The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-10-20

do just as her father wished. l thought
il would be good thing for Fagg if he
should marry and settle down; that as a
married man he might be of some ac-
count. So ran up to Mugginsville one
day to look after things.
1t did me an immense deal of good to
make Rather mix my drinks for me
Rather, the gay, brilliant and uncon-
querable Rather, who had tried to snub
me two years ago. 1 talked to him about
Fagg and Nellie, particularly rs l
thought the subject distasteful. He never
liked Fagg, he said, and he was sure
Nellie didn't. Didn't Nellie like any
body else? He turned around to the
mirror behind the bar and brushed his
hair. understood the conceited wretch
l thought I'd put Fagg on his guard and
long talk with him. You could see by
the way the fellow acted that he was
badly stuck. He sighed and promised
to pluck up courage to hurry matters to
crisis. l saw he and Nellie once to-
gether. Nellie was q good girl and L
think had sort of respect for Fagg's UNI
obtrusiveness. But her fancy was al
ready taken captive by Rattler's super
fetal qualities, which were obvious and
pleasing. I don't think Nellie was any
worse than you or I. We are more apt
to take acquaintances at their apparent
value than their intrinsic worth. It's. less
trouble and, except when we want to
trust them, quite as convenient. We ask
the "time of day" of any one, but it's
only when we want to buy the watch that
we think whether its lever or galvan-
lied The difficulty with women is that
their feelings are apt to get interested
sooner than ours and then you know rea-
soning is out of the question. This is
what old Fagg would have known had
he been of any account. But he was not.
So much the better for him.
1t was u few months afterwards and l
was sitting in my Office when in walks
old Fagg. | was surprised to see him
down, but he talked over the current
topics with that mechanical manner of
people who know that they have some-
thing else to say, but are obliged to get
it in that formal way. After an interval
Fagg, in his natural way, said:
I'm going home"
"Going home?"
Eyes, that is. I'll take trip to the
States. | came to see You as you know
l have little property, and l have ex-
ecuted power of attorney for you to
manage my affairs. I've some papers I'D
like to leave with you. Will you take
charge of them?"
YES but what of Nellie?'
His face fell--it was naturally a long
face and hadn't far to fall. He tried to
smile and the combination resulted in
one OF the most startling and grotesque
effects l ever beheld. At length he
said:
81 ahall not marry Nellie-that is, -
he seemed to apologize for the impera-
tive mood think that l had better
not"
David Fagg," said I, with sudden Sc
verify, ''you are of no account"
To my establishment his face bright
ened.
Eyes" said he, chats it! I'm of no
account! l alwoys knew it. You see, l
thought Rather loved the girl as well as
l did, and l knew she liked him bet
ter than she did me, and would be hap
pier, dare say, with him. But then l
knew that old Robbins would have pre-
ferred me to him, as l was better Off
and the girl would do as he said-and so
You see l thought l was kinder in the
way-and so left. But, he continued
as was about to interrupt him, ''for
fear the old man might objectto Rather,
I've lent him enough to set HIM up in
business for himself in Dogtown. A
pushing, active, brillisnt fellow, you
know, like Rather. can get along, and
will soon be in his old position again
you needn't be hard on him, you know,
if he doesn't. Goodbye"
was, too much disguised with his
treatment of that Rather to be at all
amiable, but as his business was profit
able, promised to attend to it and he
left. A few weeks passed. The return
steamer arrived and u terrible incident
occupied the papers for days afterward.
People in all parts of the State conned
eagerly the details of an awful ship
wreck, and those who had friends aboard
went away by themselves, and read the
long list of the lost under their breath.
l read of the gifted, the gallant, the no.
BILE and the loved ones who had persisted,
and among them. think, was the first
to read the name of David Fagg. The
"man of no account" had gone home.
On opening his papers found a will,
in due legal precision, constituting me
his executor, and leaving his property to
be divided among 'his friends" the
passengers Of the Skyscraper, in 1852.
A. \