Lane as they entered the carriage, "is one of the most successful young men in this state. Whyncliff e has been talking to me about him half the time as we came on from New York. Why, Edith, he has an invention which will save thousands of lives and must be used on every railroad. He has established a new machine shop here to make his couplings, and Whyncliffe and all of them are crazy about him. 'Nd mebby I wont thee my pa any mo'l Thay, mithter, wath twinth? Wot «iMi my ma now? Wot bithneth hath Jumbo 'round there anyhow? Ise tl', 'nd Ise lonethum, 'nd Ise hung*y too! 'Nd I want my ma now, 'nd—'nd—boo-hoo oo! | —William Edward Penny In Judg& It was very queer. If they had only known all would have been well. For this president, of tho Chautauqua Circle was Antony Blake. As it was they both went home, and for two or three hours neither of them went to sleep. "Ought I have said this? Why did I say that?" in all possible forms till nature and youth asserted themselves, and the provoking conversation was forgotten. A Dampener. "But, Edith, he is no stranger to yon; yon nsed to know him. He is the mmn man who waa in yonr reading club." "Yes, papa—and, papa, he has asked me to marry him, and I have told him I wonld ask yon. Bnt really, papa, he is the best man in the world, and I never marry any one else." He drew out his box, thanked the courteous attendant, passed warder No. 2 again, who asked him if all was right, and then in the passage between Noa. 1 and 2 selected a little room, like that in which you eat oysters in restaurants ol some cities, when it is supposed that you are ashamed to eat oysters and wish to have a separate cell assigned for the pt& pose. You go into this cell, which ycra find lighted. There is a little table for you, with a pen and ink and blotting paper and a pair of large scissors. These scissors are there that you may cut off the coupons from your bonds. Now this was the only secret which our poor Edith had ever had from her father. She did not want to have these letters brought to light by any investigation which should be made. The poor child instantly fancied herself before a police court as a thief; she fancied the discovery of her box opened by a judge and these letters of Evelyn's and Fergus' read aloud and printed in all the Sunday newspapers. She criad over it; she wrote a note to Evelyn which she destroyed; she wrote another note, which she destroyed also, and finally said to herself Antony Blake did not believe in debt, and ho know how to live on a very little money1, but for all that he had very little monoy in store, and ho certainly did not Vave the $10,000 which would be necessary for him if ha were to equip a little machine shop of his own and make his own automatic car coupler. But, as it happened, he was a person well esteemed in the whole community of Tamworth, as he deserved to be. CHAPTER Vm. Edith rose the next morning with a new resolution. She went to her desk aa soon as breakfast was over and wrote this note: CHAPTER VH. It happened that that was the evening for the meeting of the Chautauquan circle to which Edith belonged. The girl had rather tired of gay society after the first two winters that followed her "ooming out" She had danced quite well, she had received a good deal of attention, she had tasted that eup pretty thoroughly, and then, without being cynical at all about it, she thought she bad drunk about aa much of it as she wanted. On the other hand, some near friends of hers had engaged in the Chautauquan course of reading; she was sitting with them one evening when some reading aloud went on, and found herself interested in the solid and practical work which they had engaged in. She thought rightly that she had time to make up some back work, had sent to Plainfield to connect herself with the circle and had become one of the most diligent of the readers. This accident determined her now in the choice of her adviser. Thus it was that Edith made her revelation. It was not nntil the wedding day, however, that she told her father that the new machine shop was built with the proceeds of the sales of ner governments and C., B. and Q.'s. She then ordered her carriage again and rode to the Waverley bank. She handed her bank book to the teller, as she had done before, and the man bowed, as the other men bowed, and said it was a fine day. She also said it was a fine day, but the spell did not work. When he looked at the coupons he made no entry in her little book. Indeed she thought he started, and he crossed the room and spoke to his ohief. The attentive chief at once came to the window.Man of the House (just arrived from the city)—Ah, I didn't know we had a gnest. Wouldn't you like a little—er— liquid refreshment before yon eat? LETTERS LOST.