The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-14

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"Mr. Numb he said mysteriously,
marrying again ever occurred to you?"
"No. it hain't' ,saidt he man, shortly.
"Well Mr.. Numb" perhaps not,
though you hardly have imagined that [
could see SO much of that excellent lady
as 1 rave done lately without conceiving
a very great regard for her. Now, sup.
posing" said MI. Flintshlre, quite ~jocose-
ly, ''supposing l were to aspire to gain
your mistress's hand, what would you
say"
81 should say, don't you wish you
may get it," returned Numb, calmly.
81 am quite serious said Mr.. Flint
shire frown!ng a little. "Of course,
know it is not usual for a gentleman to
marriage to her. Indeed, the idea is
ridiculous. But you nave lived in your
mistress's service SO long that she re-
CARDS you as a friend and adviser, and
under the circumstances I think it only
right to mention the matter to you.
A word from you, Mr.. Numb, might
prove very useful"
very likely" said Mr.. Numb, and in
or tcuiar tone.
"Well, now, come, Mr.. Numb. Just
consider. | am not a foolish aud ex-
t~avagant man who would play ducks
aud brakes With your mistress's money.
On the contrary, | am a careful man,
and not a poor n either. l think we
should like a little better, Numb, if 1
were master here; voWr wages might be
raised; and-and-well Numb, on nv
wedding day | dare say l might give
you a five pound note. What do you
say to that?"
Mr.. Flintshire spoke in his most earn
est and persuasive tone, but failed tC
move a muscle of MIR. Numb's stolid face.
"Or-orten. Shall we say ten Numb?"
said Mr.. Flintshire, eagerly.
"Make it fifty" said the butler with
4 perfectly impressive c~ountenance:
Fifty! Bless my soul. Aheml It's a
cry large sum" gaspei Mr.. Flintshire,
Can't we split the d ference and meet
nalf way--say twenty or twenty:tive?"
well Well! fifty then," said Mr..
F%lintshire with resignation. "It is a
large sum. but. However say fifty"
The butler said fifty, apparently rath-
| er to oDlige Mr.. Flintshire than from
my interest he felt in the discussion
Judging at least from his one and man
| ler. Nothing more passed at this re-
narkahle interview. but the next day
Ur. Flintshire proposed to Mrs. Num-
plewood and was Immediately accepted.
Alter this matters went smoothly
enough, and though Mr.. Flintshire fret
ted a great deal about the fifty pounds
he had promised Numb, he did not con-
,ider the m ,ney thrown away. The
llacrity with which Mrs. Mumblewood
mad accepted him plainly revealed that
le owed his success to the buffers in
reference. When once he was married
he 1attered himself that Mr.. Numb's
! dominion would o o come to an end.
Meanwhile it was prudent to be polite
TO him, for, since he acted as the old
Iady's confidential adviser, he might
make hims If iisagreeable by suggest
ng settlements and other undesirable
complications.
Nothing of the kind occurred, howey-
IT, and the marriage WAS performed in a
n%eighboring church without fuss or GER
emony. Mr.. Numb received his fifty
pounds, together with a promise of a
rise in his wages, which NJ. Flint
hire intended in his own mind as a pre-
liminary to dismissing him. The we'd
| ding banquet and the suspicious event
in no way disturbed the even tenor OF
| he household. The only change that
occurred was that from h%encetorth Mr..
Flip'shire WAS promoted to the dignity
of paymaster of the establishment, the
widow stopping ali supplies with promp-
titude the moment she had changed her
name.
Mr.. Flintshire did not trouble to an
bounce his wedding in the papers.
There was nothing to be gained by do
ing so, and his wife did not appear to
desire it. He settled down readily
enough to his new state of life, and de-
voted himselft to ministeriEg to bis wife's
comfort in a very laudible manner. Tie
chief aim he had ia view was to prevent
her from making a will. He strongly
suspected that she had made ONT before
her marriage, in which the name of Mr..
Numb figured conspicuously; but that
! document was now null and void by OPP
did not make q fresh one, .he would, at
her death, inherit everything as her
husband, and he was, accordingly, quite
content t leave matters where they
were at 'present.
IfMr. Flintshire deserved domestic
happiness as a reward for his persever-
ance, he certainly did not attain that de-
! sirable consummation. To begin with,
hls wife was crotchety and fractions, as
old pecote generally are, bat, in addi-
ton . these failings, she possessed a re-
u%-lrkably vigorous temper. Mr.. Flint
| sIire, to serve his w purposes, stayed
| Wy hCI SIo0 AiOaIA iOtIADS Nlli lilSuI, ultl
she made a perfect slave Of him. Being
inorbidly fearful of offending her, he
Jared not venture to retaiiate, and
never was an unhappy husband more
henpecked than he. Another source of
annoyance was that the whole house,
hold seemed to be in league 70 plum 'er
him. The simple domestic range
inents which had suffered when the old
lady held the purse were no longer suf-
ficient. His wife was the first to pro-
pose a more liberal table, and Mr.. Numb
manifested a perfectly tiendish ingenu-
ity in suggesting costly little dishes for
her. In a word, the housekeeping ex.
pense increased to an enormous extent,
and all attempts at introducing economy
proved ~unavailing.
The last but not the least of the bride
groOm's troubles was the presence in
the house OF Numb, the butler. So long
as this man remained, Mr.. F%lintshire
lelt that he was only the nominal head
of he establishment. Mr.. Numb did
precisely as he pleased, and his resi-
dence with his mistress showed no
slgns of dinini ,hing. Yet Mr.. F%lintshire
If he attempted to exercise his authori-
ty, his wife might be driven to take
some desperate course. He ventured
on one occasion to hint that Numb's
services mia-t with advantage bA dis
penseh with, out the suggestion called
forth such a torrent OF ]reproaches and
inve.tives, that MI. Flintsh,re trembled
at his temerity. Numb stayed on, and
haunted him like a veritable Old MAN OF
he Sea, drawing high wages, increasing
he weekly bills. and. what was lar
sor.e, enjoying the larger share of his
,'ie's confidence.
The n bright spot in the midst OF
Mr.. Flint-hire's tribulation was that his
wife evinced no desire to make a will.
lie therefore felt toleraDly secure about