Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-10-16
MOST MYSTERIOUS.
A YOUNG CLERKS STORY.

| 19OSV Ay8VEkSxVO0s
A YOUNG CLERKS STORY.
While was with Troy & Robin.
SONNY first clerkship, by the way,
used to count great deal on my
vacation-it was four weeks in Sep.
tember--and lay good many plans
about spending it pleasantly. OF
course an invitation to some nice
place was very acceptable, for a jun
ior clerks salary is not often large;
and this year, 18--, no matter for
the last figures, l was very much in
hopes of two, one from my maternal
grandmother in Virginia, another
| from my old friend Charlie Pell, who
had some months before promised to
ask me to his mothers residence near
Boston. Now my grandmother was
a rich woman who had been a beau
ty, and was very much of the opin-
ion that she would always remain
one. She had plenty of company,
and her house was very pleasant, in
deed, and I knew that Mrs. Pcll,
though an excellent woman, was
very formal, and seldom opened the
cold, best parlor, where the piano
was kept in solitary confinement, ex-
cept for prayer-meeting.
If my grandmother invited me, l
should excuse myself to Charlie and
60 to her, and flirt with the girls,
and play whist, and enjoy myself
generally; but if she cheated me, as
she sometimes did, why then I'd ac-
cept the Pells' invitation. Charlie
was a pleasant fellow, and I was a
very little in love with his sister, who
would surely be home from boarding
school. These were my plans, but
as time passed on and brought no
letter from either ofthe parties whom
l had supposed to be my expectant
hosts, my spirits sank, and I looked
forward drearily to the hottest room
in a cheap country clearinghouse,
or the alternative Of staying at home
at Mrs. Ferguson's and hearing how
all the absent boarders were enjoy
ing themselves at the seaside.
Just as l had quite begun to de-
spair, however-indeed, it was the
twenty-eighth of July-the earliest
post brought me two letters, one a
pale blue envelope, on which l recog-
nized my grandmother's fine, running
hand; the other a white, business
looking affair, bearing Charlie Pell's
wild scrawl.
Two invitations at once. l chuck
led with delight; and having hurried
up to my own hall bedroom quite for
getful of my breakfast, I tore open
the blue envelope, out of which tum-
bled something crisp and green,
which, on examination, proved to be
a banknote for one hundred dollars,
and which astonished me very much,
for my grandmother had never made
me any presents of more value than
a flat pin-cushion and pen-wiper at
Christmas time, and read these mys-
terious words:
DEAR RICHNOND:--I know you expect
an invitation, and meant to ask you, but
circumstances have occurred that prevent
me from having the pleasure. am more
your friend than ever, but l fear l can
never ask you to visit me again. If do
not you must only lose my poor company
for shall send you what you find enclos
ed every month, and will always lie,
Yours devotedly, c. RICHMOND.
P.S. will explain in my next.
"Singular!' l said. And quite un-
able to suggest a reason for my
grandmother's singular conduct, l
pocketed her present and opened the
other noto. 1t was equally mysteri-
Gus:
DEAR RIcH.:--You promised to come to
me for vacation, and you must, but not to
mothers house. am at -, at the no.
tel there, and have arranged matters SO
that We may have guest. Come at once.
You will be very much surprised at some
thing which l shall tell you when we
meet. Yours, ever,
CHARLES PELL.
"No use trying to solve this prob
lem, either" l said to myself. "Well,
I'll go to Charlie. He seems to want
me. The hotel will be jollier than
the homestead"
And then I went down stairs to
breakfast and ate cold hash and
drank fiat coffee without complaint.
There were but three days more of
it, and then came a month of loung-
ing, smoking and enjoyment. At
least / was young enough to hope
SO.
1t was night when loft the train,
and, portlnanteau in hand, entered
-. Just at the depot stood
light carriage.
"Rich., old fellow" cried a voice,
and hurried forward to grasp Char
lie Pell's hand.
"pm so glad to see you," said he,
"and I've SO much to tell you-jump
in. Let me take your traps. Now
shake hands again and congratulate
me-Tm married"
"Marriedw almost shouted.
"Why, bless your heart, Charlie, &C
cept my very warmest congratula-
tons! And how did it come about?
And what does your mamma think
about it, and-and-"
"My dear Rich.," said Charley,
''there's the unhappy part of the sto-
ry; they are furious. They have
said and done the most dreadful
things. I think they wanted me to
live and die an old bachelor; but at
one and twenty, my dear fellow, a
man must think of settling, you
know, and it's absurd for them to be
so implacable. And my lady is, per-
haps, a year or two older than l am,
and very lively-a gay young widow
you know-and that they find fault
with.
"'Don't bring her to my house,
says mamma-indcc.: she did; but
you-you, I know, have sympathy
with me. You comprehend that l
could not forget one l adored, be-
cause an old lady and little girl
told me to do so. You'll understand
that no one in my place could, when
you are introduced to Lofty. l met
her while on business trip for the