—A parcel of six letters, dated in May, 1883, and tied together with a white ribbon. The finder will be thanked and liberally rewarded if he will send a note t* 0. R., at the poetoffice.Poor Edith was distressed and pained to hear her father talk of dying. She said as much. She said that she knew nothing about business, and she had a great deal rather go on as they were. But he was flint. He told her that his precise object was to teach her to draw a check and to keep a bank account, and to teach her something of her interest in the community, not to say her duties in the community. He begun with thirty or forty thousand dollars of her fortune, which he had put Into these bonds. This advertisement she inserted in The Argus of that day. The, hep* «he had was well eneugh founded. &ut, alas! Antony hated the politics of The Argus, which pretended to be an independent paper, and was on any side which the proprietor thought profitable. Antony never looked at any part of The Argus, least of all at the advertisements. So poor Edith's notice might have been published a month and he would have been none the wiser. Turning the Tables. THE END. Wandering Peleg—I seldom refuse, sir. I should like to know, however, how much of this esteem he owed to one queer circumstance. While he had to start in life with absolutely no property it happened that he did hold as trustee for his mother some bonds which he considered worthless in the second issue of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas railroad. These bonds had long since been taken off all lists known to brokers, and it was long since any coupons had been paid. Stffl tho Cattaraugus and Opelousas existed, and there were sanguine people, among whom his mother was one, who supposed that at some time payment would be resumed. Antony, being her trustee, had to keep these bonds somewhere, and he had been notified by legal advisers that he must keep them in one of the security vaults which are now established in all the considerable citiee. He had hired a modest safe at the Amitable of Tamworth, and at the Amicable you have the facilities of a charming -eading room, where are all the new magazines, where you can wash your hands if you need, you can make an appointment with a friend, you can write a note on the Amicable's paper. Observe with admiration tint both the requirements which have be- u referred to are fulfilled. You are here as lonely as Robinson Crusoe was before Friday came. All your wealth is in your hands; you can do with it what you choose. A minute before this wealth was in a safe which nobody excepting you could open, and a minute hence it will bo in that safe again. that sho had rather lose all her own property which was in the safe than havo any revelation made as to what was in the box. If she could only be sure that whoever had the bonds would burn those hateful letters it seemed to her that she should be perfectly happy. "By the way, Mr. Trotter," inquired the young man who was waiting to see Miss Rosalie, "when are you going to bury your dog?" "Bury him!" growled the old man; "I only bought him yesterday." "So yonr daughter informed me," replied the youth calmly; "but I met him coming in to-night, and I think you'll find him a good subject for a funeral. I always did dislike dogs."— New York Herald. "Miss Lane," he said, "your father has made a mistake. These are Cattaraugus and Opelousas coupons, and you know it is long since those could be negotiated. I think your coupons are C„ B. and Q., C. EL and W., and from United States bonds, are they not?" In all this of course Edith Lane was quite wrong; but. as the reader will see, she was in a false position, which she had stumbled into really from no fault of her own. On this occasion Antony Blake found some difficulty in opening his box. His key seemed to be out of order, but being an ingenious person it happened that he had a little skeleton key with him, and with this he threw open the lock of the box. He saw in a moment that it was not his box. The securities in it were those of the C., K. and W., C., B. and Q., B., C. and D.—securities, many of them, absolutely "gilt edged" in the market of the moment. There were on« or two United States bonds, and, in short, if a good fairy had touched hia mother's bonds and changed them into bonds of the very best she could not have done better for him than had been done here. Edith was frightened, and said she did not know where she would keep the bonds, and she was afraid they might be stolen. On his part, he went to the Waverley bank and asked the cashier if he would lend him $250. "What collateral?" said the cashier, who was his old ally and friend. "None," said Antony, "unless you will take stock in the Self Acting Coupler corporation, not yet organized. But if you would indorse my note I think the directors would pass it." Poor Antony Blake is the person who deserves the most consideration and sympathy from the reader. Antony Blake spent two or three days in Pittsburg. He was most hospitably received by old friends whom he had known at the Polytechnic institute. He saw all the marvels of gas distribution, of glass making, of ironfounding, and by Mr. Weetinghouse's kindness he was taken through the wonderful machine works from which that exquisite apparatus is produced which preserves every yea? the lives of I dare not say how many thousand people in this world. He saw some of the Tubal Cains whom he had gone to see; he showed to them the plans of his machine, which were cordially commended. He had one and another suggestion made to him as to the ways for putting it upon the market. But it was clear to him, as it had boen in Tamworth, that the destruction of the poor is their poverty, and that he was in no way to get any decent return for the very exquisite contrivance which everybody admitted he had in hand unless he himself could invest $10,000 or $15,000 