The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-08-24
[From the New York Lodger.l
ONLY A PEN SCRATCH. !
BY JUDGE CLARK

.,'Oquared up like man r
r {'eTo the fraction. of cent" II
: Z "And the fraction in. our favor ?'
"Trust me for that I" said youn
= like. a2h sd''' '=.a''2 -
> IAN interchange of winks supple;
, the next step in the dialogue, as mucl
9 as to say, tssY ouH do, on the part o
) the old man, and sT know il, >" on th
younger. 0''' ~ - '''' .'.''i
! Cancelled his note afore givin'
q: up, in course Z" the former resumed.
aGaye it to him with the name Gu
"Allus safe plan," said old Ike
with a-nod of mingled approval ant
palsy; 'sotherways, ye see, our indorse
ment might be forged, and US let in
for the, amount to some other holder
But where's the money, Isaac?''
Here il is, grandpa e. sa d 81 {.
Grandfather and grandson, @ it thus
4 appears, were Isaac Crunch, senior and
Junior. They were partners, more
over, as "Crunch+ & Grandson3' But
though Isaac senior had = taken Isaac
Junior the business of lending g
money at granding rates-the interest
of the latter was wholly prospective.
He was valuable assistant, however,
in the way of drafting and collecting
notes, and handing over the proceeds
duties to which he applied himself
willingly enough, leaving the post of
guarding the pelf to. This senior part.
ner,, whom he knew to be, as safe as
any watchdog. -. o...,s...--s
'.He can't last It i for re ever," ta;" young Ike
dutifn1ly reflected, as he watched the
old mans trembling fingers, in which
the bank -notessrustled as he, counted
them, preparatory to locking them
away in the safe, which he afterward
did, standing SO as to conceal the
tfcombination" from his grandson,
distrusting, probably, the maxim,
Two can keep a secret. ,.-,o7-t
Edgar Colton's heart was light. as
he turned his back on the money lend
ers door. With the sum he had bor-
rowed from old Crunch-nominally
from Crunch & Grandson-he had
pulled through a tight place." He
had just paid it back, and the conli
ton of his affairs was such as to rend-
er longer postponcment of his and
Nettie Wilson's happiness unneces-
sary. Nor would it have been delay.
ed, but for circumstance on which it
seemed least of all dependent.
Old Crunch, as he himself would
have phrased it, cupid" and died one.
day-died with his eyes turned visit
fully ON the knob of the iron safe, OH
which their CLASSY gaze remained fix
ed even after he had gone to begin
another world, as years before he had
begun this, without dollar
But what has that to do with Edgar
and Nettie? Have patience, reader,
and you'll see.
Though old Ike was obliged to leave
the safe and its contents behind, he
didn't leave the combination. A blast
of gunpower effected an entrance,
however; and, among other things
brought to light, was book of notes
containing one against Edgar Cotton
for twenty thousand dollars r
When Isaac junior, surviving part
ner of Crunch & Grandson, and sole
heir of Isaac senior, presented this
document, and demanded immediate
Edgar was thunderstruck. |
he had never gwen but one note, and
it he had already paid. Still, there |
was his signature, genuine beyond his
own denial. Although the mystery |
perplexed and confounded him 1t is
if he eheard-certainly he heed !
ed not-not the taunting remark of
Isaac Crunch, as he took his leave,
that ''may. be his memory would be
better by and by" :e.ss.,f
Bad news travels fast; evil reports I
still faster. Before night it was bruit-
ed about that Edcar Cotton had refus-
ed payment of a note of fabulous
whose correctness he didn't |
dare dispute. What had he done
with the money? t'Drank it," said
one. "Gambled it off, another in
sisted while an amount of horror was
depicted in the general countenance
strongly Indicative of the tenderness
Of peoples conscience respecting the
sins of their neighbors.
1t was not the postponement simply,
but the final destruction Of his hopes,
hat now stared Edgar in the face.
Nettie's father was an upright, proud |
spirited man, in whose esteem the re-
oudiation of an honest debt was a
crime next to that Of open theft The I
oestowal of his daughters on one rest |
ng under such a a;stiguia, he , would Z
lave spurned the very, thought off +
What Edgar found it, hardest to
,ear, was Young Crunch's insulting
proposal to surrender the note, provid2
ID Edgar would relinquish all idea OF
carrying Nettie. 1t was well for
saac junior that he made this offer
through another, and for the messen-
er, that he was creature beneath
1
Edgar did at last what he should
ave done at first-laid his. case be-
ore Messrs. Archer 81 CrosbiI, firm
shrewd and able lawyers. t.
eAnd now what's to be done z" he
sked, when he had told his story from
eginning 10 end, and answered the 9
umerous questions wherewith the
lwyers piled him. 80
sFile Bill in Chaneery. I say" $
eplied Crosbil; "and compel Crunch
} make discovery on OATH"
Bills in Chancery were Crosbii's !.
obby. 1t was his opinion that had !
,sau consulted a good equity. practi- !
oner, he would have had no difficulty :
l obtaining relief against uneonscion-
BILE bargains with his brother. Ia
Archer was less free to give an
pfnion. He would first step round {