The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-30

| me too much money. There must De d
settlement. And began to wonder if Ed
wards was not one of those kind-hearted
humbugs who have the faculty of max
ing somebody foot the bills for their fool
| ishness
| had business at Hartford; so tele-
graphed Edwards to meet me there
He didn't come, although waited over
one train and sent another message,
sharp and saucy, over the wires. No
Edwards appeared, and | had to return
home in bad humor. The next day a
letter came from Edwards; and it was
enough to make the Oldest flour mer-
chant cut up rough:
1.-The mills are still idle and will be
until the first of next month. They
must eat, whether they pay or not. |
haven't the heart to starve them, nor
should you, either, I am sure"
1t then occurred to me that perhaps
Edwards was feeding the unemployed
operatives of the mills named with my
flour and at my cost. There might
have been improper language about it
in the office, but that was no reason
why the porters should all at once step
round as if they were in mortal fear OF
somebody, and say to each other:
"Ineyer thought the gentleman could
swear like that did youPn
But | sat down and wrote Edwards a
sharp letter.
6 You have been doing a strange
thing with my flour. What right had
you to sell it in theway you have done?
1t is barefaced robbery, as / look atsit;
and if you can put any other and bet
ter face upon it, you had better do so
at once. At any rate, come down to
the city at once and bring your accounts
with you, so that can see what it all
means.n Hw H
Such a letter ought to have brought
Edwards or any other man at once, but
it didn't. -.
1t was busy time. Mcintyre of
Liverpool, Van Swartz of Hamburg,
and one or two others cabled for some
thing every day. Let them wait day
or two. This Edwards had stirred up
the depths of commercial bitterness to
the very bottom now let him answer
for it, .E
[ wentto Springfield full of mischief
for Edwards. If he didn't show good
cause for his outrageous doings l in
tended to close him up, sell him out,
break him, and make an end of him as
flour merchant. t
Most people are hungry when they
reach Springfield, and that city is one
OF the few places in this world where
there is always something good to eat
ready and waiting for you. A good
dinner makes true democracy. Where
there are ideas at all it makes them
more broad and liberal. After my din
ner | went to see Edwards in better
humor than before
Standing in the door of the store to
which | had been directed was boy
a remarkable-looking boy. His pants
were tucked into his boots, he was COW
cred with flour, he was cross-eyed and
if that little Chicago man had come and
stood beside that boy, it would have
been hard to tell which was the orig
inal and which the copy.
q want to see Edwards - | said to
the boy.
"Gone to Chicopee to see grand
father Be back at four O'Clock. Want
some flour?n
mo. l want to see Edwards"
"Come at fonr O'clock
AT that moment customer came and
the boy left me to attend to him. |
went back to my hotel and waited.
AT ten minutes past four started out
again to see Edwards. The same boy
was ON duty at the door as before, only
now his face was so betloured that he
was still more singular than at first.
Is Edwards here?' l asked.
He nodded.
"Then would like to see him at
once.n
He looked me fairly in the face and
actually grinned at me. Then, Jerking
his head towards the rear of the store,
said:
Back in the office"
went back into the office and found
only a lady there. ...... .......
81 want to see Mr.. Edwards. Is he
imp
You want to see me, then. There
is no Mr. Edwards. My husband died
three years ago.
| was too much astonished to say any
thing for a moment.
Is it possible that you are Edwards,
the flour merchantp' -...
81 am the person, SIR
"And am John Middleton, of New
York. must beg your pardon, madam,
for writing you very sharp letter. /
supposed | was writing to a man, or it
wouldhaye been very differently worded.
You being a lady makes it a rudeness
on my part" .....
81 know | deserved it, she said,
smiling" but, in spite of Johns remon-
strances (John is my boy that | was
running my credit with you, | simply
couldn't see former customers starving
when it was possible to feed them. You
have come for your money, sir. Sit
down and | will pay you what l have
here. | must borrow from the bank
enough to pay the rest. They offered
to take mortgage on our house, but
| hoped to get along somehow without
that. But you must have your money,
| know, even if there is mortgage put
on the house."
And she went to the safe and took
out what money there was--not much;
and sat down to write me a check for
what she had in the bank While she
was filling the check she kept looking