Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-01-08
THE NEW YEARS STOCKING.


THE NEW YEARS STOCKING.
"Never crosses his It's, nor dots his
is, and his ms and VS. and RS are all
alike p said, almost despairingly, Mr..
Simon Qaillpen, the painstaking clerk
of old Lawyer Latitat, as he sat late at
night, on the last day of the year, dig
cling away at the copy of legal docu-
ment his liberal patron and employer
had placed In his hands in the early part
of the evening. "Thank Heaven !" he
added, laying down his pen, and con-
sulting huge silver bulls eye which
he pulled from a threadbare fob, &c
shall soon get through this job, and
then, hey for roast potatoes and the
charming society of Mrs. Or And
with this consolatory reflection, he re-
sumed his work with redoubled energy.
Mr.. Quillpen was little man not so
very little as to pass for q phenomenon,
but certainly too small to be noticed by a
recruiting grenadier sergeant. His n ose
was quite sharp, and gave his wild, thin
countenance. particularly as he carried
his head little on one side, a very bird
like air. He trod, too, gingerly and
lightly, very like a sparrow or tomtit !;
and, to complete the analogy, his head
being almost always surmounted by a
pen, ne had a sort of crested, blue
jayish aspect, that was rather comical.
Quilpen had very little wife and three
very little children, Bob, Chilly and the
baby tine last the ultimate specimen of
the dinainuendO. 1t was well for them
that they were so small, for Quillpen
obtained his staruetihoOd by driving the
quill for Mr.. Latitat at four hundred
dollars a year, to which Mrs. Quillpen
added, from time to time, certain little
sums derived from making shirts and
overalls at the rate of about ten cents
the million stitches.
Whether Mr.. Latitat was able to pay
more was a question that never entered
the minute brain of Simon QuiDpen !;
for he had so humble an opinion of his
own merits, and was always so contented
and cheerful that he regarded his salary
as enormous, and was wont playfully to
sign little confidential notes Cr9sus
Quillpen and Girard Quillpen, and on
rare cornwall occasions would sometimes
style himself Baron Rothschild- But
this last title was very rarely INDUCED
In because it once sent his particular
crony, chuckle-headed clerk in the
postoffice, into a cachinnatory fit which
was rather in the apoplectic line"
ITO return to our muttOns. Simon
dugaway at his copying with an occasional
reverential glance at a certain low oaken
door, opening into the penetralia of this
abode of law and righteousness, behind
which oaken door, at that very moment,
sat Mr.. Lucius Latitat, either deeply
engaged In the solution of some vast
legal problem, or calculating the inter-
est on an ont .tanding note, or consulting
with chuckling delight list of mort
cages to be foreclosed.
WelLQuillpen finished his document,
wiped his pen on thick velvet butter
fly, laid it in the rack above the ink,
pushed back his chair from the table,
withdrew the cambria sleeve from the
right arm, and smoothed down his wrist
bands, having first put ON his India
rubber overshoes. The fact is, he was
very anxious to get home, and he could
not go without first seeing Mr.. Lati-
tat. The idea of knocking at Mr.. Lati-
tat's door on business of his own, never
once occurred to him. He would do
that for a client, but not for himself.
So he ventured on aseries of low coughs,
and finding no notice was taken of them,
he dropped the poker into the coalhod,
the noise thus produced crashed on his
guilty ears like thunder, or rather with
the roar of universal earthquake.
Slight, however, as it was, it brought
out Mr.. Latitat from his interior.
ssWhat the deuce are you making such
q racket for ?" he exclaimed in tones
that thrilled to the heart of bis en-
ploye then, without waiting for an an
swer, he slightly glanced at the table.
and asked, shave you got through that
jobs''
Yes'm-I mean, yes's," replied the
quivering Simon.
Well, then, you can go. I'm going
myself. You blow out the lights and
lock the room. And mind and be here
early tomorrow morning. Nothing like
beginning the New Year well. Good
: night"
"Mr. Latitat, sirl" cried Quillpen,
with desperate resolution, as he saw
the great man about to disappear
please, sir-could you let me have a
little money tonight ?"
Why what do you wlnt of money!
retorted the lawyer. ''Oh 'spose
you have host of unpaid bills
No sir no sir, that's not it, "-Si-
mon FASTENED to say. 81 hain't got
nary bill standing. / pay as / go.
Cash takes the lot u
None of your coafse, vulgar slang
to me p said Latitat. 50 Reserve it for
your loose companions. If not to pay
bills. what fer ?"