The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-02-06
Picking Jap Il Pocket Book.

Office hours were over and we were all takin
" down our straw hats from the pegs whic
hey dangled ledgers were clasped, papers pit
away, desks locked and the work of the day wa
at an end. when the white-haired cashier cam
siding towards me. Mr.. Walford sir, woul
you stay mOment7 Would you step this way
The firm wish to speak to you
Good old Job Wiginton always described hi
s employers collectively as the firm They wer
. sacred beings in his eyes, were Spaulding an
: Hau sermanu, and he had served them for
quarter of a century, with exemplary fidelity ant
respect. Job Wiginton like myself, and like thu
senior partner in that great mercantile house
was an Englishman born and bred He had KEEP
the books of Spaulding and HauSefmann TO
twenty years at Philadelphia and had cheerful,
followed them to California when they decided
on settling in Sau Francisco City, five years
before The younger clerks. French or Amer
lean for most partwere rather disposed to make
butt of the simple honest old cashier but hi
and had b5en very good friends during the fou
years of my employment, and l always enter
tanned sincere respect for the old mans ster
ling good qualities. Now, however, for a rea
son l will presently explain, was considerably
taken aback by the communication which Mr..
Wigintom made in his own formal way.
THE firm wish to see me l stammered with
a tell.tale color rising in my face Old Job nod
ded assent, coughed, and carefully wiped his
gold trimmed spectacles. l had noticed in spite
of my own confusion, that the cashier was de-
iected and nervous, his voice was husky, his
hand trembled as he rubbed the dim glasses, and
there was an unwOnted moisture i'll his round
blue eyes. AS | followed Job into the inner
parlor where the merchants usually sat du-
ring business hours, | marvelled much what
this wholly unexpected summons might por-
tend. 1 had formerly been on terms of great
and cordial intimacy with my employers; but
for the last three months, my intercourse NTH
the senior partner in particular. had been strict
" confined TO business matters and dry routine.
1t was not hat had done anything to forfeit
the good opinion of the firm. My employers had
still the same confidence III me, the same regard
| for me as heretofore; but there was an end, if
not of friendship lat least Of cordially This par
tial arrangement dated from the day when, with
| Emma Spauldng smiling through tears and
| bushes at my side | had ventured to tell the
rich merchant that loved his only daughter,
and that my love was returned. Ii is an old,
old story. We were two young persons Of the
same country and creed, alike in tastes and ed
ucaton, and in other respects, wealth excepted,
were not so Unmatched; and we were together
on a foreign shore, among strange people. We
! haa been suffer ed to associate Familiarity togeth-
er, to read poetry, sing duets, and so forth for
| Emma had no mother to watch against the APP
preach of poverty stricken suitOrs, and Mr.
| Spaulding was proud man and not given to
suspicIom. Hence we gGded-as millions and
millions of couples h We done before and will
again. down the smooth. rose-strewn path tina,
| leads nom friendship to love. l am sure of one
thing; It not my emplo!e S wea th,or The
idea OF Emma : probable expectations from her
! IA her-whu had but two children, q son and
daughter bctw cen whom TO divide the accumu
aIiuns OF "A if spent in honorable toil-whch
| al lurld ms Ruf the when soft
| words and fond looks had to give place to an
! avowal OF attachment. l spoke to Emma, with
out prem citation; and once across the Rublcon,
other considerations, undreamed Of as yet came
80 beset me, mocRingy. hat would Mr.
