The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-09-16
A FASCINATING GHOST.

- "A II ASOlNA ELNU UlhVlCls
XITANTED. "A young gentleman who Knows
w how ospcil, and who writes good hand 10
do copying in the country for two or three mon'hs
MustTemain in employers house. Ad1reSs IN own
HAND, stating what salary IS expectea Psx i4oo'
This was an advertisement / cut ont of
the EUening Post one spring afternoon.
In the old days had been book-keeper
for the late concern OF Sklnfint, Stnrve-
himout a. Co., and while with them [
had been getting good salary, and, TO
my sorrow be it said, lived pretty well
up to it; so as L made nothing ny the
failure of the concern, and lost my place
as well, !. had to come down very low.
L had saved little, more by good Iutk
than from forethought, and this little,
used with the strictest economy, and
added to by few dollars made here and
there III odd ways, was all that had kept
me alive Tor eighteen months. However,
l didn't feel quite disposed to go to the
dogs yet, for there was always chance
of something turning up in a great city
like New York.
As / looked around my room that
evening l realized how bare it was Of
either furniture OF adornments; how I'M
llAt---. All, well, blltIO WHO lily DuDtI,
and unfolded 1t with all the giee of IL
child over new story-book. There
was, of course, the usual political news,
the usual number of railroad accidents
and criminal proceedings; there were
items OF interest to investors and theater
goers and travellers but nothing for me.
/ had no money to invest, or for theaters,
or travelling. So l skipped all that and
went on to the advertisements, and the
only one of them all worth reading
twice was the advertisement quoted
above.
read it two or three times, and then
decided it was worth trying. So hunted
up sheet of paper and addressed X
as follows:
My Dear Mr., Mrs. or Miss Y. l notice
your advertisement in to-day's issue of the
Ece''ing Post. My handwriting you can see for
yourself My spelling think, is usually cor
rect, and there is no doubt am a gentlemen
AS TO salary, don't know what to say don't
wish to value my services ut more than they're
worth. Should you mean by REMAIN In en-
ployer's house. / would be boarded and lodged
at your expense, my price-that IL, asking
price--is five dollars week.
- Yours respectfully,
JAMES w. WoLcorr."
The next afternoon L heard from nv
friend X, who proved to be man. His
letter ran thus
"JAMEs w. WoLcoTT, ESQ.,:
MY dear Sr-You may be a gentleman.
write good hand, and know how TO spell. but
you're q fool. L inclose sixty-three cents. the
fare to - You will take the a. m. train to-
morrow morning from Grand Central Depot
and when you arrive at -, ask for NV
carriage, as 1t will be there to meet you.
YOURS, etc.,
"soL. HUMPHREYS"
Sol. Humphreys THE last man in the
world L would voluntarily have written
TO, and for employment, tool Two years
before L had very nice little Irritation
with pretty Mabel Humphreys, and it
had gone so far that if the crash in nv
affairs had not occurred, / believe there
might have been an understanding. if
not an engagement. But rs il was I
put away ali thoughts oil love and love-
making and dropped pretty Mabel very
suddenly, without any kind of an under
standing, and had not seen her since
And now to think had fairly got myself
into 1T again But, reflected, might
not see much of Mabel. after all. So
much the better. Bread and butter was
q necessity and l must go and make the
best of it.
The next morning I caught the train,
but missed my breakfast, and by the
time / reached the house L was decidedly
hungry.
Mr.. Humphreys met me at the door,
and I was pleased to see he did not
seem to remember me at all. He put
up his eyeglasses, and inspected me
from head to foot.
$50 you're James w. Wolcott, are
you, young man?"
/ told him he was not mistaken.
always had that name--born with it, /
believed
''And you think you're gentleman?
i begged his pardon didn't think
anything about it; it was a self-evident
fact.
The old fellow grinned. "Suppose
you come in and have some breakfast
You haven't had any, suppose ?"
said had not.
"Well, come in and have some"
After breakfast Mr.. Humphreys led
the way into the library and motioned
me to take chair. while he explained
what my work was to be. He had been
writing a history, or text book of ferns
he was an enthusiastic botanist-and
wanted it copied for the press. The
work of rewriting the whole thing legi-
bly, was more than he wished to under.
take, so he had advertised for an amanu'
ensis.
After this had been explained to me,
Mr. Humphreys started up. "Get your
hat, Mr.. Wolcott. want to show you
around"
All through the house and all over the
place he took me, and when he got tc
the farther extremity of the grounds he
paused, and pointing to q huge stone
house beyond, said "Tm trying x
buy that house; I'm very anxious to ge
IL. but my daughte. objects."
asked him why shs objected