Omaha daily bee., 1874-09-24
HOW A TAIL0R'S BILL WAS
SETTLED.

"The fact is, Gus" said my friend
Vandewater, in reply to some conf
Dental bewailing on my part,
"you're neglecting to invest a splen-
did capital If / had a presence
like yours I'd take advantage of it
to do away with the want of money
at once and forever. I'd marry
money, and enough of it to make
the future plain sailing. Do you
suppose nature gave you these adj
vantages to let them rust in idleness?
Don't hide your gifts in a napkin,
my boy; make Use of them while
you may; strike while the irons
hot-in other words, marry money
while you're young and handsome
and attractive!
I blushed with some kind of a
feeling, a mixture of offended pride
and sbashed consciousness that a
sneaking idea of this kind had al
ready entered my head, of a desire
to take advantage of it, and an
ignorance how to go about it.
But Van helped me out.
"There's my cousin Gertrude he
said; "she isn't a bad-looking wo-
man. She's high bred, you know,
and all that sort of thing-high>
nosed, too, for that matter, but not
a bad-looking woman. Nothing
will do for her but a tip-top appear
ance, majesty of form, grace of de-
meanor, plenty of style, and all that.
Pm afraid she'll be taken in some
time with the outside gliding and
marry some of these chaps always
providing around women with
money"
looked at Van and burst out
laughing.
"WelI but you're a gentleman,
FIthian. Hang it ! if mans a
gentleman he car afford to do any
thing. happen to know she looks
upon you with decided favor, and l
don't mind confessing I'd like the
arrangement myself. You see, it's
a great deal for me to feel that 1
can trust Gertrude's happiness in
your hands,"
Uknew what Van meant. He was
working hard for a perennial foun-
tain as a resource on desperate oc-
casions. But the best advice isn't
always free from selfishness; per-
haps a goodly quantity of this med
ium lends strength and flavor to
the persuasion, as it certainly in
wolves earnestness and sincerity.
Long after he went AVA that
! night l thought of the project, and
by dint of severe necessity and
weighty prejudices persuaded my
self that the sweet out1avored the
bitter ; and perhaps it was the best,
if not the only way out of my pres
emf difficulties.
Resolving upon immediate action,
I went to work on the following
morning with an ardor worthy of a
better cause.
My first visit, of course, was to
my tailor. was indebted to this
worthy tradesman for the biggest
part of my grace so pathetically re-
ferred to by Vanderwater, and was
perfectly well aware that, without
his aid and art, the fine castles rear
ed during the proceeding night
would tumble ingloriously about my
ears. / already owed him a large
sum of money, the very immensely
of which gave me courage to ask for
more. If he had been induced, /
argued, to advance so much capital
with scarcely a chance for interest
alone, how much easier it would be
to secure more when 1 was fully de-
termined upon improving the lucky
element which nature and himself
I had thrown in my way.
Hound him i'm rather a gloomy
humor, and his remarks were very
depressing.
1.-THE fact is" he said, "Tm tired
oft. There's got to be a stop some
where, MI. Fithian. Me and my
family is coming to ruin if this goes
on much longer. It's riot at home
and it's riot abroad, and flesh and
blood can't stand it. We've got to
take a back seat, me and my fami-
ly, while folks that we dress from
the skin out look down on us and
shove us further to the wall. If they
see us at the opera or at church,
THEY'RE binder nor bats, and walk
right over us. But, Lord! Lord !!
how clever they are when they
come to the store! !"
Igathered from these remarks
that my worthy patron had VEN
tured into soceity lately, and had
naturally come to grief.
"Wnen you get tired of beating
about the bush, Bigby," 1 said, "I
will be very glad to know what's
amiss. If it's the old thing about
the money, I can'thelp you, though
I have a capital chance of getting
out of trouble if you'll hold on a
while but if it's anything else, I'll
do my best to explain it,"
"It's that there charity concert,
them" he said, Indignantly. "Me
and my wife and daughter we went
there the other night, and Hattie
she was monstrous taken with a
young gentleman a few seats ahead
of us. / don't deny he always does
honor to the clothes he wears, and
never did L see a finer fit than that
there purple black o. yours; but,
Lord, ! couldn'tc catch his eye, though
I told Hattie 1 knew him well. He
looked everywhere, from the stage
10 the moon, but l couldn't catch
his eye. It's a small matter to be
civil, sir, when it's cheap and
wholesome-it wouldn't a done a
bit o. harm to have given a friendly
nod or SO, and it'd a pleased Hattie
most wonderful"
"Nhy, heavens and earth, Big
byw 1 exclaimed, ~ declare to you
1 didn't see you, upon my honor! 1
never caught a glimpse of you'd
have been glad to recognize you, of
coursew
"Fine words don't butter no pars-
nips," said the sulky merchant. az
don't care a button for it myself,
but it ID "a been a feather in Hattie's
cspw
"Well, come now, Bigby," L con-
tinued, somewhat touched by this
paternal affection, ''the next time
you go out, let me know, and Tll be
on the qui viUe. l declare I'll dc
the fair thing by you and your fam
ily-but to the business in hand"
Then plunged into an ambiguous
account of a project | had for help
ing both him and myself, referred
largely to my exalted family, and
the immense influence my position
in society lent to scheme. ]