Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-11-02

COmDo 8, Dut 1udUe up lily u1lIlU AlOu
that moment that wouldn't 60. I
am not family man, but respect
myself as much, hope, rs if was
and wasn't going to be blown to
pieces by an old rhynoceros like that
in a field of swedes. My difficulty
was to find an excuse; for the other
mems refusal-and my own knowledge
perhaps of why they wouldn't come;had
made Slowcome touchy, and when
had limited that 1 couldn't be quite
sure of being with him on the first, he
had made an illusion to that little mat.
ter of business between us, which l
felt equivalent to ':play or pay
Come to Plowshire flor he lived
among the clodhoppers) or settle my
account.
At last hit upon a plan. He knew
that l was connected with the Great
Butter Company, and had often sound.
ed me as to its prospects ; but could
never induce him to invest in it. elf
it's such good thing. you had better
stick to it yourself, Martingale, and
let nobody else in didn't like the
remark about letting anybody else in:
but was not in a condition to quarrel
with Slowcombe. He parted from me
on the last day but one of September,
telling me he wanted twenty.four
hours to get his guns ready, and I'M
pressing on me the best train by which
to start for Ploughshire on the morrow.
The next morning 1.-THE S0th,) wrote
him this letter from the Club:
My DEAR s1owcsABE: l am exceedingly
sorry to disappoint you-and still more so to
disappoint myselt-but l regret to say that
my proposed visit to you have been Smoked ka;5
plain itself. Nothing but the most urgent
BUSINESS would have prevented my keeping
nv engagement, and Ifeel confident, from the
ideas YOU have often expressed to me respect
inc the necessity OF attending strictly to the
&. b. c., need no further apology for my
another gun With you, and if the phrase o.
the "more the merrier," can be applied to
pheasant. shooting, that Of ''the fewer the
better cheer'' is certainly still more to the
purpose A fuller bag will, hope, compen-
safe for the absence Of yours, most faithfully,
MARMApUKB MARTlSGALE.
Then leaving the envelope open l
proceeded to concot the telegram:
From the Secretary Of the Great Butter
Company (Limited), Cornhill, to Marmaduke
MaEtingale Esq.,, Military, Naval, and Militia 5ti
NluOs IAll NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ASASV UVCA AAo~
covered in the Company's accounts. l am
therefore compelled to summon an extraordi-
nary meeting of the Board OF Directors for
Wednesday next, when your presence will be
Indispensable
gave this composition to the Club
commissionaire, an active, intelligent
fellow whom l had often employed,
and sent him off to the nearest tele.
graph office. l calculated that it
would return to me--in Geographic
form--in about a quarter of al hour at
furthest. But as it happened, it did
not. l had an engagement for that
afternoon ut Hurlingham, and was
obliged to leave the Club before the
arrival of the expected document.
However, as knew it must come, and
could place the utmost confidence in
the porter, left my letter with him,
instructing him to place the telegram
inside it us soon as it came to hand,
and then to post it.
The next morning found upon in.
quiry that this had been done, and
thought no more about the matter.
The day after a note. as had expect.
ed, arrived from Slowcombe, the con-
tents of which, however, did not ex-
pect:
SIR: I am astonisded that you should have
the assurance to send me that telegram from
cause your Secretary has "bolted,' and the
"blessed concern" las your friend terms
what had understood from youto tie sound
commercial association, has ''burst up that
dred pounds, you are very much mistaken.
have placed the matter i'll the hands OF my
solicitor, and remain, yours obediently.
THOMAS SLoWCoNBE.
Had taken leave Of my own senses.
or had Slowcombe taken leave Of his !
"Bolted,' "burst up ''blessed con-
cern!'' No such words, I am sure,
had ever been contained in my tele.
gram. What on earth did it all mean!
did a thing which had never done
before, except on the first Monday in
every month"; hurried to our place
OF business in the city as fast as han
som could take me, and found the shut
tiers up. The Office of the 6. B. c. was
closed-just as though the company
had been defunct. Upstair, however,
| l found the Chairman looking at a
heap Of bills and gnawing his mus.
tache.
''This is a pretty piece of work,
Capt. Martingale," said he, "and we
have to thank you for it,
ITO thank me :" cried l. ''What do
you meane Is everybody gone mad
l have done nothing-nothing."
"Perhaps you didn't send telegram
to our Secretary about 'defalcatiOns!
Here it isl And he tossed me over
the message had sent from the Sec.
rotary to myself-transposed. That
respectable and intelligent commits.
sionaire had, it seemed, taken it for
granted that had made a mistake in
sending a telegram to myself, and sub
stituted the word ''from'' for "to,:
and '@to'' for 'sfrom.'' He thought,
doubtless, he was doing very clever
thing, and one for which should be
much indebted to him.
The secretary really had, it seems
''defalcated' in small way, and get
ting my telegram (instead of my get.
ting his), he thought all was discov.
cred, 50 laid his hands on everything
he could; and decamped. It was the
chairman himself who had wired the
news to me in that familiar style,
which had 50 incensed Slowcombe
"Our secretary has bolted and the
blessed concern has burst up
The Great Butter Company, in fact,
was nowhere, thanks to my little de.
vice for avoiding pheasant-shooting
The secretary would probably never
have fled, but only have gone on defal.
eating slowly, but for my alarming
message; as it was, everything was
precipitated, including the compulsory
payment of my debt to Slowcombe. II
was altogether a miserable fasco: and
when ! hear fellows talking about the
splendid results of civilization, and
''Look at the electric telegraph, TO,
example y and "the corps of commits
sionaires!'' say to myself - but
never mind what l say. I have told
enough to make it understood why
should not agree with them.