The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-04

Il fancy I've read something OF her,
but that's ALL"
"Then Pll tell yols When I first
stood at the bank counter, my left-hand
neighbor, ON the .unlucky side, was a
young fellow of the name of Frederick
Halves: Fred. Hawes we used to call
him, for he was one of them that are
made to be Bobbed and lacked and
Fredded by all the world. He was a
fine, jolly young chap, with any quantity
OF spirit in him; we all liked him, and
two or three of us who got to know him
best, liked his sister, too, Nancy Hawes.
She was prettier girl than Eve seen
these fifty years; since the time when
pretty girls went out and ugly b0nnets
came in. She and her brother Fred lived
with an old aunt in Finsbury, in Wind
mill street it was, and I've had tea there
with aunt Polly scores of times, and
punch there with Fred. scores OF times
more. Poor Fred-poor Nancyl She
helped out the housekeeping by doing
sewing,for an army elothier, and was as
good as gold, and fonder of her brother
than any girl / ever knew. She just
sewed her fingers to the bone to keep him
more like fine gentleman than he'd any
right to be, and she'd have cut off her
head to please him. Pm not talking
about the fine bankers clerks of nova
days-Pm talking Of things more than
sixty years ago, when was five and
twenty, and 30 was King George. be-
lieve six Of us asked her to marry us sig
times piece-I did, l know. But she
laughed at us all round, and made us
better friends with her than ever.
Brother Fred. must marry first she
used to say; and we knew she meant it.
she didn't think there was a man fit TO
clean Fred.'s shoes. From which, MIR.
Wilson, you will doubtless surmise that
Master Fred.'s shoes weren't worth black
ing. For, take my word for it, sir, the
way to make sweetheart or sister or a
mother worship the ground you tread on
is to be silly young scamp, without the
head of sparrow-grass or the heart OF q
cabbage" wv. .
II hope not" said I.
M know it," said MI. Deacon. "But
there was one of our set that didn't take
No like the rest of us. Isaac Ayscough
was his name. He was older and closer
than the rest, and the only one that never
talked about Miss Nancy. And some
how he was the only one with whom she
never seemed to be easy or friendly. /
know now, putting this and that to-
gether, and having near ninety years
knowledge of the world, that he loved
her with all his soul, and that she knew
it, and that it made her think of him
half frightened and half pleased so that
she couldn't laugh and chat as she did
with us others. We all looked up to
him. He was not only Older, but he was
cleverer, and better at business and
pleasure, and stronger-willed and harder
headed (and harder-hearted, may be,
and could drink more punch and spend
more money. 1 fancy, too, he was Of
better birth; but of that Pm not sure.
Any way, as time went on, there seemed
to come kind of breach among us all
poor Nancy got less cheerful, and Fred.
less sociable, and at the same time more
intimate with Ayscough; until we others
hardly saw anything Of any Of them.
Fred. was always sweet and friendly
with me, all the same, when we met,
which Of course was every day from ten
to three; and often / used to think he
wanted to tell me something, but didn't
dare, though encouraged him all in my
power. And all the while he was with
Ayscough more and more. / once spoke
to Nancy about it; but she only cried,
and II hate Isaac Ayscoughp said she.
I knew that she knew that Ayscough
was leading poor Fred. wrong, though
nobody could tell how; and know now
that Ayscough was working in some vii
lainous underhand way to get Fred. into
trouble, so that he might get Nancy into
his power. Any way, God forgive me if
Pm wrong. Well, sir one day it came
QUIT was in the year '69, Just when
the news came of the Boston riots-how
a signature had been forged to transfer
warrant, and then" s5-s7 ~
"Hawes and Ayscough were the forg-
ersw 'ayoa ..4 1-e 's.ssG &f
II don't know, mir. I only know that
Isaac Ayscough discovered the forgery,
and that Fred. Halves was-hanged. In
l769." 80. ...-.,
"HangedT E
"Why mott They hadn't made it
transportation then. Why lean remem-
Der when three hundred and fifty-two
men and women were sentenced to be
hanged for forgeries on the Bank of Eng
land in one single year--sH but one a
day. What was one more? No, sir
Threadneedle street isn't what 1t used to
be in my time. But | was telling you of
that desk, Mr.. Wilson. don't believe
meant poor Fred, Hawes to be
hanged. Pm not sure that Fred. d.-mind,
say Fred.--committed the forgery.
But when man once puts his shoulders
to send one Of the devils stones down
bill, down to the bottom goes the stone,
and wishing can't stop it. won't go
20 far as to think out loud that Ays
cough found it needful to get the brother
out of the way-say in jail-that he
might get hold Of the sister. I won't
suggest that he did what he found need
ful. But, all the same, he was close,