Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-05-06

much till / was in the way Of doing
more for you than | can on my sal,
ary. If vou should 90 now. fellows
like Hardness would be likely to saw
that you left to get clear Of trouble y
You couldn't stand that, David,
could you? Then must stay"
There was a great deal more than
resignation in these words and the voice
that spoke them. Something in her
sons face had moved her to speak
them-Something she was glad and
proud to see. For it had come to
pass that IN her secret heart this
mother mourned sel63sbitterness over
the thought that sfHsh habited another
world from that of her son. The
evenings at home did not balance the
days abroad. The hour was at hand.
she felt, when this long -dishonorcd tie
of parentage would be proved real
/ " broken link-a fact void of signiti-
canoe And therefore the humiliation.
and the grief Of David, were in fact
as balm to her.
''W ny, yes he said, you must stay
mother Don't fret. something Will
happen for US"
When he began to think of her as
a being to be defended, a woman to
be respected, other thoughts followed
which must have audience; and feel
ings were stirred which claimed hon
orable consideration,
A week passed, and the lost prop
erty was not recovered. Hardness
made himself nuisance with his
searcbings and his questionings One
afternoon he was coming out Of a
jewelers. shop as David passed by.
IF you II step in here minute"
said he, IN show YOU pair ii but
tons l5d:e mine, so if you see them any
where YOU II know them
1t was not strange that Harkness
! should address Burtis IN this manner,
i for David was the friend of every
body; and from the questions he had
asked almost daily, Hardness was al
ready thinking that probably no one
in the Office would have his eve more
intent on search and discovery than
/ he
There it is, he said. You would
be apt to know the pattern if YOU
saw it again. So should l.
True" said David, land III be on
the lookout
The very next morning it was known
throughout the Office that Ilarkness
/ had found his lost treasures They
were in his desk when he opened it,
/ Great was his surprise. and not lit,
! tie his mbarrsSsmcnt, when he made
/ tins discovery. But from the embar.
rassment he recovered speedily, for on
4 closer inspection OF the buttons he
said "ThcSe are not mine NV in.
itial is not on them Then that fact
I circulated, and it was fortunate that
! the pressure Of work was still upon all
/ the clerks. But IN the silence of the
/ apartment a great deal Of thinking
was done. For the most part it was
4 interrogatorv. Every young man was
+ questioning concerning his neiehbors.
! Some of the clerks went so far as to
/ take inventories of the characters Of
] their ompanions, but it is safe to say
+ shat the drift Of suspicion did not turn
I in Young Burtis direction
/ But he sat in his place as If every
/ eve was upon him. Suddenly fire
seemed kindled in his brain: and his
/ heart grew cold He wrote on at
rate that would have warranted the
office IN the dismissal Of halfa dozen
/ hands had it been possible for mortal
to continue at that pace. But by
and-by his heart began to warm and
his brain to cool. lis pen ceased to
fly along the pages.
"What am p he asred himself
again and again; and the only answer
! that would come-and it seemed not
to proceed from himself-was. I" Her
SON : Say so. then!" urged the
voice. And then the fact began -
make itself perceived that suspicion
no Iongct rested on the sub. b.ianitrcss
but was fastening or he knew not
which one Of his fellows. He laid
J down his pen and looked around him
+ The clerks were intent on their busi-
ness. He took u his pen again
I that weapon which in his hands had
been weapon Of offense-and dipped
/ it in tbs INK once more lie might
- we'll let things take their course
+ But. no At the same time this
/ temptation assaIlcd him he SAID
I Z" Hardness p
/ His voice was not lifted to nigh
KEY but there must have been some
thing uncommon, even startling. in
f the tone. for every man in the room
lifted bic ewes. and the attention 50
/ far arrested was held
:. put those buttons ii your desk,
David continued.
" II hat for?' asked lIarknegs, Dis.
pleased ~ advance
To stop vour talk, / don: know
what has become of the ones vou lost;
but my mother was worrying the life
out Of her on account Of your susri-
cions. l hope yon will keep the but
tons
I would DC pleasant to add, that,
right on this speech. which electrified
as we'll as amazed the hearers-and
there was not soul IN the room that
lid not hear it-Stopp walked in
lie did net. IF he had-but he did
not !
Hardness looked at David, -ni was
more than minute in taking his
meaning then his face became very
ra1 rnS fa lo~aad augrv nd fpcli.h