The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1883-12-06

know It 10 not usual for gentleman Il
consult lady's butler before proposing
marriage to her. Indeed, the idea !
ridiculous. But you have lived In you
nisttess's service 80 long that she r.
CARDS you as a friend and adviser, ant
under the circumstances think it only
right to mention the matter to you.
A word from YOU, Mr.. Numb, nigh
prove very useful"
Every likely" said Mr.. Numb, and il
oracular tone.
swell, now, come, Mr.. Numb. Jus
consider. am not foolish and ex.
travayant man who would play ducks
and brakes With your mistress's money
On the contrary, | am a careful man
and not poor one either. | think w
should like little better. Numb, if
We're master here; voar wages might bt
raised; and-and-well Numb, on m,
wedding day l dare say / might give
you five pound note. What do YOU
say to that?"
| Mr.. Flintshire spoke in his most earn
est and persuasive tone, but failed L
move q muscle of Mr.. Numb's stolid face
| "Or-Or ten. Snail we say ten Numb?'
Said Mr.. Flintshire, eagerly.
MAKE it fifty" said the butler with
l pO'IOCbiy ilupSSStt0 COuAtOu0nS0s
Fifty! Bless my soul. Ahem! It's q
cry large sum" gaspc Mr.. Flintshire,
Can't we split the d ference and meet
half way-say twenty or twenty :five?"
| Fifty" repeated Numb stubbornly.
well. Well! fifty them" said Mr..
| Flintshire with resignation. ut is u
large sum. but. However say fifty"
The butler said fifty, apparently rath.
| .r to oblige Mr.. Flintshire than from
| my interest he felt in the discussion
Judging at least from his tone and man
Ter. Nothing more passed at this re-
narkable interview. but the next day
1r Flintshire proposed 10 Mrs. Num-
'lewood and was Immediately accepted.
4 ter this matters went smoothly
enough, and though Mr.. Flintshire fret
led great deal about the fifty pounds
Ia had promised Numb, he did not con-
ider the M ney thrown away. The
,lacrity with which Mrs. Mumblewood
mad accepted him plainly revealed that
ie owed his success to the buffers In
reference. When orce he was married
he fattered himself that Mr.. Numb's
dominion would soon come to an end
Meanwhile it was prudent to be polite
to him, for, since he acted as the Old
lady's confidential adviser, he might
make hims If disagreeable by suggest
ng settlements and other undesirable
complications.
Nothing of the kind occurred, howev-
II, and the marriage was performed in
neighboring church without fuss or GER
rmony. Mr.. Numb received his fifty
bounds, together with promise of a
rise in his wages, which NJ. Flint
hire intended in his own mind as 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 hencetortn Mr..
Fin, shire was promoted to the dignity
of paymaster Of the establishment, the
widow stopping ali supplies with promp
ttude the moment she had changed her
name.
Mr.. Flintshire did not trouble to an
nounce 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 himself to ministericg to bis wife's
comfort in very laudible m inner. Tue
chief aim he had ia view was to prevent
her from making a will. He strongly
suspected that she had made one before
" w
Numb figured conspicunusly; but that
document was now null and void by OPP
Grafton of law. If his wife, therefore
did not make fresh one, .he would, at
her death, inherit everything as her
husband, and he was, accordingly, quite
content to leave matters where they
were at present.
IF Mr.. Flintshire deserved domestic
happiness as reward for his perSe YER
ance, he certainly did not attain that de-
sirable consummation. To begin with,
his wife was erotchety and fractions, as
old people generally are, bat, in addi-
ton o these faiings, she possessed Q re-
nsirkabiy vigorous temper. Mr.. Flint
sdire, to serve his own purposes, stayed
by her side from morning till night, and
she made perfect slave of him. Being
morbidly fearful of offending her. he
dared not venture to retaliate, 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 Ter
him. The simple domestic arrange
ments which had suffered when the old
lady held the purse we're no longer suf-
fcient. His wife was the first to pro-
pose more liberal table, and Mr.. Numb
manifested a perfectly fiendish ingenu-
ity in suggesting costly little dishes for
her. In 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
gro0m's troubles was the presence in
the house of Numb, the butler. So long
as this man remained, Mr.. Flintshire
felt that he was only the nominal head
of the establishment. Mr.. Numb did
precisely as he pleased, and his resi-
dence with his mistress showed no
signs of dimini shing. Yet Mr.. Flintshire
did not see his way to getting rid him.
Ii 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 mig.t with advantage b dis
pensed with, but the suggestion called
forth such torrent Of reproaches and
At his temeritv. Numb stayed on, and
haunted him like veritabie Old Man OF
he Sea, drawing high wages, increasing
he weekly bills. and, what was n,
worse, enjoying the larger share of his
vife's confidence.
The one bright spot in the midst of
MT. funCSnlfe 8 GrtDulatlOn was that MS
wife evinced no desire to make q will
He therefore felt toleraDly secure about
he future, which was q great consola-
ton to hin. Nevertheless
a year of this anxious
life so undermined his const tuition, that
IN all probability anpther twelvemon
would have either killed HIM or rem
Tered him hopele sly imbecil-. Fortu-
nately fer him, these dreadful contin-
genci-s were averted by the sudden
ieath of the old lady, who expired
in her sleep without having given the
-lghtest indication of her approaching
end.
The sad event had much the same eff
'ecc upon the bereaved husband as
summer shower has upon parched gar
len. 1t revived him instantly an,
allied forth all his former energy and
vitality. His first step was to make
minute and careful examination of { e
deceased lady's effects, without, as he
'sd anticipated, finding trace of q will
The precaution was hardly necessary,
tor he was certain she had not made
one. but the search satisfied his mind.