American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-02

u
long duration, as. before they were great
ly diminished. l discovered another job.
tor which certainly had made no calcu-
lations.
1t was a mistake, resulting entirely
through the carelessness of the indOrse r
| Immediately saw seven-mile trip into
the country for some OF the bank-clerks.
and suspected 1t would more than likely
tall 10 my lot. l could not help mentally
matchmaking all people in general, and
this man in particular, for being SO loose
about business affairs, and apparently car
ing little how much trouble and incOn-
venience they gave to others. After APP
peaiiag 10 the president for his decision.
it turned out just as 1 had anticipated :
first thatsome one must go out and see
the man personally; and, second, that
must be that unlucky ''some one.'' The
Job bad just single rcdeeming feature,
which was, that a day or two or even
three made no special difference, other
wiseit really would have been beyond my
Christian fOrbearance, as it was already
late, and was tired, and the afternoon
hot and disagreeable.
l waited until Thursday, vainly hoping
that the heat might moderate, or that it
might rain, but the morning dawned with
out any change in the temperature. Find
ing it impossible to delay the matter still
longer, l went over to the 1ivery-stable,
ordered the buggy, and, as I had previ-
ouslv gained Georges consent to accom-
pany me-fOr there is no society | would
quicker avoid than my own drove to
his lodgings and picked him up without
Wasting much time.
After all, ] did not know but it was bet
ter than being cooped up in the bank,
which, if it was not as bright, was con-
siderably hotter, for the wind felt very
pleasant blowing softly against our faces,
aud In Ivyfv,r OH fhA
spreading far out as the eye could reach,
were much more entertaining than the
musty pages of a ledger. The cherries
hung dead ripe upon the trees the black
birds chartered about them to each other
with red-stained bills, and the cats.
stretched lazily in the sunshine, watched
the winged robbers with no charitable
feelings. The leaves, if they were
thirsty. complained but gently, and In the
fields the grasshOppers without tagging
still held their jubilee, and from the level
pastures farther off came the sound of dis
tant bells, and sometimes close by the
roadside the farmers whetted their
scythes.
Yes, it was certainly not so disagreea-
bic as l had imagined, and, while we
rolled pleasantly along, 1 experienced
quite revolution of feeling toward the
author of this forced journey. When we
arrived at our destination. and were ush-
cred into his presence, the business was
speedily accomplished, and, after l had
satisfied what remained of my irritable
feelings, by showing, in gentlemanly
manner, the Nervousness of the mistake.
and fully impressed the awful cOnse-
quences that might have resulted from it
on his mind we stepped into the buggy
and turned our faces hOmeward. George
returning by our favOrite route,
and, as it would besides save us almost
mile, we crossed over to the Waverley
road.
back, when, for the first time we suffered
from the heat. The singing of the insects
ceased. Every breath of wind had ex-
PRED. and nothing stirred i'm the dead
calm that bound up the land like mighty
spell. The very atmosphere grew stag
nant, and its sulphurOus folds hung over
us with a heavy oppression. The sky
heated stone. had hardly TUNED to
look at the west, when the wind broke
loose with a sudden rush, and the birds,
in their fright, whirled in con-
fused circles. There was no time to be
lost. and knew from experience that
could not manage the horse in a storm.
We drove rapidly for shed which stood
but a short distance beyond.
Already the black cloud that had seen,
an inky point above the horizon, had
reared itself into gigantic mountain and
shot its jagged pinnacles over the zenith,
and few swollen drops of rain splashed
i'm our faces as we gained the shelter. Just
at that moment the strange old man. with
the bow heavier in his back, and his sharp
gray eyes eagerly searching every rut and
gully, came up the road, paying no heed
TO the threatening tempest. Suddenly he
stopped as had seen him before, picked
up Something from the ground, then,
throwing himself back, fiOurished his
long, knotted stick with a wild triumph
ant gesture over his head, and shouted in
. loud metallic voice:
TWENTY-FIVE thousand -
Instantly vivid flash broke from the
edge of the ragged cloud, and ten thou
sand sparks of fire lit up the old man,
who fell upon the road-killed by light
ming.
We ran up to him Immediately, and,
even before the thunder had rolled away, |
the mystery was fully explained, for the |
had been attracted by inaunaer-
ubLe pins, which were stuck straight
through his clothes with their points out
McLandburgh, in AppLe-
,on's Journal.