Wilmington journal., 1873-07-25
EARNING A FEE
A DEACON'S PLOT.

A reasonably good man was Deacon
Pilsey, as times went, but, if he had &
weakness, it was for making things il
general go about as he wanted them tc
go. Not an overbearing man by any
means, and certainly not a violent one
but with wonderfully cute and quite
subtitle ways of his own, by which he
brought matters about without letting
other folks know how the thing was
| done. When man is accustomed tC
have his own way he makes up his
mind pretty easily; but there was one
point of all others upon which Deacon
Pllsey had been set and fixed for years,
and the care of which lay heavy on his
mind, for the time mad come when. in
his Judgment. something deep required
to be planned and all his skill exercised
in carrying it out. To a mind like
his that had taken a perfect measure
of every other i'll the village, and for
miles around it, there could be little
difficulty in selecting his tools and as
sistants, and he had no need Of coun-
sellors. That was how he came to be
| talking so cOnfidentially with Joe
Gaines, as the two stood by the yard
gate
"Why, Deacon" said ice, 81 always
thought you liked Bob Humphrey
He's tip-top fellow, and good match
for any girl 7 know of"
$50 he is, SO he is" said the deacon.
Cant say word agin him. Knew
him from n boy. Can't forbid him the
house OF any of that sort of nonsense :;
but, then, he can't have Irene Wyer. !"
81 don't see how you'll help it, dea-
con. You're only her guardian, and
she's about of age
"Not for Il year yet, that's how the
will reads-and she's in my house, you
know. guess [ can fix some things,
specially if you'll turn III and help
me. You're a lawyer, Joe Gaines, but
you're young one yet, and I'll give
you the fattest fee you ever dreamed
of, If you'll only hitch teams with me
and see that Bob Humphrey don't get
the upper hand"
"WelI. if that's what you're after, SO
its all right and square Id as lief
earn fee one way as another. What's
your programme =
"Weu, you know, there's nigh on
to thirty thousand dollars coming to
Irene Wyer, in her own right, and I've
took the best kind OF keer of it. It's
bin mighty sight of trouble. and all
along I've thought of my son Scott
''Scott Pilsey' interrupted Joe.
''Why he's in California"
He won't be long. He's coming
home inside of six months, and [ want
to keep Irene safe for him They used
to be wonderful thick, and he writ to
her regular ever SO long after he went
away, and So she did to him.
''Do they correspond ROW asked
Joe.
t'No, not now. There's the rub.
That's one reason I'm locking $50 sharp
after Bob. Now J want Won to inst
take hold and try and keep Bob of: till
Scott gets back, Won't be long, and
Irene amt such bad company nohow."
Il don't know, said Joe ''Ihere's
Maggie and her mother. [ conldn't
be particularly attentive to Irene
without their knowing it. And Bob
Humphrey Will be rOuul most of the
time, and it won't be long before [
have the whole village talking the
matter up"
':Never mind that, Joe. never mind
that. Itli he all right when Scott gets
home. I'll give yon the biggest kind
of fee
"Wcll, Deacon" cool'y replied the
young lawyer, cts pretty tough
case but I'lltake it on one condition"
whats that %
"Why, SO long as it's only fun, and
All that, I'll go ahead: but if it seems
rs if | was doing any harm, anything
real bad, you know, Tn to be at lib
crty to back out
"Well, I don't mind, so long as you
let me know in time"
Aud SO the deacon and the lawyer
discussed their plot to their satisfac-
ton, and when all was settled. the
latter took his way down the broad and
grass grown street of the village.
"The old shark he muttcreI, as he
strolisd leisrltely along. What on
earth put it into his plotting old head
to pitch on me for his tool? He never
was mnrc'n half decent to me before.
| reckon I'll earn my fee, but I'll be
fair and square with Bob Humphrey
What would Irene say i she knew
what was up? Wouldn't those black
eyes of ,ers strike fire?
Now it happened, that Of late, un-
known, perhaps, to the deacon, there
had been growing up more than a lit
tie c}Oscness OF intimacy between Joe.
Gaines and Bob Humphrey, and that
it was treac!ery to his friend as well
as unfairness to the pretty heircss, to
which the young lawyer had allowed
himself to be bribed by the deacon's
promised fee.
A deep fellow was Joe Gaines, and
marvellous manipulation of social
affairs. Again and again, as days and
l..
gratulate himself on his admirable
selection, and cLuckie in his inmost
being as he Witnessed the well-con-
trived success of Joe's manceuvres.
There were picnics and drives and
parties and entertainments Of various
kiuds, Int i'll vain did Bob Humphrey
invite oT propose; the young lawyer
was sure to be beforehand with him,
and it almost seemed as if sweet, nm
assuming Maggie piIsey herself, the
dcacon's daughter, had joined the Sc
crct league against her friend Ireno,
SO often was the same excuse devised
by which she was made to appear i'll
the lattcrs stead
Then, too, were the home evenings
at the de:tcon's house. when the subtle
minded riottar could have hncgcu
llmSe1 Win satisfaction rs Hc Sit by
and witnessed with his own eyes the
admirable manner IN which 10" Game $
worked for his fee.
'sIt takes t lawyer, after ALL" said
he 10 himself Il don't care much
what he charges, I only hope he II
teep it mp that way till Scott gifts homa
again. And then to see Eob Hum
phrey Why the fellows = t the per
severance OF the saints, but he ain t
! nowhere with Jo" Gaines.
i as for Irene Wyer herself, her red
| lips laughed and pouted, and her
| bright black eyes sparkied and deep
ened. and her life seemed flowing on
ward very pleasantly. as if no deep
laid plots and schemings had any pow
or over her or her happiness More
over. through 1t al!, Joe Gaines seemed
to maintain the most complete exterr
nal semblance of frank hearted friend
ship with Bob Humphrey. Odd as II
may seem, the young lawyer also found
that his practice had undergone Il very
sensible increase, caused mainly 10y
the warm. though covert enco.aiumE