Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-03-29
ALEXANDRIA, PARISH RAPIDEs, LA. I21.-L . o 10o.

"a thousand isn't much, any way, ,
said the man of tens of thousand, tipping
back In his chair. and picking his teetf
elegantly; "but the morale your subscrip
ton lends Is something. Our very singu
lar and unfortunate fires, you see. The
fact that men like yourself have entrusted
their savings to us gives us desirable stand
ing"
but Dolly. with closed lips, counted hel
stitches.
What do you say, Dollyr
"Tve said my say, Iiphalet. In sick
ness or misfortune we might fall back OF
Rube's money, otherwise I'd rather II
remained In the bank"
+" A thousand dollars, sir, -" continued
the little old lady, sufficiently humble be
fore this man Of means-"a thousand dol.
lars that's been saved bit by bit and laid
up in five dollar bills for pertickeler OBJ
ject, seems different from thousand dol
lars that's just one of many going up and
down and trucking around in business,
SIR"
The light-eyed Swinton played with his
watch-chain nervously. An unsophisti.
Gated old woman, this-being solicitor
for her patronage was not agreeable, bu:
in business" very disagreeable things
have sometimes to be done.
"This deposit, then, was made for the
benefit of your son, Reuben. His death
was great loss to you; loss to the COM
munity. Rube was full of life and enter
prise. He would have made apublic-spir-
tied man. wish he were alive nOw."
Artford Swinton's small, light eyes
could detect human weaknesses; Artford
Swinton's quick apprehension and tact en-.
abled him to work up those weaknesses
| for his own interests. When, q half hour
later, he passed out between the lilac
clumps, he carried on his paper Uncle
'Liphalet's subscription, and in his pock-
ct Uncle 'Liphalet's bank book.
"My hand trembles 80, hain't made all
the letters very goed," Uncle 'Liphalet
had said as he removed his spectacles
and critically surveyed his labored sigma
ture.
"we must trust you to take care of 1t
for us sir; father and don't know any
thing about business" Aunt Dolly had
said as she relinquished the precious little
blue book.
Certainly, rely on mel do assure
you'll shall remember the circumstances.
Any favor that it is In my power to con-
fer Mr.. Swinton had said glibly.
Aunt Dolly stepped to the window with
her knitting, and watched the man as
he struck light for his cigar on her gate
post.
II wish we hadn't done it, 'Liphalet," /"
said she.
"OhI don't say so, Dolly, donA."
81 don't like his eye, and for ali he talks
so open and honest he seems to me like
a close man, man who keeps something
back"
"You mustn't be prejudiced agin him,
Dolly, because he appears leetle vain and
flashy. Men amt now what they were in
our days. He comes of an honest, obleeg-
ing kind of q family, and they call him a
very smart young man, Dolly"
Time with its incidents and accidents
went on, and Aunt Dolly grew used to
thinking of Rube's money as in Swinton's
hands. This certificate Of stock In the
"Native Village manufacturing COM
pany" was carefully laid away, and she
no longer spent slespless nights over
it, nor sighed when the matter was men-
toned.
The mill went up and the operatives
came; real estate rose again, and the Ma
tive Village fiourished. Uncle 'Liphalet
peddled out early potatoes, sweet corn,
and mutton by the quarter; and Artford
Swinton, though he had president, and
directors, and clerks, and Heaven only
knows what else around him, was "The
Company" and smoked cigars - best
brand or none-gave the company's note,
and forever stroked the foxy-colored mus
tache. While he carried on the cotton
manufacture he did still more flourish.
ing business in the manufacture of facts.
He heaped facts upon facts on the head of
the president until ne suothered that
gentleman in facts; he piled bales of facts
before the directors until they couldn't
see over the pile; he threw facts into the
eyes of the stockholders until they were
stone-blind; he gave banks and creditors
nepenthe of facts In the social glass. Days
''fxed." Bookkeeping, once a science
designed to show the pecuniary standing
of individuals and companies, now became
an easy and economical method of fix
ing" things. Now and then q dividend
was declared, and the stream that turned
the mill glittered in the sun like the river
Pactolus. Uncle 'Liphalet put greenbacks
into the contribution-box and thanked the
Lord dsily that He was giving him in
crease Of substance.
Then there began to be haze In the air
through which had glittered the river
PactoIus. Swinton said it was smoke
from the Boston fire. 1t grew deRser
and denser.
'sSmoke from that-Boston fire wind
blows it this way, yet" said Swinton, be-
tween the pufis of his cigar.
But smoke has an unpleasant effect on
mems eyes, and meeting after meeting
was held to devise measures to get rid of
it. Uncle 'Liphalet, at these meetings,
sat silent and trembling, listened to talk
that he could no more understand than
the chattering of ChOctaws, and was
shown statements that he could no more
comprehend than the inscriptions on
Pompey's pillar. The Man of Facts
lounged in an attitude of such elegance as
men are wont to assume when BY them
selves, and agreed with everybody, as
sured everybody, was for .'putting this
thing through" and offered his facts for
this latter purpose with astounding lib
erality. Alack the Swinton cigar smoke,
though 1t rose gracefully, and curled
around the heads of the stockholders, ma
turally mingled with the smoke of the
Boston fire, and mems visions became