in the complicated machinery which was necessary for produing it Daddy Wai Right. "Are these pot just the Bame thing?" said Edith, feeling as if she should sink through the ground. "I know nothing about it, only I found them in my safe." Here she held closely to the truth. "That," said her father, "is the second thing that you are to be taught. You will not keep these bonds; I do not keep mine. I have brought these thia morning from my own safe to give them to you. I have ordered the carriage, and I am now going to take you down to what is known as the Amicable Safe company. I am going to hire a little safe there in your name, and you will keep your bonds in that safe. When you want to cut off the coupons yon will go down to the Amicable, you will have the safe opened, and yon will cut off what yon need." Man of the House—Looks as though he were going to this time, anyhow.— Puck. She could see a vague smile of contempt pass over the cashier's face as he saidi "Well, I don't know what hopeful people would say, Miss Lane, only these things have no value on the market. Bring us around your C., B. and Q. and we will cash them for you gladly.' She had meant today to make some afternoon visits. But the day was hot and the air sultry, and she made this an excuse for sending James with his carriage back to the stable. She would go to Vincent chapel in the evening. And to Vinoent chapel she went. It was the last meeting of the circle before the summer recess. "Nonsense," said the cashier. "Bank rules will not permit that But if you want $250, old fellow, here it is. (Jive me a memorandum and pay me when you like. Make it to me. This ii not the bank's money; it is mine. You know I am glad to serve you." An Original Idea. George (dining in restaurant, to rriend)—Good gracious, Gus, what are you catching that fly for? Gus (sententiously)—That is a little scheme you're not on to, my boyl f. get about half through my ioe cream, tBan I put the fly in it and call the waiter. I get a fresh plate. See?—Lowell Citixen. Then as she was turning away the teller whispered to him again, and he said, "Do not give yourself any trouble, but you have overdrawn your aocount a little." Antony thanked him and said, what was true, that he would do as much for him gladly. Then he went to the Amicable reading room and wrote to Edith this letter: Antony Blake was amazed and dazed. He lifted the bonds out one after another to see by what process of evolution the Cattaraugus and Opelousas had been thus changed, and with a vagus feeling that he should find his two fifty dollar notes at the bottom. The fifty dollar notes were not there, but there was a little parcel of five or six manuscript notes tied up with a white ribbon. Antony had no disposition to get at other people's secrets, but he did want to know how these things came into his box, and he looked at their addresses, as he could do without opening them. Three were to Evelyn Haddam. Three were to Fergus Maclntire. Antony had never heard of either of these people. The lettex* were numbered and the date of each was written on the envelope. Antony observed that the last two were written on the same day, May 89. "It is a romance, I think," said he, and he thought so because of the ribbon. But clearly the most curious thing in the romance was that the letters were in his box. She had been chosen secretary and recorder of the Gill circle at the meeting in April, and her record was carefully prepared. It was the year for English history, and they had set apart the subject—always interesting to young people —of Mary Stuart for their evening discussion. That happened which is apt to happen, that all the women were very hard on poor Mary, while all the men defended her. As there were more women than men the men had to stand well to their guns. These facilities are thrown open to you because you have hired, perhaps for ealy $10 a year, a safe in that bank. Antony had found that here was by far the best club room in Tamworth. In that city they have what is known as the "Strangers' Best" well developed; you ean go in and pay ten cents an hour for all tho comforts of a club room, and then go out again. But Antony found that, in tho long run, $10 a year was cheaper for him than the Strangers' Best at ten cents an hour, and what I should like to know is whether his standing in ..that community had not materially risen since tho old dons and widows and railroad trustees and, other such persons who had their safes there found that he was one of the habitues of the reading room of the Amicable. This frightened Edith more than ever. She almost cried, but in her distress she referred to an old joke of the family bor- Why He Broke Down. Poor Edith did not know what meant, and he explained that she had drawn more money from the bank than she had in it: that this wonld be made clear to her as she looked at the checks which the teller gave her. It was of no conseqnenoe, the cashier said; only he thought he wonld call her attention to it. So poor Edith left the bank without any money, and feeling that she was much deeper down in the bog of disgrace than she had known. Drum Major (furiously)—You broke down a dozen times during the parade, sir. Why was that sir? 1 ANTOXY BLAKE TO EDITH LANE. Wednesday Moiotnq, July I rowed from the "Georgia Sketches." It is the