The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-09-08

THE HOUSE OF PENNYPACKER,
BY ]. w. WATSON.

WAgRENER stretched his head far out
OF the widow OF the carriage as we
passed a small, low-built, o~ld-fashioned
house, that looked az if it might have seen
better days, but at that particular moment
seemed 10 be what is technically called,
"going to the dogs" There was a deep
and eager interest in his gaze which /
could not help noticing, and which he
could not help seeing excited my curl
Osity.
"Do you see that mouse ?" he asked.
"Of course | do. Who could help see
ing it has had eyes?"
"Well, sir, l could tell you a story con-
nccted with tnat house which has inilu-
enced my whole life"
III tDerc Is anything l am always oren
Tor, & is 8 story, provided there is anything
IN 81 Therefore l said.
And why don't your"
We were going out Of town to dine,
Warrener and l, and when these words
were spoken we're passing through what
had once been, am in a less degree is still,
2 prominent business street in Phiiadel-
rhia. AS we went he told the story, and
L h give 1t In his own words, suppress
ing merely such ss were in snsHeT to the
ordinations Of the listener;
That house twenty years ago was one
OF the strongest and sturdiest of our
private banking houses, and 1 was q
clerk N It half 2 dozen years, learning
under excellent tuition principles OF
1lnance that rave since stood me in good
stead. 1t was known as the house of
"tennYpacker and Son )" and though,
strictly speaking, there was no son, the
elder Pennypacker having departed this
lie before L knew % the estabii shment,
yet Il kept the old title and retained The
DID Sign Ephraim Pennypacker, who
bad been originally the Son" was, when
| hrst knew him, past sixty, and looked at
least twenty ye5fs older. There was a
legend in the Office that ne never bought
any clothes for himself, but went on
wearing those IF his late progenitor, by
which he always remained twenty years
behind the age in dress, IS in all things
else Not but what the house of Penny
pacSc- - Scr kTseW re one grand sec1si
OK hing money, bar 81 y, If l may use
TIE tenn, made it st0lidiy and steadily
there was no flash about their operations,
and 1 verify believe that if anybody had
proposed TO Old EDhraim such a thing as
speculation, lie would have stood a rare
CHARGE of immolation before escaping
into the street.
o&t Al tiS@O WGS liz SUI, tEClC was q
daughter, and a very nice girl she was,
Lydia Pennypacker Was her name. At
some time, without doubt, Lydia had had
a mother, but not within her w recol
lection and we-that IS, myself and the
other cleFks-had no legend in reference
TO this to guide cur researches. We al
knew that Lydia was a pretty girl and Q
good girl, that she was Just turned twenty
at the time, l mean, when my story re-
ally begins-and that her father treated
her badly not merely through neglect
Z niggardIiness, but sometimes to The
extent OF brutal h~arshness, including even
the infection Of blows. In saying this ]
do not mean TO assert that Ephraim Pen
nypacker was in all respects a bad man
but he was absorbed in the acquisition O
wealth, and in his treatment of his daugh
ter seemed to act as though he resented tht
cost OF her support, or w8s wreaking upon
ner some malice nurJured against Nature
ior having cast upon him a useless bur
den, IN place OF tke "Son" to whom tn.
house of Pennypacker had a natura
claim. Many a time l nave caught tht
poor girl in tears, and many a time hav'
i hadtO dissuade her from a resolve to ru1
away from home and earn her own living
III s0me other city.
~ No u Il cUu( packer O DDu u
lodged and boarded with Ephraim, in
house not far distant from the office. Tn,
discipline was strict. We could not be on
after nine in the evening. Our meal
we're symbols O. dyspepsia, not only il
the quality OF the viands, but in the 81
lence and gravity with which they wer
consumed. | have often thought sine
that nothing could have saved Us all from
the pangs OF that terrible disease, save tn
Tact that the quantity served to us va
TOO small to make any serious dcman'
upon the digestive organs of a babe.
When l speak of all the clerks, / speal
only OF four, for Ephrsim believed in get
ting the largest amount Of work out @
the smallest amount Of clerk, and carried
this belief into extreme practice. Of thes
CLERKS my story is concerned with onl
One-John Barrett. He was my room
mate, and acting cashier and paying tel
Ter n the absence of Ephrsim, and some
times in his presence. John was sevel
years my seniOr-though he never claim
ed anything on that score-and not Of
social nature: / have known him sit
whole evening in our little room withou
speaking q word. His associations wer
very limited indeed, under our d~isciplin
they could not well be otherwise, as bu
part OF Sundays, and about an hour BE-
tween breakfast and work, was all tn
time We had TO cultivate outdoor coul
%tesles, q the evening hours fror
seven to nine, and these we're not AWAY
our own. AGd now, having TO a ccrtai
extent described my ~personages, 1 wi
proceed to give the opening scene in TIA
drama.
II was q very hot day In midsumme,
and every one in the office went about hi
work In a dozy condition. know that q
it approached three o'clock 1 caught IN,
self mapping on my high stool, and shout
perhaps have proceeded farther than
nap but for two reasons-frstly, that tn
nigh stool would inevitably have droOpe
me; and, secondly, Mr. Ephraim Penny
packer, who was out upon Change, migf
be expected TO pop in at any mOmen
Toward three there entered a lady, rathe
elegantly dressed, not very young, bI
with q face which once seen could M
easily be forgotten. 1t was somewhs
handsome in outline, but hard and stOn,
with a cold blue eye that spoke little
sentiment and everything of bushes
She went straight TO John Barrett's desl
which was next to mine, and p~resente
a cheque. Her entrance, though quie
aroused every one in the Office, for ladi,
were not SD often seen in places of bus
ness then as now. Only John and /, how
ever, saw her face. John took the cheou
looked 1t over in the usual way, gave
glance ct the lady, and. After asking he