Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-26

"a deficiti Tictom, what ?" Were the
walls of the universe-the Soetown Bank
-crumbllng? 1t was a dream. How queer
~ dreams come! No. no, Jerry Tictom,
he was no dream. The tear of "tho boy"
was no dream. And lie himself, Greeley
Grm-was he dream2 No, be was fact,
aud "the boy" was fact Blu Tici M,
what was he
Are you sure2" quesicd the Presidcut,
finally.
"Sure," replied Jerry.
"IIow mueh2' Mr.. Grim shivered.
Every one of his eighty winters seemed
showing their SHOWS upon his unprotected
head.
"Six cents ~ responded the cashier pa
thetically.
"Tictom," said the President-'tis sur
prising how laconic we can be when deal
ing with m misfortunel Tictom had always
the "Mr." from the President until this
unhappy moment; the cashier felt the
change, and many of the planets of per-
spiration upon his bald head rolled from
their places and became unhappy spots of
Tictom upon the floor.
'if twas thousand dollars, I'd draw my
check for it but a .cussed four-pence-ha'-
penny deficit 'Tis damnable, Mr.. Tic
tom, Mr.. L. felt thankful for the restora-
ton of the title-"Pll go home."
"Tbe boy" helped him on with his. sur
tout he proceeded to his visitor in the 9TH
er room and they withdrew.
The cashier dismissed 'the boy' and was
alone with his sorrow-his first error. He
put away the bills and tho cents, the gold,
that seemed to have no value in them
now. He whetted his knife and cut quill
for to- morrow's work, but he spolt it an
other and another likewise. He gave up
the pen business. He raked the Goals up
on the hearth, covered them carefully with
ashes, and, simple as was the proceeding,
he drew comfort from it,
Locking the bank he turned towards
home. AS he passed the church yard, he
paused longer than usual before moss
covered stone with the inscription-"Sa-
cred TO the memory of Ruth, moss con-
cealed tho remainder, except the figures
49," Then he thought of the same words,
"to the memory of Ruth" craven on his
heart, which the moss could never reach to
cover.
At the tea table he left his toast scarcely
tasted. Good Mrs. Holm, suspecting some
freak of appetite sent Joanna, her trustiest
maid, to the closest for a jar of strawberry
jam. He declined it. Though she could
conceive no i'll beyond the reach of her jam
to cure, she lamented now that she had
spared her ounce jelly.
Her alarm was fully aroused when, lat
er, Jerry d ID not call for mis- evening dough-
nut and glass of milk. She Immediately
put some thoroughwort on the hearth to
steep. Then her womanly fancy conjured
Thousand possible contingencies. She
opened her Bible to look at Jerry's sigma
tuIe at the bottom Of Seetown bank bill
between the leaves of the book of job
"If anything should happen 10 Mr.. Tie
;1m," she said to herself as she smUothed
out the note tendory, II would name my
rarlor tongs alter him. And With this
consoling prom Use her heart grew happier
Jerry meanwhile satin the old parlor be-
fore a cheerful fire of birch and pine wood
| ii G would have taken flight into his idea
world, but the days disaster held him
| down. Nevertheless, FIRE and tongs had
for him their wonted charm.
Well for him who, after some misfortune
of the day, can retreat to the chimney cor
ner and throw evil forebodngs upon the
evening backlog!
He fell like some great captain who has
lost battle; we all know how. For aIt
we not all captains of something in our lit
| tie way? Have we not all had our losses
of battl es, or marbles, or sweethearts, oil
chances of promotion?
Hours went. Out of the birch and pint
boughs came to him all kinds of woodland
melodies and the garnered fragrance o
twenty years.
Next .mornin 6 he approached The day.
labor with reluctance. The fire was per
feet, a nd the woman who put the rooms tC
rights had added many a womanly touci
that he felt.
But he must begin the day with an entry
unheard of in the books-those stately
scrupulous volumes of the Seetown Bank
A Suspense" account. The word had
fearful look in English. If he only knew
Greek, that he might put it in that charac
ter!
He looked out of the window upon th,
wharf at which a Nova Scotia schoone
was unloading wood. He watched as i
came tumbli ng out. What a landscape il
to the painter, what a block of marble is Il
he sculptor, cargo of wood was TO Jerr,
Tictom he confessed its capabilities, bu
could not bury himself now in their con
temptation.
Jesper Frown was a saving wood nea
by, thinking of Tommy Teet and wishing
he were messenger of the bank. "Bu
he will drop off one of these days." though
Jesper, land then" Now Frown was th
senior Of Tommy by several years, but sal
men think all men mortal but themselves.
"If l were only wood saver" though
Jerry.
The negro steward of the schooner wa
deep in the, to him, intellectual employ
ment OF frying nap-jacks for the captains
breakfast. Occasionally he went from ca
boose to cabin with the product of his art
return ed and began again his labor will
sleepy unconcern. Once in his little jour
ney the darkey rolled his eyes unwilling
ly toward the window where Mr.. Ticton
ST ood, and that person drew back out o
sight, feeling that everybody and every
thing, from the negro to the ruler on tn,
desk before him, knew OF his misfortune
He turned to his ledger. No; he woulC
not give suspense" the honor of a ful
page. So he placed it under collection
DIR. Suspense .0
To error
Every letter OF the words looked to hin