story of a young man whose father was urging him to marry, and said to him, "Where would you be if I had not married?" The young fellow replied between his sobs, "Yes, dad, but you married mother, and I shall have to be put out to a strange gaL" Edith said she did not want to be put out to any Amicable Safe company or any Waverly bank. She wanted her father to take care of her money and to give her what she wanted to spend. My Dear Miss Lake—As I absolutely hare these bills la my hand I take the liberty of asking you to use them as you will. There la ao reason why you should have the annoyance of addressing the officers of the bank. Please Imagine me te be president of the Waverley bank, as well as president of the Chautauqua circle. Terr truly yvurs, Cornet Player (apologetically)—In order to keep in time I had to look at you, and whenever I did that I laughed.— Street & Smith's Good News. Mrs. Sartain—Oh, John! Baby isn't big enough to come down stairs alone. So poor Edith actually saw her way elear to pay all her debts by incurring this one very pleasant debt to this one very gentlemanly raau._ She asked the servant if the bearer were waiting and was told he had gone. Aktont Blakk. Mr. Sartain—Yes, he is; of course he is. One Drawback. Explorer—Africa is a very malarious country, too. "I understand the president very well," said Edith firmly. "I meant to do justice to his argument before. But it seems to me to mean this—that because this woman was pretty she is to be excused for being wicked, and that because she was a woman it is to be expected that she will act like a fooL" Penelope (anxious to appear interested) —J suppose it must be. I understand it is not sewered.—New York Evening Sun. v. CHAPTER V. Fortunately she did not understand that, if anybody had supposed that she was dishonest in overdrawing her bank account, she could have been arrested before she left the building. This wonld not have happened, however, in any circumstance to her father's daughter. The Waverley bank was a new bank, and the people were very glad that he had Drought her account and placed it there. Edith retired to her carriage with as good grace aa she could, and bade James to take her home. Edith Lane resolved once and again after her father's return that she would tell him that she had lost her bonds. But all day he was at his office, and each time when he returned she hated to tell him, and so put it off till morning. Each morning he was in haste for his breakfast, and the poor girl put it off again. After the second of these failures she had no chance. As she came home in the afternoon from an early archery party she found a note from her father saying that he was called to New York. This was followed by a telegram from New York saying he was called to London. And so poor Edith was left to her own newly acquired skill in managing her own business for the next six weeks. "Send James to me. I want to send a note down town." But he was perfectly figzi. The carriage came to the door, and Edith had to go up to put on her hat and sacque and gloves to go down for her first lesson. What she was taught the reader already knows. She was taken through the gates, she was introduced to the attentive warder, and she had assigned to her one of the smallest safes, exactly such a safe as Antony Blake had, and as it happened the number was next to his, No. 4,928. The reader now has a partial notion of what mistake had occurred. Cards for Next Jane. He suspected himself that it gave him these advantages, and he was careful not to presume on them. He took care not to sit there writing letters in timee when a business man would be at his counting room; he only looked in there at the hours when the most prominent of the dons were there; he took care not to appear to regard it as the only loafing place which he had. In proportion ae he was cautious in these regards the dons began to respect him as one of themselves; that is to say, as a person who did not have to work very hard for h» money, and who had in the chamber adjacent the secrets by which a quarterly revenue comes to the initiated without much cracking of their finger nails or griming of their hands. EDITH LANE TO ANTONY BLAKE. Philadelphia Girl—I feel lost here in all this noise and hurry of New York. They all laughed heartily at this, and the president hastened to say that this was not the center of his position; that Mary certainly had been very badly educated, etc., eta, etc., and that Bothwell had, etc., etc., etc., and that John Knox had, etc., etc., etc., and so on, and so on, as may be imagined. Dear Mr. Blake—You are most kind. But already I see my way out of my embarrassments, and I return the notes at once. Very truly yours, Edith Lurx. New York Man—If "findings is keepings," Miss Fairmount, 111 head a search party.—Puck. James found Antony at the St. Clair, where he had been bidden to go. Was It In New Jersey or on Staten Island? Antony did not quite like the note. It seemed to him a little shorter or more sharp than it need be. Anyway, if she could be proud he could also. He put the note in his pocket and turned it over "Aren't you afraid to leave your window open? The mosquitoes will get in?" "No fear of that. The mosquitoes here are too large to come through that window."