St. Landry democrat., 1880-06-05

lie was commonplace, hulking fel
low, with loutish manners, who had 90
into bad money scrape, and had come t,
me with no satisfactory story in hi:
trouble. knew nothing about him per
sonally, but he had been in one of tho
colonies, where Alice's husband is Pre-
mier or something of that sort, and Alice
is my favorte sister.
1t was an old compact between my sis.
ter and me that we should never refuse
each other anything. We made it one
evening as we sat beside my poor mother
in the garden of her pretty dover house
at Iwickenham. My mother joined us
all three together, taking hand of each;
and, looking out upon a star which had
just risen, she said, in the tender, loving
way she had: g want you two to prom
Use me something, and it that in none
OF the chances or changes of life you
will either of you say no to a request of
the other Remember my star shall be
the witness between you when | am
gone My mother had fancies Of her
own about the stars and had singled out
this one as having some especial infiu-
ence on her and those she held dearest
Then she knew that was apt to be mo-
rose, and that Alice had high spirit, so
she wished us to assure her we would
never become estranged. We have both
kept the pledge that we made to her. 1t
was among the last her gentle spirit ever
asked of us.
So when Mr.. Jones bounced into nv
study one morning, after tumbling over
my man-servant and a folio of prints
which was leaning against the writing
table, and when he made known to me
that he was in sore distress for money, |
got it into my head hat Alice had drawn
upon me at sight for q thousand pounds
and that must honor my sisters sigma
t1re.
For it was a thousand pounds he want
ed. L could make out as much as that
from his confused talk, which had
strong resemblance to rigmarole cut into
short lengths of gasps and EXPLANATIONS.
1t was only when he saw me silently take
out my check-book and write draft for
the money that he began to grow profuse
and almost ineligible in his language,
He also pulled from the recesses of a
hard, stiff great coat packet of greasy
parchments and threw them on the table
with loud thud.
They are not worth much,n he said.
growing crimson to the roots of his hair,
= but they are all l have got, and SO l
brought them. l can go through the le-
gal formalities of conveyancing with your
solicitors if you will instruct them to pre-
pare the necessary papers,
:. There is no need of anything furth-
or /
go, but there is, though. Suppose /
should die; you must have what I leave,
If there is anything" remarked the man.
| liked Mr.. Jones still less than before
after this speech. He spoke in such
bluff. coarse voice, and was so loud and
SO bumptious that his pretending to take
care OF my interest only appeared to me
piece OF gratuitous impertinence If
the image Of my mother and sister, al
most the last time we met together had
not started up before my Imagination
with strange vividness [ should have
said something rude. The fellows very
hair was antipathetic to me. It was
wiry, it was tousled, it was obstinate
hair, going the wrong way all over his
pate and forehead. / felt a real sense of
4SiioA liz Out OI INV ITa0-
quill library and left me to my pur-
suits. was making notes for new
edition of ia Rochefoucaulds Max
inns, which interested me very much
just then, and asked myself, with a
wry smile, whether / should be much
grieved if Mr.. Jones had fit of
apoplexy before he could tumble his
way to the street door, Still, how
ever, my mother and sister seemed
to look reproachfully at me, and ] could
not shake off the secret presentment that
my conduct would appear to Alice as
that of churl. We have all some soft
spot in our nature, and held to my sis
ter's esteem not less than to her affec-
ion. Still, a thousand pounds was a
round sum, and Mr.. Jones had got the
money when he asked for it. What
more could he want? Inever expected to
zee it again, but in this part Of the bust
less was disappointed. He paid the