Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1871-06-22
MisfetIa eans.
F itz Hume's Experiment,
HOW 1T SUCCEEDED.
BY HARLAN Z. WARD.

Mr.. Augustus FNz-HumeS sas IN DIS
luxurious bachelor establishment on
B Street and pondered deeply
The subject of his cogitstion was wife,
or rather how to get one.
There were enough young ladies who
would be glad to bless their lucky stars
for the privilege Of being mistress of his
home as he we'll knew, but he also felt
tolerably we'll assured the homo was all
they cared for For the fortune they
would wed its owner.
Deuce take the money! he exclaimed.
| wish I'd never had cent and then
but botheration. Then | should have
been too poor to marry any way. Why
couldn't have had just enough for all my
wants and nothing more. I'll foil them
though-the mean adventuresses.
A furious pull of the bell-chord brought
the housekeeper to the room in hurry.
Pack up your traps, Mrs. Ashfeld he
exclaimed abruptly, for am going to
close up the house.
1t was evident that be had come to some
conclusion.
Shut up the house, Mr.. FitzHumes ?
CALCULATED the housekeeper, almost believ-
ing she had lost her reason. Why
such thing has not occurred since your
lamented uncle took possession 6ve-and-
forty years ago.
That makes no difference, ma'am, I'm
master here, now, and shall close it up
for the present. Meanwhile, your pay
can still 20 on, and that of such domes-
tics as you consider indispensable. Have
you no relatives you wish to visit! ne in
quired.
That settled it. The profer Of contin-
ued pay removed Mrs. Ash6sld's scruples
quite effectually. She then rcmemem-
bered she had some friends she had not
seen for years.
Three days afterwards Mr.. Fitz- Humes
was safely domiciled in a quiet board
ing house, and shortly afterwards he be-
gan to sell his diamond rings, and seals,
and other pharaphernalia of fashion able
life, as we'll as wear palmer clothes.
A rumor that bis property had all been
lost through an unlucky specula ton was
soon afoat
He lost friends rapidly By twos and
threes they ceased to know him as they
met h i'm on the street. He only laughed
and snapped his fingers at them behind
their backs. Had this been real he
would not have felt like laughing.
Ten came the time when his circle of
acquaintances got narrowed down to three.
Bat three of all his former friends still
chung to him, true in adversely. 1t is no
wonder that be grew misanthropic.
Out upon the street one day ne met a
carriage containing some of his former
acquaintance who had been absent from
the city since be closed his house. He
thought they would not notice him, but
each inmate Of the carriage bowed politely
as of old.
They have not heard the news, he mat
tered, cynically. He was mistaken.
That night the owner Of the carriage
came to see him.
Rather close quarters, my Fl lend. said
he as he took calm survey of Augustus
not very pretentious surroundings.
Pretty close. that's fact, said Mr..
Fitz- Humes, icily. But since lost my
property, of which I suppose, you haven't
heard, have become quite economical.
But haze heard cried his auditor, alb
ruptly. and that is way came. knew
you needed friends now if ever, and the
fact is wsll-my daughter, sir--I mean
l came 10 offer the position of head clerk
in my counting-room. Will you accept
| it?
Ahem Well, I will think of it. But
it is a long way from my boarding-room.
Deuce take your boarding house. You
can board in my family as a-well-as q
sort of guest you know.
Augustus looked him over closely
Reuben Stanly was wealthy man-very
wealthy he was called--and in his face
there was nothing to warrant the suspicion
that be had learned Augustus secretand
wished to curry favor by aiding him while
under an apparent cloud, SO that idea was
speedily dismissed. Of course he quick
| ly thanked him and accepted.
Once costly Struggled. in the Stanly
mansion, it was not long before he won.
dered why he had not noticed Nellie
Stanley before. She did not seem to feel
above him, notwithstanding the wide diff
ference in. their positions, and treated him
as cordialiy--more cordially he thought
as before the change in his fortunes. He
would not have been human, had he not
| - 1<xvo
The climax ctme when she gave .
grand party. Then before the elite Of the
c;tv she did not hesitate to receive