—Harper's Bazar. CHAPTER HL If young Blake had gone at once to the head center of the wonderful combination of warders, guardians, clerks assistants who made up the hierarchy of the Amicable this story would never have been written, and the reader would at this moment bo seeking other occupation than that he has in "Before a story can be told," says Mr. Anthony Troll ope. "there must be a story to telL" CHAPTER VL "Still, I cannot see that this changes our opinion on the question whether she did right or wrong." She had several courses before her. First, she could telegraph to her father in London: "I am disgraced and without money. What shall I do?" Second— and of this she thought seriously—she could go to Dr. Witherspoon, who had christened her twenty years ago, and had received her into the church six years ago, and loved her as her father did. In point of fact, about a month before Antony Blake had met thin disappointment it had been so ordered by those minor powers who, under orders, overrule this world, that he and Edith Lane went nearly at the Bame time to the Amicable. Antony had gone Bimply to show himself, that he might keep up the reputation which he had acquired asa don among dons. Edith had gone, on her second visit, to cut off some coupons, which she had done successfully, and which she had carried to deposit at her bank. But it had so happened that when she brought back her little box to place it in her safe, Antony Blake was already in that corridor of the columbarium, and was opening his safe to put his box away. The lock made some little obstacle, and he had laid his box on the floor that he might have both hands in handling the key. Edith had to wait a moment for his operations to be finished, and, as it happened, she laid her box on the floor as she stood by him, in fact, if the reader is curious, putting on her gloves at the same moment. Antony touched his hat to her, stooped, picked up the box and put it into his own safe, without any thought that he had made a transfer. He passed out of the doors, saluted the wardens and was gone. Edith put the other box into her safe, and, as the reader sees, the change was completed without a thought from either party. This was the unflinching reply of the stern Edith. "It shows why she did wrong, but it does not show that she did right—unless the president means that when a woman dresses her hair in a becoming way, ana invents a new beaddrtts, she may do as she chooses." in his mind all through a long interview which he had with the Rumrills, who had sent for him again. men ne uetenmnea to can on Miss Edith that evening. But lest she should be out he wrote the following letter: Theatrical Note. Little Johnny—I say, pa, what d«es a "star" mean? What soon became very clear was that she must have money. Indeed this is something which generally becomes clear to most people in modern society. Edith first made the mistake which many other people make of thinking that it will do any good to say aloud, "I must have some money." She said this to the looking glass twice as she dressed herself. But no money came from that. As to housekeeping and wages there was no trouble. The housekeeper had been supplied. But for herself Edith knew there wonld be trouble very soon. Pa (who is an actor and has starred)— It is an abbreviation of starvation, my son.—Texas Sittings. All that follows on these pages sprang from Mr. Blake's aversion to take the head center into his confidence, or, indeed, any other of the guardians in the hierarchy. After this it may be imagined that the president and Edith were very good friends through the rest of that evening, and the reader will not bo surprised that in the simple and admirable code of Tamworth and of that circle Edith asked him, as they ate their ice cream together, if he would do her the favor to walk home with her. She had not liked to fix a time for the carriage, she said. He gladly agreed to do so, as any young man in Tamworth would have been glad to do. Wednesday Afternoon, July. 8. On this particular morning Antony was obliged to break his rule. It was just the hour when he should ncjt ordinarily have gone to the Amicable. It was seldom indeed that he had any occasion to look at his mother's bonds in his safe, for they were as worthless one month aa they were another. But to preserve the respectabilities of the place it had been his habit to have his safe opened for him once a quarter—about the 1st of May, August and tho corresponding quarters—which he observed to be "coupon quarters" for some very diattngutshed dons. He would retire into one of the little eeDs provided for the occasion, open his Jjox nd Ihro carry it back that it might be tepoafted in his safe again. The last tine that he had done tbis Antony had ifased few* ftfty dollar bills in his little tin box to guard M—elf from spending them. He knew that be should have enough money for has current expenses besides, and he had not cared to make a permanent la vestment of this sun. But if he were to go to Pittsburg ho must have these two fifties in his pocket, and he •walked down to tho Amicable, gave the samber oi hb safe and his box waa given tobku. This would have been the wisest thing for her to do, but she had a sense of mortification which hindered her from doing this. Then she thought over the list of her mother's old friends among the ladios of