Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-01-12
aOUR. MIR. JENKINS.


l was fortunate in my uncle. So cv-
erybody thought, for Uncle Braithwaito
was rs wealthy and thriving manu-
facturerias any in lambeth, and |, his
dead sisters son, Cyril Vaughan by
name, was not merely drawing fair
salary, with the prospect of partner
ship. but was actually engaged to be
married to my second cousin, reputed a
great heiress de Il, sweet Lucy Braith-
waite-the old mans only child. A
Sc ere, Just man was John Praithwaite.
He had won his own way in lie by rigid
sclf-denial and unwearying industry
during q ioyless youth, and 1 doubt if
he ever thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of
his well-earned prosperity. Itwas only
when his eve rested on his daughters
pretty face that his stern look relaxed.
Lucy reminded him, doubtless, of her
gentle mother But he was good
master to,a good servant. notably where
he, who was by nature and habit susp-
cious, could repose full trust. He did
so in shis confident al clerk, Jacob
jenkins. That head clerk was one ont
of thousand. Respectable jenkins"
was thenickname by which irreverent
youngsters in the counting house spoke
with baied breath of that pearl of clerks:
but even those pert office lads had be-
lief in the mamie was so respectable,
with his lean, well-shaven face, his
neatly-b brushed suit of formal black, and
his square-toed boots. Never, as | have
heard, in the twenty-nine years of his
toll he'd honest Jenkins been known to
ask for a holiday TO shirk extra work,
or to make blunder as to tare and tret,
n thing OF moment with firm like ours,
large exporters as we were.
As for myself, / am afraid that my
poor merits, if | had any, were quite
eclipsed by these of that commercial
comet, jenkins. Indeed, / know of no
reason, except my blood relationship to
our principal. head of the house of
Braithwaite, Perry & Co., for any COM
parisoni between that veteran of the
desk and my inexperienced SELF But
my uncle often said, in his gruff way:
Take jenkins for your modelr' or
cyril, lad, it will be one while before
you fiji Jenkins shoes see how neatly
he settled that business with Chauvin
ct Fills, of Bordeaux, and how cleverly
he avoided the heavy loss of that last
shipment when Krakow and Kinder
garten, of Hamburg, were going to
smash"
Yeti stuck TO my work, young as /
was, and did my best not to be undeserv-
ing OF the prospective partnership, and
somehow ! got a vag impression in my
head that instead OF my being jealous of
jenkins. jenkins was jealous of me.
One day there was big check to
be changed-nearer to three thousand
pounds than two-aud it was my task,
no unusual one. to present the draft at
Peabody * Sons. In house like ours,
where the furnaces were always aglow,
and tall chimneys always smoking, the
outgoing for wages. horse-keep and
fuel were, need hardly say. very large.
On that day-how well remember
it'll was in exceptionally high spirits.
/ had been talking with dear ucy, and
though her father, who said that we
children need not be in a hurry, would
never. consent to name even n ap-
proxima'e day for our wedding, still
there was a vague prospect of connu-
bial bliss next spring. IT. was fine
bright weather, and on Tuesday there
was to be garden party at some Rich
mond villa, to which we were all to go.
Altogether Twas in excellent spirits, and
as far as anv man could be from dream
ing of the evil that was to come.
- How will you take itp' asked the
bankcashier.
''Shortn' / answered. with sort of
bovish pride in my newly-acqured
familiarity with business phrases, and
with my gold and notes l left the bank.
AS did so, a man staggered toward
me, iostled me, then reeled away, mnt-
tering "Beg pardon" and would have
fallen BIT for the support of my arm.
saw in moment that the man was
sober, But he looked i'll, very i'll. hag-
gard and hollow-eyed, though still
y ung, and he was decently clad in a
weltwo velvetine suit, with large,
bronze b ttons. There was smack of
the country about him, waif as he was
in the midst of London, and his accent,
SO far as l could judge, was that of
Yorkshire or Northumberland.
You are i'll, / fear" / INQUIRED,
"and perhaps stranger to London"'
IN gh clemmed in this blessed Lon
don of yours. paved wi golden guineas.
as our old crones say up in Craven" "
muttered the countryman in the same
thin, reedy voice; "paved VII traps,
say ], and cause for it, since all that
grantfeyther stored up. whether for Bess
and Bell or for me -" and then he
would have fallen but for my assistance.
Clearly the man was fainting, and
from starvation. We had walked some
distance. In tempting proximity, at
the corner of side street, was house,
over the door of which, in great gold
letters, cleaned the words Luncheon
Bar" Into this, quite instinctivsly, !
half dragged, half hustled the m.,-
1t was the middle of the day,
luncheon-time, brisk hour for busi-
ness in the city, in the eating and drink
ing line at least, and the place had
entered was full of customers, young
men mostly, noisily chatting over their
sandwiches. As / flung open the
swinging-door felt sure that ] caught
a glimpse of my uncle's confidential
clerk on the pavement outside.
"Mr. Jenkins" called out, but he
evidently did not hear me, but passed on.
There was a rush of excited young
fellows toward us-"Ret you he's
drunk" -Four to five he's deadn'
run overp" and SO forth and it was
not immediately that l could get some
restorative. But the poor countryman'
face was livid, his eyes closed. his teeth
fast shut, and he could swallow moth
ing Then a doctor was sent for, and
ibe doctor was slow in coming, and
had explanation after explanation tc
give, first TO the dull-witted landlord
who came blinking out of a back parlor
then TO inquisitiye customers; and when
at last. breathless surgeon, hastily
summoned. came painting in at The
heavy swing-door. amid the surgina
crowd. there was necessary word OF
so with him.
''But where is my patiehtP" asked
the bewidcred man of science; and, in
deed, the "poor fellow who was tn,
object of all this str had disappeared
In the midst OF the hubbub, and will