Litchfield enquirer., 1868-03-12
A BROKERS LOVE AFFAIR,

l have been enjoined to give you, my dear Laura, the accompanying document on the day of our marriage, and as that de- lightful occasion transpires tomorrow, l have thought 1t best and wisest, and most loving that should employ this evening Ill relating how 1t came into my hands and ill giving you some idea of the true char acter of the man from whom it comes.
 ,Mr. Jobn Moneypenny has the misfor tune to be a money broker in Wall-street and, as you know, have the good luck te be his clerk. I do not want you to under stand that he either calls himself broker, or dignifes me, his only assistant besides the messenger, by the title of " clerk, J ! though am at once book-keeper, paying and receiving teller, cashier, and occasion ally assistant messenger. On the contrary, he insists on declaring himself a plain note-shaver'' and my ''boss." He has a sort of grim humor in his competition, and an affected grufness lin his manner, when occasionally making these assertions, which indicate he does not seriously mean to of fend; and as, with all his faults, he has been uniformly just, if not indeed little kind to me, sink my American pride and independence, and only smile good-natur- edly when hear him make the assertion 1 that he Is my master and am his servant, and that all these nonsensical distinctions of clerk, cashier, secretary, teller, and book keeper are confounded modern in- novations" that reflect no credit on the age.
 In fact, Mir. Moneypenny affects the plain, unvarnished in all appearances; and hence the plain, large-lettered sign board of his small counting-room, and which haarS 1Iar nf G Moneypenny, Note-shaver" The C street explains the peculiar spelling of the Chris tian name by saying that the painter char ged twenty cents for making J with a tail to it, and only ten cents for an (with- out the taiD, and old Skinfint, (short for Mir. Moneypenny,) saved the difference, ! because he thought it was fifty per cent. secured on the transaction. Mr. Money penny explains it by swearing that the let ter J is modern innovation, and that he "won't submit to any such confounded nonsense as the nse of it.
 Whenever the other oddity of his sign board is referred to, MT. MoneypenDy ad. rnits very blandly that it Is objectionable as not very definite; and he never fails to add that if it were consistent with the public peace he would change all the signs in
 
 authorized pickpocket,' y and every ''coun- "legalized swindler." He affects, as a great many other illiterate persons do, con- tempt for all honorary degrees and titles oi distinction, and once took into his heart of hearts, and what is more, loaned hundred dollars, without interest or security, to a crazy old fellow who spent an hour in set. ting forth his belief that it was sinful in ministers of the Gospel to add D. D. after their names He sometimes calls himself "Ion Moneypenny, l.. s. D., in allusion to a nickname given him by the street, and does not get angry if he overhears himself called "Old Pounds, Shillings and Pencei" but as general thing he is short, sharp, and crusty, dealing sharply and shrewdly and hardly with those who are forced to ask his assistance. On the 'curb stone" he is as cordially hated as he is fiat tered, and in the "Gold Room" he is as much despised as he is feared.
 Knowing this much of his character, my dear Laura, you, who have seen him peer rudely over his spectacles at you as we talked hurriedly and briefly across the bal which excludes my desk and the safe iron, the more public parc of the office, will be as much surprised as I was yesterday after noon, when the lush of busiaess was over, to hear him say. in tone of unusual pleasantness, as he looked up at me on my high stool,
 Well, Robert, l understand from the messenger that you are going to be marri- ed, hey?"
 When he had first begun 10 spolk had turned to him, and had noticed an actual. clearly-defned, and rather pleasant smile on his face. As he finished the question, he seemed to be ashamed of having been caught smiling, and so he raised his voice into the rather gruff and sharp "hey' with which he had finished. After a mo- ment, seeing his countenance growing se- verer above his paper, I turned again to my desk, and with mutSered "Yes, Sir, '' resumed my work.
 "The girl got any money, Robert?" do not know why I hesitatcd to an- swer in the negative. but did until he had repeated the question:
 Money is very good thing in mode ration, and I advise you to get money too, if you can. Your girl got any, hey?" There was DO resisting that infection of the voice with which he expressed that "hey," so I turned deliberately on my stool, laid down my pen, took up my dig nlty (lmagine man on high stool in a little, dirty, dingy office in Wall Street, trying to look dignifedY and answered in my severest manner,
 My dear MT. Moneypenny, Hiss Vol colt is not acealhy. I am about to be mar ried to lady without fortune other than her own good sense, quiet tastes, fine &C., compllshments, and adectionate heart. My own income will, I hope, amply supply our wants"
 had very nearly said "my own small income;;" but when the adjective was on my tongue, l thought it would be hardly just to him to say it, for he was then pay. ing me fully as much as I could have ob. tained elsewhere, and SO dropped it.
 "Living is very dear-you will hardly be able to keep house on-''
 "We do not propose to keep house." l interrupted.
 That won't do. Mustn't board. Board. ing is an aggravation of spirits. Young married folks must keep house; wife is certain to spoil in clearinghouse; does not have solitude enough Guess you'd better keep house, and Ill rent you that brick cottage of mine in Thirty y-fifth Street cheap; lately had it fully furnished; cost me four thousand dollars; let you have fl dirt cheap, too. Boarding-schools and then boarding-houses spoil half the women . H{rrv Dzll