Tamworth, and there was not one of them whom she liked as a counselor. Then she remembered a sermon which Dr. Witherspoon had preached a few weeks before, of which the doctrine was, "Face Your Perplexities." He had told them they should not run away from their perplexities, but must look them in the face and find out how great they were. She remembered that some man she had talked with not long before had told her that the turning point of Robinson Crusoe's fortunes comes in the moment when he faces his perplexities. On some piece of paper he had, with some ink he had mado, he wrote them down so that he oould look at them and see what they were. Edith took a sheet of note paper and proceeded to write down hers. The list took the following order: Mt Dear Miss Lane—Lest I do not find you at home I venture to write. For I have at bottom the feeling that you think I have taken a liberty and presumed on the confidence which you gave me bo generously last evening. There; didn't I tell you he was? —Puck. Two Points of View. Benedict—A baby asleep always makes me think of heaven. The Jokes Showed It. Bachelor—It always makes me think what a blessed thing sleep is.—Munsey's Weekly. I want simply to say that you are unjust to me if you think so. I know that from the standard of the novel writers of fifty years ago my proposal was not to be heard ol But I think the standard of America Is higher and better. I hope the standard of Tamworth Is higher and better. I think men and women meet each other with mutual respect and mutual confidence. It Is not in vain that we go to the same schools, work In the same causes, study In the same circles, and in a word live In the same life. Constant Reader—And you have to write this column of jokes every week, whether you f oel like it or not? Joke Man—Every week. . ■D Constant Reader—Even when you are feeling very sick? In the first place, he knew none of them personally, though, as has been seen, they all knew him professionally. That is to say, it was tho professional business of each of them to know Antony Blake by sight and to see that he always had the box in No. 4,927 when he wanted it and that no one else ever had it, and also that he never had any other box than Us own. But all of them had been imported from New York to carry on the Amicable, which was a new enterprise in Tamworth, so that he had not made their acquaintance other than offUSVtf, MSt « to him now for the first time, he should have gone to the head center before if he meant to go at all. He should have gone when his little key did not open the bond box. He should not have picked the lock of a box which, as he now knew, waa not his with his little skeleton key. In the third place, he was not sure whether he should best advance the ends of justice by going to the head center. He could say that his $100 were not in his box. But here were securities of three or four hundred times as much worth; and, as he well knew, there was not any one outside an idiot asylum who would steal the Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds. It might be that the head center and some of the others were engaged in a common fraud, of which he had in his hands a little clew. These considerations passed through his mind and determined him, wisely or not, to make no complaint to the head center till he had taken the advice of a lawyer friend. Wife—Did you notice Mrs. stunner's bonnet in church this morning? Farried. She at once put herself on short allowance. She did not go into a shop. She passed the most attractive book stores saying, "Lead us not into temptation." She went on foot if she could not ride in her own carriage, by which I mean she never took the people's carriage—the street car. She was even mean enough to put a nickle into the contribution box at church, sitting in the very pew where the deacon was always sure of a five dollar bill. But then Edith made an account of this, and solemnly pledged herself for every nickle she laid on the altar to place a ten dollar bill when—she had it. Dear child, she knew the difference between little turtle doves and good largo lambs. These economies she kept up steadily. But economies do not create money. Joke Man—It makes no difference how sick I may be. Husband—No, indeed. I was lost in admiration of your own.—New York Sun. Constant Reader—Well, I have often thought so.—Boston Times. So soon aa they were well in the street, away from light, Edith, who had studied out the whole conversation in advance, said to him: "I have a question of conscience on which I want the advice of a man—of a business man. My father is away for six weeks. I find there is a mistake about my money, and I have overdrawn at the bank on my private account. Now it happens that I have received f 100 by accident—I know not from whom. It is lying in my desk unused. Shonld you think I micrht nu that, as if it were lent to me, and repay It when my father comes home?" If you and I were "Henry and Emma" or "Paul and Virginia" or "Silly and Billy" or "Fergus and Evelyn" or any other absurd people In a novel of course you would not wish to have me help you in any sensible way, and I should never think of proposing ts. But seeing wo are plain Tamworth people, members of the same church and officer* in the same circle, I see no harm In what I have done, and I will not say I da Truly yours, An Insinuating Question. Valuable Time. Ted—That girl loves me so she is almost a nuisance. Ned—Do you think she is in her right mind?