Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-11-01

the bright lamps shining an invitation
and welcome to the weary warfarer,
hesitated a moment, and then passed on.
Returning, however, before he had gone
many PAGES, he timidly pushed open the
noiseesslv moving door, and walked up
the paved hall toward the counter at the
opposite end. behind which. with pen
over his ear. stood a creature as faultless-
lv and elaborately go.ton-up as the model
in milliner's window.
The busy appearance of The room. the
numerous groups sitting or standing here
| and there. and the general air of thrift and
prosperity all about, seemed to please the
old man as he glanced about himself
| while proceeding on his way.
Can be accommodated with a room
for the night ?" he asked, in deprecatory
tone. scarcely daring to look at the daz-
zlng being who from behind the counter
| seemed to be looking through and through
him into the far beyond. where perhaps be
could observe reflection of his own inn
maculate person.
But. with all. the glance had taken in
the prematurely old face, the wretched
garments, and the painful expression of
the eyes.
Have you any baggage ?" was the in
quiry.
The stranger raised his small satcbel
until it was high enough to catch the eye
of the questioner, and then let it drop
again.
I'VE are full, sir, ;" was the answer, spo-
ken, to be sure. with no rudeness. but as
though it was matter of no possible con-
Germ to any one.
MAY sit there?" asked the stranger,
.nI nLa.-
ing against the side of the wall. "May
sit there tor momentp | have travelled
many miles since started, and am very
weary.
No reply at all was made to this suppli-
cation. for its tone made it one, and the
suppliant. taking the silence for assent,
seated himself where he had Indicated
Without having before observed it, he
had placed himself near group Of men
who were talking with great animation,
il not considerable heat. 1t was impossi-
BILE that he should not hear distinctly every
word uttered. fr-
"It's my opinion" said one of them,
whose hair and beard were brick-red in
color, the latter standing out in all direc-
tions, coarse and rough. "lt's my opinion,
and don't care who hears it, that he is
miserable rascal. and don't see any diff
ference between thief in rags and one in
broadcloth." .4N
He puffed himself out at this as though
he had uttered noble but sublime truth.
my sentiments, too" observed another,
a man of "a meagre aspect, with q con-
cave stomach, and wheezy voice. "And
if there's any law to fetch EN-. l hope he'll
be fetched
"Why. they say" pursued he of the red
beard, "that it's been swindle from the
start, that he hasn't had cent of capital
in the concern since his father died. It's
been rotten from the beginning"
Nothing to start on. and worse than
nothing now. One hundred and twenty
five thousand dollars worse than nothing"
said another. with considerable emphasis.
''Is that the sum he's short? ?" asked still
another.
"Yes. That's what's said, 3" answered he
of the red beard "but can't make the
figures less than fifty thousand dollars
more than that. You see"
HAS the statement been published ?"
was inquired.
One who had not heretofore spoken an
swered this question. He was a man with
pale, hard face, smoothly shaven. When
he first looked at you, there seemed to be
a cast in one Of his eyes; but the more
you looked. the more it took on the APP
pearance of something else. rs though he
was the possessor OF a secret, which be
was afraid his eyes would betray. He had
way of pursing his lips at the ends
of his sentences. and throwing his head
forward at you, as though he would butt
his ideas into you rather than not have you
understand them, which became very un-
comfortable if he spoke long.
"Oh, yes" this one said. "The as
sgnees had it in the afternoon paper. and,
in my judgment, it is perfectly damning.
There's been bad work, bad work some
where. bordering closely upon criminality.
Abel Hart must have known for q long
time how he stood. 1t is not possible that
he could have been Ignorant of his criti-
| cal condition.
The stranger had heard thus far without
any very great interest, without any more,
perhaps, then if he had been listening to
the chattering of children. But at the
mention of the name he bent his head for
ward, and manifested a feverish interest
| in every word that was uttered.
| How did he dare. then-how did he
dare" continued the speaker, throwing his
head forward and bristling with righteous
| Indignation, ITO receive deposits even SO
lately as last Thursday afternoon, the day
before the doors OF his bank were closed p"
| No one ventured a reply to this weighty
observation. but the group was too full OF
the subject to let it go down in silence.
"Did YOU hear about Wynkoop?" asked
one '.He had a three e-thousand-dollar
note to pay tomorrow, and had raked to-
gether last Thursday twenty-seven hun
dred of it. 1t was in the bank. Who'll
pay his debts now is what Id like to
knowr'
| at hits this conmunity mighty hard, l
can tell YOU" said the red-bearded man,
who seemed extremely anxious to make
his voice heard. "There's Widow Barlow
had sixteen thousand dollars there. II was
all she had in the world. Gone! There's
the Widow Briggs, too, who had her sew
en- hundred dollars there, all that was left
from her husbands life insurance after his
funeral expenses were paid. You can't 20
into the street without hearing some new
case of hardship on account of this fail
ure"
They say Abel has dug out-run