Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-12-11
NO. 296.
Gales ano Skettbes.
A MODERN DELILAH.
BY JAMES PAYNE.
From London Belgravia Monthly.

John Riddel was young man in whom
confidence was justly placed by Messrs.
Moonstone Il Co., jewellers, his EMPLOYERS,
in whose establishment, at the time we be-
came acquainted with him. he occupied the
post of foreman. Hewas not "self-made
man. as yet, he was on the road to it,
For, as we all know, Providence has still
the advantage of priority in this particular !;
it makes its man (such as he is) at COM
paratively early date, whereas when a
man makes himself, he seldom accomplish
es it before he is five and forty at the very
least-when, indeed, the other cannot be
compared with him. John never drank.
except glass of beer with his early din
ner; he never smoked. nor of course took
snuff; he never handled anything in the
shape OF billiard cue. unless it was his
neatly and tightly rolled-up umbrella; he
never--l was going to add he had no weak
ness as regards the ladies, but this hard
ly dared to write, because of the extreme
attention he paid to his very fine head of
hair. Why should any man, not being a
Narcissus. take such great pains with his
HAIR, unless to make an impression on the
ladiesp
Yet even here must hasten to do John
II WOulu nave cHOkeu MIN
to have supposed that he had any general
views in this direction. He was not Don
Juan, nor even gay Lothario; if he had
had serious designs, they would have been
upon one lady only, and by no means in
duced by any meretricious attractions such
as youth or beauty; he would in accord
ance with precedent, have attached himself
to his masters daughter, though she had
hnn ftxrnn ntv Il 4 xL.., L.
black woman or an albino. Unfortunate
ly. Mr.. Moonstone had only nephews,
whom our hero could not marry, and who
would in all probability. become partners
in the concern before him. Still he cult
waited that fine head of hair, narrowed it
with tortoise-shell comb, drove furrow
straight across it from his brow to the nape
of his neck, and top dressed it with macas-
sar oil and other unguents. 1t shone in
the sun as bright as any of Messrs. Moon.
stone Il Co.'S costly wares, over which he
presided.
There were other assistants in the shop.
and with them | am sorry to say, Mr.. John
Riddel was not popular-young men rare
ly appreciate in their associates so much
virtues as resides in our hero and espec-
tally if that virtue has not been its own re-
ward, but his enabled its possessor to walk
over their heads and stop there. There
was hardly one among them but that at
some time during his servitude with Mes
srs Moonstone had mislaid ring or a
trinket for few hours, or had even caused
some to the firm, not so much through
carelessness as from not being quite as
wide awake as weasel.
For the way of a jewelers. assistant is
iS +al A1nA
about one per cent of the customers at
such establishments are rogues and vaga-
bonds, people who come to spy out, notthe
nakedness of the land, but its richness, and
if possible to possess themselves of them by
force or fraud. And these look as little
like rogues as nature (and art) can enable
them to do. Notwithstanding all that has
been written upon the decetfulness of
riches, it is difficult to believe that gen.
teman who drives his own mail phaeton.
or n lady who comes i'm chariot upon c.
springs, are brigands i'm disguise Yet
the young men at Moonstone's had been,
most of them, taken in by appearance, and
at least in the lives of each of their EN-.
ployers had paid for the experience One
of them had taken jewelry to anewly mar
ried couple at a fashionable hotel "on ap-
proval," :" and had been so successful in his
recommendation that they had 'colared'
the whole lot, and given him such dose
of chloroform in exchange for them that
he was unable to give any clear account of
his adventures for hours afterward. An
other had been set upon by whole gang
of thieves, in such apromiscuous and over
whelming fashion that he could recall
nothing of what happened except that he
had been 'struck with an instrument like
the ace of spades" which the newspapers
expressed the hope would afford some clue
to the police they thought it showed,
suppose, that the perpetrators OF the out
rage must be either gardeners or gamblers;
but nothing came of the suggestion.
Others, again, had been exposed to the Sc
ductions OF the fair sex. and in losing their
hearts had sacrificed the diamonds of their
employers.
In this last regard Mr.. John Riddel,
being adamantine was invaluable. His
youthful rs well as handsome looks at
tracted these ladies of industry, who, on
entering the shop, gravitated toward him
quite naturally. A man of that age, as
they tlattered themselves, and one so par
ticular about his hair. must surely fall an
easy victim to their destinations. Thieves
as they were, they were still women, and
perhaps they allowed their feelings to car
ry them too far; il they had stopped half
way, where Mr. Boltby the cashier sat, or
at the desk over which Mr.. Nation (the
hero of the ace of spades) presided, they
would have had Il better chance but Bolt
by was bald and Nation gray, and women
will never understand that it is from forty
to fifty that men are most impressionable
with respect to female charms Yourcon-
ceted young fellows think it is nothing
surprising that any lady should fall in love
with them, but when man comes to that
more mature period which we call Tor at
least | calD the prime of life, he appreci-
ates the compliment
do not say that Mr.. John Riddel had
not some admirers among the fair sex who
loved him for his own sake. Indeed. it
was whispered among his dstrac.
tors that, like the first Duke OF Marlbor.
ough, and other great men who ought TO
have known better, he derived pecuniary
advantage from their devotion to him
that the sum expended in macassar oil,