—Epoch. "I see that the president of the Standard Oil company has an income of $7.50 an hour." "Well, I've heard that time is money, bat I didn't know an hour was as valuable as that."—Yenowine's News. Antont Blake. Musical Management. When Edith came home late from a long drive which she had taken in the country this note was waiting for her. Mr. Bliffers—Bobby, there's an organ grinder four blocks down the street. Slip around there and get into some doorway. Then when he sees you step up to him and give him this quarter. No Dancer. She read it more than half through with approval of the young man's pluck and pride. But when she came to "Fergus and Evelyn" the words seemed to stand out of the paper. Young Skipjack—Ah, I would like to cross that field. Do you think—ah—that cow would hurt me? Bobby—Yes, pa. What for? 1. I am a fool. Farmer—Did you ever hear of a cow hnrtin' a c»lf?—Yenowine's News. Mr. Bliffers—So he'll keep on playing down there instead of coming here.— Street & Smith's Good News. 3. I believe I am a thief, but am not certain. The president heard her through, waited a moment and then said: "I believe at law you might. I doubt if you could be sued for doing it But it is not a nice thing to do. If it had been you would not be in doubt yourself." Or was she crazy herself? Did she see words which were not there? ills Strong Point. She—Why, you couldn't even buy my dresses." It was not till Antony Blake was well in Pittsburg, dealing with the various sons of Tubal Cain who make that city one of the richest and loveliest in the world, that Edith one iay ordered the carriage, drove down to the Amicable, took out what she supposed to be her box, and found in it Antony's Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds and his hundred dollars. 8. I have no money. 4. I have taken from the Waverley bank $47 whioh I had no right to. And it seemed as if never were the unexpected expenses so terrible. Then came a bill for annual costs at the cemetery which her father had forgotten. Edith promptly paid that Then came her annual subscription at the Sheltering Arms, her assessment at the Ladies' Relief and the Sewing Women's Friend. The same afternoon came a man from the Oklohoma free school. Every young lady of her acquaintance had subscribed $10. Dr. Witherspoon had recommended it and Edith knew that she was expected to subscribe. Endless anneals were made, indeed, from one and another similar charity. And as a climax the 1st of July came and all her quarterly bills. The footing was terrible. And she with so little in her pocket, and, if there was any virtue in arithmetic, not $40 in the Waverley bank! Or were there ever two other people in love with each other with those two names? One Follows the Other. CHAPTER H. He—But I could borrow the money from your father,—Epoch. Dr. Bright—We work at rather cross purposes, do we not, Miss Modiste? Miss Modiste (the fashionable dressmaker—How so, Dr. Bright? B is •owfUe that there are one or two «f tba fcumbkr readers of this little story Wh« m not acquainted with the careful ■anMnsry of a security safe company, and aq the story hinges an that machinery it may be w«U to explain it Yam see you are to have the double combination, patent, absolute security that ia given to the largest corporation in the world—say the Bank of England—and at the same time you who are as poor ai Antony Blake was are to have your own little separate cell in which your own property is kept, and nobody else in th« world may interfere with it. All this ii arranged by a very ingenious system oi policemen, attentive clerks, doorkeepers, gilt pickets of iron, iron floors below and above, so that fire cannot burn your securities nor water drown them, noj thieves break in nor rust corrupt them. The most honorable and virtuous wardshts are selected by the most ingeniouf a»d highly approved competitive exami*u»taona. You present yourself at the gaN and you axe personally known to the w.vder, who speaks to you cordially and ope*B the gate to you, as he would not do if jo* were one of those unknown loafer* hare no safe in the security By adding up the amount on her ohecks and comparing It with her own account she had found the fatal mistakes whioh showed that Instead of having $40 in the bank she had taken out $47 more than she should have done. "Thank you," said Edith. "You feel just as I do." But he did not let her go on. "You see," he said, "your unknown correspondent might appear to-morrow morning, and you would want to have her money ready for her. You would do much better to borrow yourself at your bank or of some friend." The Lut of the Season at Bar Harbor. She read the note through and then went to her father's den. She looked in the Telepliono Directory, and then asked for 297. Dr. Bright—Well, you see, people come to you to get fits, and then come to me to get cured of them.