Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-04-26
entered, Letters, sir, if you please,

6uIeIeQs AeGIeEb9 Sir II you please
sir ~
Thank you" I answered cody, an
let her go again though / longed fo
the history of her previous dodgers.
thought she eyed me suspiciously, bu
of course | was mistaken and / turn
ed and finished my breakfast, ant
then broke open the envelopes of m!
letters.
I ring the bell. Mrs. PottIe enters
I am sitting on the sofa reading thu
paper; but l just say carelessIy, YoU
have kept these lodgings some time,
suppose, Mrs. Pottle ?''
Law yes, sir, she answers, stop.
ping short in the general gathering to-
gether Of plates and dishes nigh
/ 0pon twenty years. Through my poor
Samuel being taken early, sir, I was
I obliged to begin at forty. Now I'm
turned sixty, sir; though sumo do say,
said Mrs Pottle with a smile, that they
/ hardly can think It's more than a few
years ago 1 began-I'm so much the
same.
There they are right, [ said, willing
/ to pr0pItiate Mrs. Pottle-'syou might
as well pass for fifty, aud young
| looking at that but, however, what
| sort of people do you mostly get here
/ young men, like I am, in merchants
! Offices, or something of that kind p
| Well, yes, sir first and last, I've
/ had some scores Of clerks and
junior partners but still 'tisn't al
ways so but there was one young man
nearly the first I ever had"
1 did not exactly want a twenty
years list of dodgers, so [ interrupted
the worthy soul by saying, But who
have you had lately ?-whO was
the last now, before [ came ?"
: A curious old couple as you ever
cast eyes on.
Odd" I gasped Il"
Mrs. Pottle did not, I suppose, no.
tiee my agitation, but replied, Yes,
sir, the gentleman about seventy-five,
[ should think, and the lady might be
a year older or younger-not much
difference between them-but [ beg
your pardOn-that's your bus, sir "
And Mrs. Pottle disappeared with the
tray just as the horn and the Tattling
wheels were distinctly heard, nearing
the terrace. [ put on my hat meehan-
ieally, and went down stairs, vexed
with the abrupt termination of her re-
cltal. As l rode along, the thought
struck me that the whole affair was a
trick, and that Mrs Pottle wanted to
bind me to the spot, or make me in
terested in her house, or inveigled in
some foolish love affair This decided
me to take no notice of her attempts
at conversation for the future. and not
even to permit her to finish the story
begun in the morning
just then the-ea4ufbus stopped, and
an old maiden lady, whom / had known
through her acquaintance with much
aunt Of mine, similarly cir
cumstanced as to age and matrimOuy,
entered it. l politely handed her to
seat for my aunt's sake, and com
menced a conversation which [ strove
to render Interesting, though my mind
was certainly very absent that day; so
absent, that in one of the pauses of |
our discourse [ incautiOusly drew out |
my pocket-handkerchief to wipe my
forehead, and with it-horror Of hor- |
rors-the little bronze-colored slipper, |
with its blue rOsette. l shook 1t hast
lily from my lap into the straw beneath, |
but the old lady had seen it, and | felt |
aghast as [ remembered that the story /
of that little slipper for the left foot |
of my pretty Cinderella would prOba- !
ably cost me 5000E. of my very discr rect |
aunt's money.
Should I throw myself on the old |
iadY's mercy at Once-in the omnibus
by confessing the truth But would |
she be likely to believe me if did |
I thought not. l should only have |
falsehood added to the black list al
ready prepared, I doubted not, for
to ny aunt. [ knew the |
i l., Ii fer n
for she had already told me her desti- |
nation so kept my foot on one edge |
of the slipper, determined to pick it up |
again, spite of all, at the first opportu-
nifty.
Il think you dropped something, |
sir, said my aunt's friend, coldly.
Nothing of consequence, 1 think,
thank you, | replied, In confusion.
Il should rather think it was of great |
she remarked, cruelty ; |
doubtless the young lady wants her
slipper matched or mended. "
The young ladyl What young lady?
All! if [ could only find this Cinder-
ella Deeply mortified, I said no |
more; and the old lady soon left me-
went iuto the Office. carrying my
handkerchief in a different pocket |
that I might not draw out the slipper |
with it, and sat down to my writing (; |
but my head was confused, and that |
little bronze slipper danced over the |
page, over every line of my ledger, IN !
each leaf of the memoTandum-bO book. |
IF things go on like this, l eZelaIm-
ed mentally, / shall grow mad about
that slipper | almost wish l had
never seen it.
just then one of the partners came
into the Office.
Haley he said, did you pick up
an account written on a slip of paper,
of an order to be executed for Grylls p
Il did, sir, and put it IN my pocket |
book, as I thought you bad most like
ly dropped it.
Thank you, Haley. just like you.
[ admire a young fellow that has his
wits about him. y
I put my hand in for my pocket book
and forgot about the slipper for a mo-
ment in my pleasure at my employers
praise but it had not forgotten me,
and tumbled out The sandals, being
entangled with my pocket-book, hung
from my hand, as [ slipped the elastic
off the book, and then the slipper fell
upon the floor. All this happened
much more quickly than I have writ
ten it, but a grave frown rested on my
employers face as [ handed him the
paper.
"Take care, Haley. Don't resent it
if I give you fatherly word of warn
ing. 1t is better a young man should
not carry such things in his pocket at
least, should not allow other people to
see them.
looked up astonished. Mr. Ar
mold, second partner in the firm, was
fifty years of age, and a batchelor.-
What did he know about such things ?
Il think I could explain to your
satisfaction, sir, that this is an accident
if you had time; and really involves
nothing at all wrong"
II quito believe you, Haley but
every one won't be so merciful,"
Mr.. Arnold went out and closed the
door. [ never thought,-neyer guess
ed before what elaborate circums tanees
might depend upon a slipper but
when got home I locked it away, de-