The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-07-22
THE PRESS.
[From the Galaxy.l
A Slight Misunderstanding.

1t is the hottest kind of July day, and
the place is a remarkably dingy New York
law office. Two or three blocks away Trinity
is Ginning three, but the roar of Broadway
browns that. The exceeding sultriness Of
the air, and the shrill chant of ''second Post"
which comes up from the seething street,
tell that mid. afternoon has arrived. The Of
flee boy has sunk peacefully off into slumber
in his little dark anteroom. Mr.. Blake can
see him nodding painfully over dime novel,
but finds him not more exciting than his
own sample OF literature, an interesting
work on ''Notes and Bills" So Mr.. Blake
again applies himself to ''Notes and Bills"
for about three minutes. At the end of that
time his eyes wander, fix themselves gravely
on his feet, close, and then open again very
wide as his head drops forward with jerk.
The young man shakes himself, yawns
trighttully, and gives up reading as unprofit-
able and tending to stupefy.
Mr.. Blake is lawyer, who is better known
in the boat houses on the Harlem and at
Woods Gymnasium than in the courts, and
whose ideas of the proper cultivation of
muscle are more profound than his knowl-
edge of law. This is evidenced by his sun
burned face, his short crop of hair, and his
general get-up, which is more athletic than
legal. But now the races are all rowed, the
rev has disbanded, the long four-oar is dry
ng out in the boat house, and when Mr..
'lake goes on the Harlem, it is between a
ir OF SOULS, which propel him along,
Remote, unfriended, solitary,
tnot slow. This is all very well, but not
De compared to the rush of contending
VS.. His occupation gone, and the town
erted, he is beginning to mediate vaca-
o him thus engaged enters from an inner
one whose neat attire, smiling face and
ly legal auburn whisker, proclaim the
young man.
ON, the Judge wants you. Put on your
there's swell client inside"
Blake makes the suggested addition TO
ather sketchy attire which the warmth
e season demands and the privacy of his
ermits, and grumbling enters the awful
ice, which sits enshrined in an office
ore dark and more dirty if possible than the
others, and lined with shelves full of books,
which are in turn oppressed by large tin
boxes and vast bundles of papers. Being
remote from the street, it is comparatively
quiet; its windows open into a narrow alley,
from the depth of which arise the direful
accusations and recriminations of bootblacks,
who gamble for pennies in its shady secu-
sion. The great being who glorifes this dis
nal place is a bald old gentleman, who sits
1t a most untidy writing table in the centre
Of the room. He is type of the old-style
American citizen. He dresses in black
broadcloth; he wears a chin beard; and he
says Sir very frequently. Mr.. Blake looks
at the top of his chiefs head as he enters
he room. 1t is very smooth and white, and
reminds him of billiard ball, as it has done
lany times before. But ii does more; for
it is quite white, and not a lively pink, he
nows that the Judge is in a good humor.
"Mr. Vanvoorst, let me introduce Mr..
Sake-one of our young gentlemen, SIR"
iys the Judge, with flourish. Mr.. Van
soorst and Tom murmur their delight at
meeting, and the latter, taking seat at the
invitation of his superior, looks to see what
manner OF man the client is. On eXamina-
zion be appears to be young man CT twenty
five or six, of an inofensve blonde type, and
with no indications of either great physical or
mental vigor, and his clothes evidently are
from an English tailor. Is it necessary to
add that they do not fit? But the London
clothes and the blonde whiskers give the
man something of the Anglo-American air
SO popular at present. Mr.. Blake, who does
the thing much better, is at least satisfied,
though not lost in admiration, and thus
gives the Judge all the better attention as he
says:
''Mr. Vanvoorst has come to me, sir.
upon business of a peculiarly confidential and
private nature; and after mature elaboration
have decided, sir, to call on you for assis-
lance in matter which requires extreme
delicacy and tact, sir; and it is knowledge
OF the fact that you, sir, are frequenter of
that fashionable society which, however de-
teriorating in some of its phases, nevertheless
imparts certain tact and ease which the
incest Intellectual culture too often fails to
Yes, sir"
Mr.. Blake, utterly in the dark, murmurs,
You're very good, Pm sure" Mr.. Van
oorst smiles febe encouragement. The
nues:
Without further preface, put you
of the facts as Mr.. Vanvoorst
ID me of them. You are aware
elder Mr.. Vanvoorst has
a much respected client
though since his retiring
IS scae five years ago, 1 have
seen but little of him. 1t appears that in the
early part of this summer-correct me if am
wrong, Mr.. Vanvoorst-yes, sir-during a
visit TO Cape May, the elder Mr.. Vanvoorst
met widow lady named-a-let me see
'm'm-John Brady"-reading from a slip of
paper before him-"Ann McGuire-bless my
soul! that can't be-oh, see." And the
Judge changes the paper in hand for another,
explaining with much action that he has
made a mistake. The top of his head is a
ubL6 pluk, OUT ne goes on.
"Mrs. Mackenzie-yes, SRA person of
line personal appearance and insinuating ad-
dress, and, if may judge from description,
not destitute of intellectual charms With
out entering into detail, may say that this
person succeeded in completely intatuating
Mr.. Vanvoorst, vino has been for many wears
widower he has followed her from place
to place and she is now actually visiting at his
residence, where she undoubtedly means TO
establish herself permanently as Mrs. Van
voorst."
The young Vanvoorst interrupts: "Yes,
by George; l was half afraid to leave the
old gentleman alone this morning, for fear
she would marry him before I got back"
The Judge does not like to be interrupted,
and he grows trifle pink again. After
reproachful pause he resumes:
ut is, of course, most annoying to Mr..
Vanvoorst's family that such a state of
things should exist-that their father should
re thus at the mercy of an unprincipled adj
Fenturess-for such Mrs. Mackenzie undoubt-
IDLY ISL
Il beg pardon,'' puts in Blake, shut is
Mr.. Vanvoorst so far gone that he is not
particular about the lady's antecedents ?"
''Won't believe anything we say to him.
answers the other young man. "Had a
deuce of shindy with him yesterday for cal
ling her an adventures"
''Have you no proofs to show?''
'That is exactly why you are cal ed on,
Mr.. Blake" says the Judge. "There is moth
ing to be said against Mrs. Mackenzie as ac-
tual fact: but we are not uncertain that in
quiry might develop something which would
startle Mr.. Vanvoorst out of his infatuation.
1t has occurred to me that you, with your
large circle of acquaintance, and living, as
am sorry to hear you do, however well it suits
our present purposes, life which draws you
within the pale of fashionable dissipation,
might be able to ascertain something of the
previous history of this lady more easily than
l, or more easily than Mr.. Vanvoorst here,
who is already, he tells me, an object of sus.
picion in Mrs. Mackenzie's eyes,"
Blake looks rather disguised. "Wouldn't
Pinkerton's men do it better than any of us
don't fancy acting detective"
But, my good sir, it is not in that capacity
nat desire you to act. You go to Mr.. Van
oorsts house as the guest of his son, and we
rust merely to that discernment of which I
ave seen indications, sir, in you, to decide
whether matters must be allowed TO take
their course, or whether an investigation by
''tectives would be an advisable measure.''
So the strife goes on, the Judge delivering