Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-06-17
NUMBER l299.

| an extensive rim Of business had Tie not
| beel, of1e of the class of peorjle never to be
| found when wanted. His law books and
| law office saw far less of him than certain
| fashionable places of resort where hisbaiid-
| some person and various social att6mpIish-
/ ments, ,alwavs secured fd1hinl 4 welcome re-
/ eeption. Ben had some little property left
him by his father lust enough. as he used
| laughingly TO quote, to "keep him In gloves
| and col0Sne Water" and for the rest. he
i seemed VASTLY contented with his old max
| i'm, '.tho world owes me a liyiny,r, forget
ting that the world can sometimes prove as
| poor paymaster as the most fashionable
| young gentleman going. ? .Ha -'dj DnA
| ioBut TO return to Mark. When he had
settled his accounts at night, he took from
pigeon, hole in his desk, the little book
aiorenamed, and entered as follows: ssro
one real wake up, $10,n which being done,
helockeh his desk, aud returned once more
| to Mrs. ,Meriden.i o,,.,, .t.,.,a ,.,, -,
| DAYS flew on, and the shop OF Mark be-
| CAME increasingly Popular, and still froKl
| time to time he was assailed by the kind of
| temptation we have described. Now it was:
MARK. nv dear fellow, do ioin us in a trip
| to G-'s;" and now, "CoDle, my old boy,
/ let us have spree at F4-'s;n now It WIS
the club, now and oyster rsilpper---but,Mark
was ihvincible, and still as one and another
| gaily ,reoounted the history of :hescene be
| Silently committed tile amount of.the ex-
| pehse to the little book. Yet Mark was not
| cynical nor unsocial. His refusals, though
| so firm. were invariably good natured, and
| though lie could not be drawn abroad vet
| he was uhquestionably open handed and
| free in his own home. No hous6nhad 30
| warm -melcome-4-ho dinner-table could be
/ more bopntiful or more freely open tor
/ the behoof OF all gentlemen of The dining
| out ordet-nU tea-table presented more I'M
| eXeeptionabfesto toast, and no evening lounge
was more easy, home-like and cheerful,
than OF the warm sofas in the snug parlor
| of Mark Meriden. They also gave evening
| parties, where all was brilliant, tasteful ara
| well-ordered: and intine. notwithstanding
| his shortcomings, Mark was setdown as "a
| fine, open-handed fellow after all.
| at the end of the year, Mark cast UP his
account in the little book, and was nightly
astonished at it, for with all his ideas of the
power OF numbers, he had no idea that the
twos and 1ives and tens and ones which, on
greater, or smaller occasions, had found
their way into his columns, would amount
up to a sum so considerable. Mark looked
about him-the world was going well-his
business machinery moving in exact touch
aud time-his house, where was there
prettier one? where place more replete
with every home-drawiug comfort? Had
he lost anything in pleasure the past year?
Mark thought not, and therefore, as lie
walked homeward, he stepped into book
sellers and ordered some books of superb
cngravings for Mrs. Meriden, and spoke to
gardner to send some elegant Towering
exotics for which he had heard her express
an admiration some evenings before.
That same evening came in Ben Sanford,
as he expressed it, Tin the very depths of
indigo;" for young gentlemen, whose
worldly matters invariably go wrong end
foremost will sometimes be found in that
condition, however eXuberant may be their
stock Of animal spirits.
pray. Bon, what is the matter?" said
Mark, kindly, as Ben stretched himself at
length in an arm chair, groaning audibly.
"Oh, a bilious attack, Mark shoe
makers bills, tailor's bills, boarding-house
bills-all sent i'll for New Years presents
hang EN- all! ...tuo, snail. .f-r.a
- Mark was silent for few moments, and
Ben continued: "Confound It, Mark what's
the use of living if a fellow is to be SO
cursedly poor.d Here you, Mark, born in
the same town with me and younger than
am by some two years, you have house as
snug and cosy and comfortable as man
need ask-a wife like an angel peace and
plenty by the bushel, and all comes of hay-
ing good run OF luck in the money line y
and Ben kicked his slippers against the
andiron most energetically. l''
,'"What has become of Emily P? ?" ask
ed Mark, after pause. .... ....'- r..., .,-l,
I ''Poor soul !" said Ben; ''there she is yet;
with all sweetness and patience. waiting
till such luckless scapegrace as lcan give
heFa home and husband. wishto my
soul, for her sake, could afford to getmar-
ried, and have home of my own; besides,
to tell the truth, | am tired of this rambling,
scramblin2, out-at-elbow, slip-shod life."" -
l. -h"Why don'tyou get tmarried ~ said Mark.
"Why don't |, to be sure! Use my tail
ors bills for fuel, and my board bill for
house rent and my shoe bill for bread and
butter, heyY Wou ID you recommend poor
girl to try me, Mark, all things considered?p
said Ben, bitterly. ~. ..f..,,.,3i .,. ..,ey
Mark reflected while in silence, and
then drew out his book-his little book
to which we have before alluded. 49, o''7
"Just look at this account, Ben,' said he;
81 know you hate figures, but just for
once"
Ben glanced at it impatiently-laughe
when he read over the first two or three
items but his face heightened as he pro-,
ceeded, and Mark detected sort of whis-,
tie of astonishment, as he read the sum
total.
'Well. Mark" he exclaimed, 'what a
very odd, gentlemanly, considerate trick
is this of yeurs-to sit behind your cur.
tain so coolly noting down the cost and
come to- OF our little frolics-really it Is
most edifying! Howmuch you must have
enjoyed your superior forethought and dis
ccretion.',, and Ben laughed, but not with