, 1877-02-16

90 Docs she
Yes. AMI says Il go 10 the door
ve1l H. the talk of the whole neiEhbor'
hood"
III the neighborhool finds nothing
morr serious a. talk about. Emily. no
injury will be done but why arr YOU
- anxious about going tothe door when
the hell ringsg"
lam ne, anxious about it father.
replied the girl. Just nov | went
10 the door bccausr happened 90 he
IN the parlor, while Ellen was up
stairs. What would have been the
use Of bringing her all the way down
when could step TO the door in a mo-
ment?"
True enough" said Mr.. Hamilton.
What would have been the use of it?.,
Then" added Emily, 1T takes a
long time to get to the door when Ellen
happens 10 be at work up stairs, and
persons who ring have to wait. can't
sit still in the parlor, if am there,
until a servant comes. l must go to
the door As to the harm, l am too dull
to see it."
And 1 hope you'll always remain
too dull, answered her father. As he
said this the bell rang loudly. Some
one had given it a vigorous jerk.
"Shall 1 open the door?" said Emily.
Certainly"
She came back with letter. Mr.
Hamilton took it from her hand, and
broke the seal in evident nervousness.
Letters left for him at his dwelling had
come to be, in most cases, unpleasant
visitors.
An exclamation of surprise and pain
fell from the lips of Mr.. Hamilton as
his eyes glanced over the long, narrow
slip of paper which the envelope had
covered. Then he unfolded the paper,
and thrust it into his pocket in half
desperate, half desparing way.
"What is it, father?" Emily drew
her banda through his arm, and looked
up anxiously into his face.
:" Nothing that you can help, dear, 7"
replied the father, endeavoriDg to rally
himself and assume an Indifference he
did not feel. Then he kissed her and
went hastily out to founder through the
days dreaded business. We say
+" founder" for Mr.. Hamilton was in
embarrassed circumstances. In the
morning, when he went forth to busi-
ness, it was not often that he knew
where the money to meet the days pay
ments was to come from, and usually
one third of his time was spent in Sc +
ing discounts. The bill Just received
was from jeweler, to whom he had
given his two eldest daughters, Isabel
and Kate, permission to go for few
articles, and they had, in the course of
few months run up an account of
nearly fifty pounds. No wonder that
its receipt by Mr. Hamilton, occasioned
an ejaculation Of surprise and pain.
What hope was there Of release from em-
barrassment under the steadily accumu-
lating pressure of debts like thise II
was only on the day before that milli-
ner's bill of twenty pounds had given
him a shock, from which his nerves
yet had low, sickeniRg quiver. Like
man struggling in deep water, he
felt that even the smallest addi-
tional burdenl aid upon his shoulders
must bear him under.
Half an hour after her father went
out, Kate was on her way upstairs to
dress for q walk, when she heard the
bell ring. The sound arrested her steps.
Would Emily go to the door? Scarcely
had the question formed itself in her
thought, when she saw Emily emerge
from the parlor.
"Emilyr' she called, in 3 low, warning
voice.
But Emily, giving no heed to her sister,
opened the door. A rough man, with
cold, hard lectures, looked steadily into
her face for moment or two, and then
drawing from his pocket a folded paper,
said, Be sure that you give this to Mr..
Hamilton"
Some thing in his look and tone chilli
ed her. She felt that, in some way un-
known to her. this man had an evil pow
er over her father.
"What is it?" she asked, as soon as
the color left her cheeks.
ut is q summons, answered the
man.
A summonsI" and she stepped back,
shutting the door almost in his face.
Who was it," asked Kate, calling
down from her position on the stairs.
"a man to see father, = replied Emily,
as she glided into the parlor, where she
sat down trembling. Kate went up
stairs to remonstrate with her mother
against the right of Emily to cempro-
mise the family dignity, while Emily
unfolded the paper just received at the
door, and sought to exploreits meaning.
It was an ordinary writ, or summons,
giving notification that an action Of
debt had been commenced against Mr..
Hamilton by some creditor whose pa
tience was exhausted; but poor Emily
explored its written and printed SEN
tences, and its mystic phraseology, for
some clear meaning, in vain.