The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-01-11
MY MISTAKES.
BY N. G. RNAN ID.

The question was put 10 me, would Like t.
20 into Hobbies u Grumbury Bank
M M employment at Hobbies & Grumbary'
being that T should stand behind counte
with copper coal-shovel, and daoble II
soYereigns. Every one said that l was {
lucky fellow, and would be o partner Will
Hobbies IL Grumbury, or when Hoppel
was left, should succeed Gr1mbury,. o.
Grnmbury being gone, should come intt
Hobbies place. or both defu ct, shoult
be all alone as Me, late Hobbies d Grum
bury. There was the opening, said my unoles
encouraging me as If I was ferret going IN tt
work nv way up and hunt out poor old Hoboe:
& Grumbury. In went. They were very partl
oular about their clerks being OF the office
nine, and not leavlns until the last figure hat
been scored, and all work done, which otter
didn't happen till half past five. At midday
would rush over TO my brother at Lloyds
who could ALWAYS spare an hour to my nve
minutes, and ask him to give me luncheon.
have come 10 the conclusion that turtle souE
sud punch is not the best thing to take III ths
m.d.lle of the day. ii you want to add up sums
Birch's punch is A /, and soon becomes anc
A3. believe my brother went back ready &c
write risks for fabulous sums to the coast
OF the undiscovered island, IF any one had
suggested sucn speculations then. For myself
after one OF these midday repasts, l smiled on
Hobbies through tue glass door, and winked at
Grumbury when he came out to know whose
eye it was; and on my tenth day IN the bank,
went wrong to the extent OF thirty thousano
pounds LII my account. forget now now II
was hat had to enter it, or what took me into
the cas- liar's department; probably Birch's
punch did it. at all events the cashiers clerks,
and Hobbes l. Grumbury into the bargain,
were all sept al the bank long after office hours
utterly unable 10 make out woere the money
was lost, and I haYe sort of notion that in
consequence of this little error OF mine, some
thing s.went up" in the city, and something
"went dowb," and the stock exchange was
somehow, visibly affected. I was cautioned, and
went on tor more than week at this sort OF
drudgery (for drudgery it was to b. Al,
W en- my brother at Lloyd's suddenly dlscov-
cred wonder ul bevera o coIcocted by the
head waiter Of the MAJ inc Insurance establish
ment. There was plenty OF ice In 1t, know
tnat, you sucked it tn ough straw, like
sherry cobbler; it wasn't sherry cobb or, and
It wasn't any otuer coboler; but it was one Of
those drinks that you go on slipping and won
dering what it is, and how it's made, and
whether half glass m )re would hurt you.
did all thrs aud the half glass more did hurt
me. I have BEN since informed that offered
to fight one OF the customers who, pointed
out. had insulted me across the counter
HJpbes &c Grumbury agreed to look ov,r
this (Grulnbury was somewhat obstinaIe), and
Iremaiued 10 the BANK; bui avoided luncheons.
My evenings in town were giveu up to relaxa,
ton. ID my mornings with difficu tv devosed
to Hobbies L Gru,nbury. In fact, may say.
that after time, finding refreshing sleep at
night incom patible VITA going to beI late and
geIt ng to Hobbies & Grulnbury's at a. M.,
deyo ed my evenings to the serious work Of
amusement, AID the daytime to refreshing my
self with as much sleep as [ could g:t OF my
desk behind the counter OF Hobbies d Grumbu--
RVS. Summer and cricket came; once stayed
sway with leave and m !ssed the trail; another
time I stayed away without leave aud missed
two trains. Hobbies $40 khis head and Grum-
bury observed, SIT wonldl'E do" HobJes
tuid me that when he Was young man ne
came INTO the city with & crust, aud had to
work for his daily brea I. He had no cricket or
amuseuents." I didn't know if this was an
argum ant; if it was, had nothing to say. 1
D .tiei poor Hoboes. Grumbury chimed in
that ''ne had beel m lde to wofk; had not
known what it was to have holiday for years,
which, I am sorry to say it Of Grumbury. was
at the strict truth, as he never came to the
bank on SaturdIys, and tad stopped away on
Monds and Wednesdays (having q country
farm) for the last twenty years. Both partners
thought T had made mistake in coming into
the b.nk, and 80 retired, leaving the victory
in the lands Of Hobbies & Grum0ury.
Now" said my father, VINO was very angry
at the partnership prospect being oDhterated.
'syou must do Something"
Wa were at dessert at the time, and being
thus addressed, began peeling an apple; not
becsuseI-l wanted it, but to convey an idea that
had no wish to be i'd g.
1.-THE army?" said inquiTingly.
.You're to old" was my fathers reply, sur
lily ,,.
having, some indistinot ton that you could
eI to. this corps lii such an one existed, OF
which had nv secret doubts) up to aIy age;
pernaus be raw recruit at seventy.
Mounted iddlesticks ]" said my IA ther, who
Thought was treating the subject with levity,
and didn't want me to be, as he expressed it,
s'kickiug my heels about home"
7 couldn't help laughing at his saying
amounted hddlesticks," whereupon ne begged
me not to play the fool at his table, whatever
might do at Hobbies & GrumburY's. From
which you may gather that my parent did not
posses, tho best of tempers; he was, also as
Won NAV have sean from his view Of the iu-
szre partnership at Hobbies a very sanguine
mau.
1.-The law?" suggested, ezperimentalIy. :.
''Yes," SAID he, superciious y. that's al
very we'll, put wuat d y9u mean by the law 2"
didn't know what l meapt, having IN iced
spoken at hap-hazard, but had general idea
or long wig and beng judge, somehow. l
was silent. -.
"The bar ?" asked my father, cor solici-
orT
Never having considered this before, I
thought the dutlful course would be to refer 1t
to hun. He chose the uar. The prospect he
held out Was o brilliant one. Nuke speech. :"
said h.. Every one says clever, very clever;
who is he? Then they all want to know US.
Soma question arises ofimportance; you make
another speech. Judges Immediately point
Won out al the rising man; then you get into
the House, make hit there, your fortune is
made. and you're Lord @ .ancallor-the high
est dignity in the Kingdom" AS he had cyl
IDENTIFY made up his mind as to my future po-
s,tion could only try to SEQ it in the same
light aud say 'sYes," though felt that unless
there was q great change in the British con-
stitu.ion, it would be some considerable time
before they would see me on the woolsack.
This, however, kept to myself, and adpltted
to my father that my elevation to the Chancel-
lorship was noe sucn q very improbable thing
after all. H. then began to tell ma stories OF
Chanoellors WAC had began life by sweepin
out offices, or as errand-boys, OF by holding
horses, untl I secretly regrett d not having
chosen the swes Ding profession as the true
70 I'd to legal preferment.
Reino lpon the subject, he pointed to the
eyample of how Lord Chancellor Somebod, was
et ths bar for ten years without getting br eli.
an5 was. one day, about to throw it up 10 dis
an.t and enlist. when brief came, he spoke
sSnIsndidiy. and his fortune was mado; re-
ei;u sd myself in that portion OF the history
where he hadn't any business; but this Kept