The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-24

my arm to the dashing wife of on
Junior partner, when she comes into th
Office. / did not mean+.to be exactl
rough with the boy, nor TO eat his hea,
on, but ask any one, what right ha.
an errand-boy to have feelings +? Bles
you! boys should not be sensitive
When think of the lots of snubbin,
l received and how bravely I got owe
IL all There is our junior, the son O
the old gentleman, the founder of tn,
house. The old man when he wa
alive lew his place and / knew mine
He would nod to me when he came in
ana once month, about, would speal
70 me. / do not believe the Junior ever
Knows my name, and as to recognizing
me, fancy it would be as great con
deseenslon on his part as if he was tC
take off his hat to a street-sweep
or. But it is not about mysel1
am writing, but about Clarence
This lunch episode ended by my
opening my window with a sudden ial
and dropping the money on Clarence's
table without word. The mean-spir.
tied fellow absolutely smiled, and went
out with alacrity. If I had been in his
place fifteen years ago, would have let
the money stay there forever. or thrown
it at the fourth clerks head. But BOYS
have not now the pluck that distin-
gu1shed them in our time. Presently
he came back and handed me in nv
luncheon. / never thanked him, I
put it on the cover of the ledger, and
let 1t stay there. I had no appetite for
it. Isat furtively watching Clarence.
Presently he opened his old drawer and
took out his miserable food. This time
it was a minute crust and no cheese.
| Why hadn't the boy cheese? I opened
my glass window and dropped my sand
wich and pie before him.
Where's your cheese, boy ?" I asked.
Amt got any, SIR"
"Why ?"
No answer. What was it my busi-
ness I did not want any of his couf-
dence.
Eat that sandwich, you little
wretch, and the pie, and don't bother
me" and / snapped to my window in a
rage and went to adding up my
columns of figures; but somehow they
wouldn't add. I must needs watch
Clarence. He was munching his bread,
with his back turned to me, and my
luncheon was on the table, untouched.
Some boys are exasperating. Clarence
was especially SO. I raped at my win
dow. The boy was by my side. "You
will go over to Martins stores in Brook
lyn and take this order; and go quickly.
Don't dawdle. You are wanted here
back in an hour to go over to the
Cunard steamer wharf. What makes
You shake so, you little wretch. Why
don't you eat your luncheon ?"
T HnSH r
amt we'll. Afraid could not get back
in the hour; legs kind of weak, sir"
Clarence replied.
or Tony Pastors, Isuppose, and sit up
in the daytime. We will have to get
another boy"
maybe you will," was Clarence's
mean-spirited reply.
"Where is that girl that used to call |
and bring your luncheon ?" asked.
"My sister? Working in tobacco |
factory has ruined her health. I am |
afraid she has some complaint of the |
lungs. Been i'll for two weeks and I |
am such poor nurse"
"Where is your cheese you used to |
eat with that counfounded luncheon of
yours, which you seemed SO fond OFF,"
Hays pot had ss spEthipg EF ARB b4t Int hrfad f%d
of us, poor sis and me. She used to
make So week, and together the $6
helped to keep us but now that she is
too i'll for work, the So [ make, when
room-rent is paid-a room and a closet.
you know-which costs five dollars a
month, what's left over hardly keeps
the life in us. Poor sis, she is SO pa
A. 4 Al |
home your luncheon to her. She might
be tempted to eat something. It don't
amount to much, this trouble of ours, /
sir, suppose we will weather it. Got
the order for the storage at Martins
ready? Will be back soon as l can,
though feeling a little queer and limp
in the legs for the want of sleep. I
amt quite as hearty as / might be-
It's awful trying to hear a poor girl
cough all night and not be able to re-
lieve her. I hope I won't be dis
sir. Mr.. Culpepper, you have
been kind of rough to me at times, but
I haven't sort of minded you. Poor
sis: when she was well-she's not quite
81 yet-for a joke used to call me Mr..
CuIpepper's forger and murderer. She
knows you, sir. Poor Mary! / am
sometimes very down in the mouth
about her, fearing she never will get
we'll again. All ready with that order,
sir ?"
OF coulse the business of the house
had to be attended to. Two hundred
and six bales of South American hides
to be shipped to Boston could not be
and Clarence went on his er-
rand.
It was dusk before our boy came back,
and I missed him. Not a soul in the
Office knew his address. Next morning,
Clarence did not come to the Office, nor
the next day. All that night and the
next night I had to hunt that miserable
boy up, and a precious needlein-the-
business was it. Mother and
I found him at last~by the bedside of
poor girl who was fast going to her last
rest, We helped to bury her. Con-
found the office / was absent from it
for the only day in twenty years which
was not holiday.
Clarence never came back to the store
again. Mother overruled me. Mother
is not exactly a hard woman, but she
said that. since I had been brought up
like a dog in the Office, Ga term by no
means complimentary either to me or to
the firm), Clarence should be free from
the same canine experiences.
Mothers second cousin is from Salem.
He has the reputation of being a hard
man, too In fact, we all come from a
peculiar hard grained and knotty stock.
We may be lasting, and not inclined to
warp or spring, but if you try to hack
at us with an axe or hatchet, why, bless
you the edge of your tool gets turned
in a moment. Well, mothers cousin
sails brig from Boston as captain. The
brig is in the wine trade.
Our foreign mail is just in, and here
is a letter from Clarence, who is nothing
more than a sailor on board of the brig;
NAV be he will remain one all his life,
for there really amt much in the boy,
that can see, save that he has soft
heart. which don't count for anything,
Won know, in the world. He calls me
Uncle Cuipepper, which is rather OF a
liberty, and mother, grandmother. which
is a peculiar kind of a relationship, but
the boy has some very curious and alb
surd traits of character. He writes, in
closing a draft on Boston for twenty
= 1SIIoma EGFo y1r1t a modest fOn bStOD9 |