Spaui0ing think ot5 me Surely he could fofm
bat one j4d .ment IF the poor clerk, with 20
property beyond hls pitiful savings, who had
dared 10 en- angle Inc affections OF his masters
daughter? My course was clear / must tell
! him the uu5h, at whatever cost to myself
! | did so. The disclosure was hurried on by
| some slight unforeseen circumstance, as my pro-
po>al had been, but l was at least candid in my
avowals 10 do Mr.. Spaulding justice, he re-
( iected my SUIT i'll as gentle and courteous
| fashion as The harsh operation would admit OF.
| But cut to the heart, | withdrew from his pres
ence, very, very wletched, and had for many
days afterwards serious thoughts Of excluding
myself iiom observation, becoming solitary
man, and leading gloomy Il moody life. Better
! thoughts, however, lying deeper within me, ad
monshed nae of the utter wOrthlesness of pur-
poseless existence. and OF the utter contempt.
! biity OF the soul that can sink into it. And thus
! it fell out that | ceased TO visit my employer
a private friend and yet still renamed in his
| empl0y.
Was mean spirited for Staying on thus
cannot pretend to decide so nice point but
| know that it great stimulant to me to have
obtained a moral victory over myself, and some
rebel to tie disappointment of my dearest hopes
that l was still allowed to breathe the same air
as Emma Spauding, to catch a glimpse of her
sweet saddened face were it but on her way to
church, though for three weary months we new
er interchanged word.
So | was not a little surprised " hen Job Wig
! inton summoned NE to the presence of the firm.
My heart beat quickly as the old cashier turned
the handle of the door What could MrSpauld
ing want OF me l had kept the promise he had
wrung from me had abstained from any in
| trusiOn any unlicensed CORES pOndence. Surely,
surely he could not send for me merely to say
that a rejected sutton was ineligible even as
servant and that our connexion must cease P
In the larger of the tw adjacent rooms, a room
| hung IN Spanish fashion with stamped and gid
ed leather,and heavily furnished with dark ma
hogany fl ON Honduras, found the firm. Mr.
Spauding, a tail, thin, grey-headed gentleman
was pacing up and down the apartment in great
agitation. M. Hausermann, German, as his
name implies, sat before table covered with
papers, ejacu ing gutteral EXPLANATIONS OF
wonder from 10 time, and will a look of
hopeless peEplcxity in his fat, pink face. The
cashier entered along with me, and closed the
door.
'Ach, mein Himmel muttered the junior
partner, a hale, portly man, but of a fl libby ma
ture, morally and physically compared with the
| abnt ntt the lOuSp npb W to
have never peen porn than lived to see this
ting!
Job Wiginton gave groan Of sincere sym
pathy. / quickly perceived that something had
gone wrong, and as quickly did see that this
mysterious something had 10 direct reference
to my audacIty in winning the heart of Emma
Spaudng What was amiss There is one
ghost that always haunt the Imagination of the
more intelligent subordinate8 OF commercial
firm Bankruptcy. But the house had been
such prudent one so steady and well ballasted
hid gidsd so demuIely along in safe old word
grooves, that it was rather ridicUled III conse-
quence by he ushIoum firms that daily arose
uI collapsed around us. But l had little time to
think, Tor Mr. SpauldIng stopped III his walk.
came abruptly up to me and took me by both
hands. George WaIoId.' sand the old mer
chant, With more emotion III his voice and tea
lures than he had ever shown before have
nor been kind 10 YOU lately. You were good
friend To me betore-before and b, re he red
dcned somewhat and ceased Speaking.
glanced towards Mr. Hause mann, but he
looked 30 tat and helpless he sat III his arm
chair, murmurng IN Asses in his native tongue
that l Sn" no explanation 20 be looked toi
III hat quarter So | told Mr.. Spauldiug, in as
finn d tone as possible, that our mutual esteem
mad | hoped, survived our intimacy, and that
sill fell myself faithful friend to him and his
and would gladly prove myself one.
i thought SOL thought So said the mer
chant, looking pleased Tor a moment you are
good lad, George, and that's Why come IL
you tor help in my sore need hard and harsh q:
= you may have thought me the other day wheI
Never mind =
was first to say it, exclaimed Mr. Hauser
& mann. Lei Us call Shorge WaIfOrd, say l
y He has got yer goot prains yer goot young