Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-01-05

Do yOu icaiiy WASH mO w Sohhc,
now 7" he asked. e1.2 -ifTa
81 do" y. ''' hi'
"Then l will come. I must say
good morning." and he left her,
with most courteous bow. ...
l But while the great express wag-
on ratified down the street Miss
Haines turned away from the store
she had been entering, and re-en-
tered her carriage. tn.
"To my fathers" she said to the
driver, and few moments later the
merchant looked up from his ledger
to see his only child in faultless
walking dress, entering the count
ing-house. 't ia.s
"Another check ?" said he, NOV
! ing q chair to her. "Iow much
this timei"
"Nothing. Iwant to talk to you.
Shut the door, so those horrid men
can't hear me-" ".' p.
The door was closed, and q priva-
cy in the sanctum secured. Bertha
astonished her parental relative by
bursting into passion Of weeping.
"Why, Bertha" he cried. -
"Never mind, papa. 1t is all
over now. Do you remember what
you said to me when Raymond
Thurston asked for some employ
ment here 7"
"Not exactly"
81 do. You said that a man
brought up as he had been would
want q sinecure that he would
never come down to real hard work,
and that you had no position for a
fine gentleman ; that his offer to
take a subordinate position and
learn business was simply farce"
"Did l say all that, Bertha 7" =
" To me you did. Isuppose you
dismissed him politely enough.
But, papa, il you thought he was
really in earnest, really meant to
work for living, would you give
him a chance here?"
eyes. He has capacity, brains,
and a pleasing address. But he
has been an idler all his life"
"He is no idler now. He is driv-
ing an express cart"
Bertha y ''.A- %"
"He is. / met him not an hour
ago. He thought was going to
cut him. AS IT," she added, with
magnificent scorn, "I would slight
an old friend in sdversity%
"Bless my soull Driving an ex-
press wagonl Ned Thurston's
boyl Educated at Harvsrdl Dear
me- Did you notice whose wagon
it was, Berthai'
Bertha had not noticed, and the
old gentleman hustled into his coat
and started for the Office. At din
ner he informed Bertha that Ray
mond had accepted place in his
large establishment, with frank
confession of his profound ignor-
ance of all business affairs, but in
earnest resolution to learn well and
speedily whatever appertained to
the duties entrusted to him.
1t was not many weeks before
Mr.. Haines congratulated himself
upon the acquisition of his new
clerk. He told Bertha marvellous
stories of Raymond's rapid pro-
gress and the strides he was maxi
ing in his new life, not knowing of
the long nights spent over ledgers
and accounts, and the many miss
givings the new Clerk felt. The
same active brain and quick in
telligence the new student had
brought to bear to gain college
honors now stood him in good stead
in mastering the intricacies of in
voices, bookkeeping and counting
house y mysteries, and. Raymond
gained favor rapidly in the eyes Of
his employer.
1t is a question whether actual
merit would have advanced him
quite so frequently as he was pro-
NOTED, hard as he worked, steadily
as he improved. But Mr.. Haines
worshiped his only child, and the
burst of tears in the counting
house had told him the secret Ber-
tha had successfully concealed from
all others. A self made man him
self, with an ample fortune to add
to tho one Bertha already had, he
laid no stress upon money in think.
, ing of son-in-law. Energy, In