Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-06-24

Of warm concern, 81 hope it is not SO
bad as that"
'But it is, was the broken reply !;
''if do not see my way out of the
middle in few days, the old house
of Baldwin must go into bankruptcy"
''Thefe is my money, Uncle Charles, "
said Nell
"God bless the child Do you think
I will touch that? No, no. l am past
seventy, and if I must 60 down, I will
not drag your young life with me.
But can't understand it all. Every
thing seems to have gone on well,
and yet we cannot meet our obliga,
tons"
1t was late in the evening when they
separated but, early in the morning,
Walter received little note from
Ellen.
"Uncle Charles is very ILL., He
wishes to see you. Can you come?
NELL"
| In answer to the summons, Walter was
soon at the bedside of the invalid. He
was very i'll, gradually losing control Of
his own thoughts, but he seemed to
wish Walter to examine his business.
BY a great effort he wrote paper ap-
pointing the young man his representa-
tive until he was better, and before
noon delirium held him fast For
many long days Nell scarcely left the
sick room, save for few hurried inter-
views with Walter The old man ex-
hausted, by his unwonted anxiety and
application to business, after years of
comparative idleness, lay between life
and death, fighting violent attack of
fever. Even when the raving was over
and he knew Nell again, he lay in a
state Of pitiable weakness, unable to
keep up settled train of thought for
two minutes together, and still i'll
danger of sinking into death sleep.
Walter came often at night to take
Nells place in the sick room, and gave
her some hours of sorely~needed rest,
and friends were plenty to help in nurs-
ing. Still, it was more than six weeks
after the evening when he opened his
heart to Walter Grantley, before Mr..
Baldwin seemed to remember his bust.
ness perplexities. But one night, when
all the household slept, the invalid, see
ing Walter seated beside him, said in a
low, weak voice:
"Closed No, Indeed. Business
was never more prosperous"
"But how?"
care you able to hear about it?
You have been very ill and must be
patient. Will it not be enough to-
night to know that all is going on
well?"
81 am stronger than you think. Tell
me how you saved the old ship from
wreck"
81 took control at once, as you gave
me authority to do. Before my grand
| fathers death, and the legacy that made
it unnecessary for me to work, was
book-keeper in large warehouse SIM
liar to yours, for six years, and had
knowledge of the business. An ex
animation of your books soon con
vinced me that they had been falslfed
to frightful extent, and that checks
drawn upon your bank, in your name,
had been used for other purposes than
the payment of the obligations of the
business"
"How could that be? James Nelson
alone has signed checks"
s'Exactly SO; and James Nelson has
been Systematically defrauding you for
the last fifteen years"
'Impossible!"
"Quite true. When he found I was
searching the matter to the bottom he
pocketed his illgotten gains and
absconded. AS you were too i'll to
give the order for any pursuit, l let
him 60"
"But the money? How can all be
gong on we'll if he has taken it with
him :? There was deficiency of thirty
thousand dollars for immediate obliga-
TONS"
"And having this sum idle in bank,
l took the liberty of investing it in your
business
"You threw in your fortune to help
a sinking ship?"
"The ship was not sinking, but fair.
ly afoat, and l consider the money
well invested. l have long wanted to
buy a partnership in business | UNDER
stand, having no love for an idle life,
and hoped you would not repay this
loan, but allow it to give me the right
to help you yet in business. There is
an opening even now, that only needs
little capital to largely increase the
business, and waited for your author
| ity to purchase it.
The old mans eyes sparkled as Wal.
ter, clearly explained the nature of the
proposed enlargement of the warehouse
business.
cit had been Mr.. Nelson's policy to
keep all such opportunities hidden from