The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-12-07
MR.. ANONYMOUS.
PRESENT.

One afternoon toward the end of Sep
tember, the clocks in the City of Lon
don struck four, and the daily routine of
business in the house of Pumkin Broth
ers came to close. These events were
not peculiar to that particular day, but
story must have beginning. The
numerous clerks closed their ledgers and
slowed away their papers with far great
er alAcrity than they had shown in
bringing them out some six or seven
hours before; and as they put on their
overcoats, hats and gloves, they begun to
chat with each other. One had got an
order for the theatre for two, and asked
where, and then go thither others were
members of volunteer corps, and were
in hurry to get on their disguises and
go and be half-right turned somewhere.
All had some personal object, pertaining
to love, war, pleasure, or dinner in view |;
in short, the striking of the clock had a
magic power, and turned them from me-
chsnical cogs into men.
One young man went up to the head
OF a department, and from him received
papers, which he put into the breast
pocket of his coat, and then walked off
without speaking to his fellow-clerks,
beyond bidding good afternoon to one
or another, and asserting once or twice
to the fact OF the weather being fine.
"a mean beggar, that Mapleson," said
Jones, as he arranged the flower in his
button-hole."
"Ay," replied Brown. "He dimes for
a shilling"
And inks the rim of his hat"
perhaps he is poor" suggested the
charitable r obinson.
Poor" cried Jones. "Who isn't
Millionaires are not commonly found on
clerks stools. He has his salary, and he
is not married; and yet, he stints, and
never goes anywhere, or does anything"
"Perhaps he has a vice." suggested
Robinson, who always fought the battle
of the absent.
"Ah! he may have, certainly" re-
piled Jones the Just.
"But it isn't only his meanness," said
Brown, who had made overtures to Ma
pleson, which had been met with more
politeness than cordiality :" he is so con.
foundedly stuck up. Now, of all pride,
l hate mean pride"
The unconscious subject of all this dis
paragement walked down Cheapside to
st. Paufs Churchyard, where he stopped
before bonnet-shop.
"Still there" he muttered: that is
lucky. How well it will become her p
He entered, bought the bonnet which
had taken his fancy, and with the little
cardoox in his hand, started off in the
direction OF lslington. In vain did
Hanson csbbies raise their whips, and
omnibus cads cry "Tom Toni" He
walked every step of the way home.
Home was parlor on the ground
hoor-a bright and cheerful parlor, the
ornaments and furniture of which,
though not costly, wtre in perfect taste.
There were flowers there was a pisno.
open music and books lay about in a
comfortable, but not untidy way. Home
presently, tea treated as meal, not the
meaningless supplement late diners un-
derstand by the term.
what do you think, Harry ex-
claimed the young lady in the course of
the meal.
"Think ?" replied Henry Mapleson,
with his mouth full; "why, think that
If there were many men OF fortune who
knew that l had sister who could
make such anchovy toast as this. they
would soon carry her off from me-"
Young men of fortune do not marry
their cooks; the new bonnet is much
more likely to rid you of me. But what
4 was going to say was. Wa have got a
goose"
Z" 1t isn't you, pussy, and 1t is not me-"
quoted the brother, turning to the cat.
"Oh, what grammar
"The verb 'to get takes an accusa-
tive, Susan. But about the goose. How
did you steal it"