Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-08-20
NICK PEPPER.
BY CAkL BRENT.

oe Of any account in the worldT
NO use talking, Sarah. l have given
up Nick asa bad job. would never
have thought that my brothers son
would turn out so trifing.'
Nick Pepper only smiled at these re-
marks. He was cunning himself on the
deck Of the canal boat General Burn
side, bound from Buffalo for New York
with load OF wheat, and just then de-
scendng the Hudson as one OF dset N
tow Of a steamboat. The hrst speaker
WAS his aunt, Sarah Pepper, and the
second was his uncle, Captain Pepper,
owner and commander of the Burnside.
Nick may be said to have composed The
crow, and 1t was the opinion Of the arst
and second officers. above mentioned,
that more useless crew was never
shipped.
L have lived in hopes said aunt
Sarah, that we would be able to make
a man Of him; but the older he grows
the less use he is. He does nothing
but loll around from sunrise to sunset.
Nick stretched himself and smiled
again.
'Auntie,' said he, did you ever know
me to lie or steal?'
Ne. You are good enough boy as
far as that goes. You never do any
thing at all. What's the use OF being
good, when you are only good for no
thing?'
Nick raised himself up sufficiently tc
rest his head on his elbow.
'Auntie,' said he, Just look at th,
Burnside. She tolls not, neither does
she spin, but she gets fresh coat ol
paint every season. She lies in the
basin at Buffalo till the elevators fiji
her up with grain; then a mule haul'
her down the canal then steamboat
bitches ON to her and tows her to New
York then tug yanks her over to an
elevator that unloads her and then she
loafs around till somebody takes her ul
the river again. She don't do strok'
Of what you might call work, and yeI
she makes a good living for you and un
Gle. Why should be any better thai
the Burnside?'
Aunt Sarah was sharp enough TO SCI
the fallacy ofthls argument, but hardly
sharp enough to expose it.
What do you mean,' she asked b
comparing yourself with canal beat
You are bov, or almost a young man
with soul to be saved. The Burnsid
is only lltelsss ching Of wood an
iron, and when she rots and goes ;
pieces, that's an end to her. I wis
YOU were as useful as the Burnside, bu
there isn't one earthly thing that 80
have learned to do
There is one thing that can d
though, auntie.'
Il would like to know what it :s.'
Il can keep secret
AS itanybodJ would ever give you
secret to keep"
The General Burnside reached Me-
| York safely, was left in the basin o
the Jersey side to await unloading
Nick Pepper put on his coat aad pre-
pared to go ashore.
Where are you going! queried aun
Sarah.
Out in town, TO do an errand for
man.
.Ipity the errand that anybody get
you to do
Nick wen. ashore, whistling.
Jacob Messner, wealthy manuia'
turer ofJersey City, was seated IN hi
Office. and with him was Mr. White,
LAWYER. Mr.. Messner was reading, an
not for the frat time, letter, which
. given here in full:
BUFFALO, Aug, 3. 1878.
sMY DEAR Mr.. MEssNER :-Whe
I left your place 80 hurnedly, called
tina death bed of my father, at this city
lIw.s very sorry you were absent,
that I was unable to explain to you.
I wished to, the result of my iayestig'
/, tons OF your business affairs. The gu
picions which had previously impair
ed TO yeu were confirmed. and | becan
, convinced that yeu had been systemat
cally robbed by your trusted clerk
EbbItt aud Albsrson. secured Il
books and papers which proved the
, crime conclusively, and locked them
, in the old safe, giving the combinatio
10 no one, as 1 did net know whom
trust. I expected to return shortl
but was taken sick shortly after n
fathers funeral, aud have since be-
unable to leave my bed. have be'
troubled to decide how I should sci
you the combination, as you will ne
= It to get the books and papers cpea
of, though not for any other purpo'
>. I can not send it to you by letter, a'
:, am sure that Ebbitt and Alberson "
read the letter before you get 1t, nor
I know any trustworthy person who
goiuc direct 10 New York. Thereto
, 1 was compelled to send it by a roun
about route. I gave 1t to boy nam
Nick Pepper, OF the canal boat Gensr
= Burnside, which left here three da
= ago. In this boy placed entire con
= dence. He will visit you as soon as
u boat lands, and wlll give you the pa
:. rsrd which we formerly agreed upo
:, :, When you give him the countersisn
. |. will tell you the combination. | mu
= run the risk Of having this letter read
Ebbitt and Alberson, but 1 hardly thi