—Journal of Education. "Hjello! "Does Mr. Antony Blake live in the St. Clair? Of course Edith knew she had made a mistake, and she instantly supposed, as she usually did, that everything which was wrong was her own fault This, then. was the first result of her father's training her to business—that she had lost all her own property, and had stolen some other property of vastly more value, for the girl knew nothing of the worthlessness of the Cattaraugus and Opelousas, and it was very easy for her to see that whereas she had left in her box only thirty or forty thousand dollars' worth of bonds, Bhe had under her hands two hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of the second issue of that unfortunate road. Edith's list went on: 8. I owe honest tradespeople who have trusted me $173.11. "Ask Mr. Antony Blake if he can come to No. 09 Curwen street." 6. I wish I had as much as $75 in the house, if it were only to keep up decent appearances till papa gets home. 7. In fact I have ill.97. I suppose the housekeeper would lend me something, but I do not like to ask her, and I have no right to starve the family. Then, by an unfortunate suggestion of one of thoae lower powers whohave been alluded to, who are permitted to have some part in the government of this world, under strict orders from higher authorities, however, it happened that Edith remembered a horrible scandal which had convulsed Tainworth a year r- whan a certain Mrs .Tnhn ndp tad borrowed a thousand dollars ttftdraelaj's on tha nladae of a bracelet, which heoame very famous in the scandal of the town. "I have so many friends," said Edith, more bitterly than she meant, "that I cannot select, and I am afraid my father would be wretchedly annoyed if he knew I was in this scrape, though really it is from no fault of mine. I cannot well borrow at the bank without saying that he has been careless or making people think so. It gives a certain publicity to the mistake ho mMe when ho thought that for six weeks I could—paddle my own canoe." Gazzam—The United States constitution grants the right to bear arms, I believe?Highlanders Seem to Have It. In ton minutes Mr. Antony Blake was there, though it was half-past 10 at night. Meanwhile his first business was to go to Pittsburg and to get the $100 which he needed for his journey. There was no money in the box, and of course Antony could not have taken it if there had been, seeing it was not his. "Greenbacks," says an eminent legal authority, "are the currency of thieves." But even had Antony been a thief he had no opportunity to steal. "Mr. Blake, pardon me for troubling you, but who are Fergus and Evelyn?" "I am sure I do not know. I wish I did," he said ruefully. Larkin—Yes. Gazzam—I suppose that the Scotch constitution, then, grants the right of bare legs.—Yenowine's News. Poor Edith! She could have dropped on the floor for her disappointment And He Went On with His Work. Edith, on the 2d of July, did what you or I would have done. She ordered her coupe and bade James take her to the Amicable again. It was just possible that the things might have changed themselves back again. '•What did you mean then, Mr. Blake, when you said Silly and Billy, Evelyn and Fergus?" "Pshaw!" said the sarcastic city editor to Mr. Eistedfodd, the Welsh reporter, "nothing ever came out of Wales." "I do not think there is such publicity as you fear. You see," said ho good naturedly, "the bank people would be only too glad to lend your father's daughter anything. It can be most easily arranged. How much do you want?" "What's the matter with Jonah?" murmured Mr. Eistedfodd and went on with his work.—Washington Star. There were the six letters tied up with the white ribbon. Antony did look at their addresses, as has been said. She had read the words forty times while ho was coming. She did not do what Antony did, however. She took the whole parcel, hundred dollars and all, and put it infcr her little satchel. She put back the box into her safe, and as quickly as she could escape the eye of the warders, all of whom she thought looked on her with suspicion, as if shewq?e p det$£$ed thief Baggage Master—Sorry, lady, but you'll have to pay excess baggage rate on this valia®. It's twenty pounds overweight.But at the moment his only wish was that his despised Cattaraugus and Opelousas bonds were in his hands. He remembered, as ho often had remembered before, the pathetic grief of Robinson Crusoe when the great current of the Orinoco was sweenimr him to m In The warders knew her and told her it was a pleasant morning, as it was. But it seemed to Edith that they looked on her with an inquiring air, as If they wondered that she dared to come. Still she braced herself to her duty. She gave the mystic number and her Now it was his turn to blush and stammer. Nor did he see how near was the crisis. Criticising the Baby. "There," said the proud father. "How is that for a baby?" "Oh, I want as much as $250. These are all the subscriptions pa likes mo to make—and" "Oh—only—well, you see — well, I once had some letters—I thought they were love letters—addressed to Evejyn Somebody and Fergus Somebody. I do. not know who the Somebodys were. fidith said to herself: "I wonder if I could not borrow $200 of somebody? I think if I were § man I should know Miss Chamberlin — How provoking! Mathilde, I thought I told you to distribute those engagement rings among the trunks.—Judge. "Ah!" said Chollie, embarrassed to know what to say. "Magnificent! How young he looks!"—New York Evening Sun. j The young man laughed very lightly, as «he thnnarhi. |
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