Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-12-29
THAT DEAD LETTER.
A STORY IN yHREE CnAprERs,

DnhcA-nour III the Manufacturing town oil
Middleten-hpon-Irk; not summers day; the
sun glazing upon huge warehouses Of dull red
BRICK, narrow, tortuous street, the gilded
minarets OF our new town hall-0f which we
see from my Office window, which a glimpse of
the cooked hat OF the bronze memorial to the
late Prince Ccnsort. who. In Field Marshals
UNIFORM Is holding review OF the arts and
energetic and thriving community at Middle
ton. although you might not think il Just now
when our streets are all deserted, and every
body Is engaged In hard feeding. 1t is no
fault OF mine that ! am MOI among the every
body. A peremptory engagement retains me
AT my post: expect my Uncle Henry on bust
the dinner-hour. whennO che is about.
My obligations to Uncle Henry are so great
that his wishes are law TO me. even when they
Involve hasD We, tne sacrifce OF my dinner. He has
help nave been enabled to set up on my own
account as a solicitor. and. through his infu-
enee, hope eventually to be provided with a
respectable practice. He Is a thriving mer-
chant OF our rising town, and one of the best
fellows in the world, enterprising and specu-
iatlve-perhaps rather too much of the last
but there is cool confidence about him that
generally brings him out right in the end. He
has no children of his own, but has another
ward, niece of his wife one Kate Brown. be-
tween whom and myself. may tell you, exists
an attachment of long standing. When my
practice brings in a sufficient income Kate
and are 10 be married.
Altogether, i'm spite of the dusty. sultry air,
the sleepy aspect of things, and the sense of
something wanting caused by the neglected
call TO dinner, felt as happy as a man could
well desire to be; the future seemed bright
and cheerful, and there was nothing in the
present to cause me the slightest disquietude.
But something IN my uncle's step upon the
stairs gave me a kind of presentiment OF CON-
ing misfortune. He came in, and threw him.
self into chair; flung his hat upon the floor,
and wiped his face with his handkerchief, an
unaccustomed air of WEAKNESS and chagrin
upon his face.
"An well at homer / asked. /" Aunt all
right, and kate?''
He nodded in an distracted way, and flung
a telegram across the table to ME. Ii was
from his London correspondent" Gillies &
Co.'S acceptances returned: regular smash /:
everybody connected with them will come
down.
/ remarked calmly that it was a very good
thing that he was not connected with them.
But am. Jem, worse luck" he said I'VE
were operating in cotton together for a RISE
and they have drawn upon me for big
i felt that this was bad news. and did not
know what TO suggest. But presently Uncle
Henry frightened up, and went on to say that
although this would no doubt hit him hard. yet
he could weather it, as long as his connection
with the bankrupt firm was unknown. The
bills that were now maturing, drawn upon
him by Gillies & Co, were PAYABLE i'm London
He must raise flO,WO to meet them, and this at
once, and with the utmost secrecy. He could
do this easily enough on the security of the
title-deeds of the property he had i'm the town
and neighbOrhOOd; his banker would advance
the amount at once, but he did not want to go
to his banker He would not have id known
for the world that he was raising money on his
property. Better pay heavier percentage for
the loan, and deal with a money lender un-
known to the world of commerce. Could / find
him some one TO advance the money at once
on these securities?
1t was not without embarrassment that re-
piled that thought / could put my hand on
such a person at once. Some time before in
my hot and foolish youth had been led into
betting good deal on races and losing, one
Liverpool meeting. good deal more than
could pay. was recommended to money
lender-One Bob Hargreaves, of Howbent-
sufficiently exOrbitant rate of interest Uncle
Henry had subsequently very generously paid
of all my debts without any questions, only
e2aeng from me e., promise to abstain from
known among the initiated, could find money
to any amount il he could see his way to a
good profit. and had no doubt that he would
Jump at the prospect Of getting both high
rate OF interest and uneXcepti0nal security.
Hargreaves was an eccentric kind of man.
nOmlnally tailor, living the life of a recluse,
derstood that he had any money at all of his
own. There was no fear of any want of Sc
cresy on his part. He did not bear the best
character in the world, it is true, and it was
said that he had acquired his money in way
that would hardly bear investigation. But.
then, you don't ask the character of a man
who Is going to lend you 10000. photographed
To Hargreaves to come over and see me, and
next morning, at the appointed hour, heard a
tremendous humping on the stairs as if
heavy bedstead or something Of the Kind was
being dragged up. Presently the door was
cautiously held aiar, and wizened face ap-
peared in the opening.
Seeing that was all alone, BOb-fOr he it
was.whisked dexterously into the room, in
numbered as he was by a crutch-handled stick
in each hand and braSs-bOund wooden clogs
on his feet. The amount Of timber he carried
accounted for the noise up the stairs.
well, I'm here to Oblige you, Master Tur-
ner; but If it's brass You want, you'll bear in
mind I'm poor man,
Then you are no good to me-" replied
brusqmely, land you'd better go the way you
AYE, but can get bit of money some
times, thou knows. There's many thinks
what carry on my back"
According to the appearance that was very
little, for he was dressed in threadbare clothes,
mended and that would have advantageOusly
borne stlu more patching and mending. A
greasy black cloth cap was on his head, and
cOw-skin waistcOat. strangely out Of keeping
with the sultry weather.
After chaffering awhile-fOr BOb's impecu
percentage-he consented to find the money
at 6 per cent. for three mOnths-dOwn upon
the nail. While he was away to get the money
sent IOr I uclc htnIy 10 come ana Tatlty the
bargain. A simple memorandum Of deposit
of title deeds was all that was necessary and
this was not long in preparing; 50 that the
affair was concluded at once, and the parch
ments handed over to Robert i'm exchange for
$1,000 in Bank Of England notes, all sOiled
and limp. as il they had been a long while i'm
circulation. Ii gave me a great deal Of trOu-
BILE to make list of them. for they were of all
denominations and none Of the same dates
or of consecutive numbers. / finished the
task after while, and slipped the list into my
portfolio The notes placed carefully within
my safe. and locked them up. Bob wrapped
up his parchments in an old blue cotton hand
kerchief and hObbled of, casting many a re-
gretful look behind at my safe, as ii il had been
a sarcOphagus where his heart was enshrined.
That safe, by the way, was a present from
Uncle Henry, capital one by frst-rate
maker and was really pleased to have some
thing valuable TO put in il. Hitherto simple
cupboard would have answered my purpose
Just as well.
AS soon as Bob was gone. Uncle Henry gave
me instructions as to the disposal OF the money.
On no account was it to go through the bank.
1t must remain in my safe till the next morn
ing when was to take ii up to London myself
and retire certain acceptances then coming
due, and get back the bills. Ny uncle was
much pleased that had managed the business
so promptly, and gave me check for ESQ for
my services. He was in excellent spirits now.
Cotton had seemed trifle harder at that days
market, and should it rise q little more, he
toll