The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-12-29

| GU VIII, uOuDLlb5b, uhV6 many hnutno
gun with you, and II the phrase Of "th'
more the merriern can be applied u
pheasantshootipg, that Of "the fewer thu
better cheer" Is certainly more to the pur
pose. A fuller bag will, hope, compen
safe for the absence OF yours, most faith
fully, MARMADuHE MARTIEGALE."
Then leaving the envelope open, pro
Ceeded to concoct the telegram:
"From the Secretary OF the Great Butter
Company Limited, Cornhill, to Marina
duke Martingale, Esq., Military, Naval, and
Militia Club, Pail Mall. Detalcationg have
been discovered in the Company's &C
counts. l am therefore compelled TO sum
mon an extraordinary meeting OF the
Board Of Directors ior Wednesday next,
when your presence will be Indispensable
gave this composition to the Club COM
miesionaire, an active, intelligent fellow
whom I had often employed, and sent him
off to the nearest telegraph office. calcu'
lated that 1t would return to me-in tele'
graphic form-in about q quarter OF an
hour at the iurthest. But as 1t happened,
1t did not. / had on engagement
for that afternoon at birmingham, and
was Obliged to leave the Club before the
arrival Of the expected document. How.
ever, as knew II must come, and could
place the utmost confidence in the porter,
| | left my letter with him, instructing him
10 place the telegram inside 1t as soon as 1t
came TO hand, and then to post 1t.
The next morning, / found upon inquiry
that this had been done, and thought no
more about the matter. The day alter, a
note, as had expected, arrived from Slow.
combe; the contents Of which, however, |
did not expect:
"Sir,-I am aatonished that you should
have the assurance 10 send me that tele.
gram from your place OF business. II you
imagine because your secretary has "bolt-
ed" and the "blessed concern" las your
friend terms what l bad understood from
you to be sound commercial association
has "burst up" that l shall not be disposed
to press for my hundred pounds, you are
very much mistaken. ! have placed the
matter in the hands Of my collector, and
remain-Yours obediently,
THoNas sLowcoMBE."
Had taken leave of my senses, or had
Slowcombe taken leave of his? "Bolted,"
"burst up" "blessed concern? No such
words, I am su, Q, had ever been contained
in my telegram. What on earth did 1t all
mean? did a thing which l had never
done before, except upon the frs! Monday
in every month"; hurried to our place OF
business In the city az fast as a hanson
could take me; and found the shutters up.
The Office OF the G. B @. was closed-just
az though the company had been defunct.
Up stairs, however, found the chairman
looking at heap OF bills and gnawing his
moustache.
"This is pretty piece Of work, Captain
Martingale," said he; "and We have to
thank you for It."
ITO thank me?" cried 1. "Wbat do yon.
mean2 Is everybody gone mad? Ihave
done-no!hing-nothing."
perhaps you didn't send telegram TO
eur secretary about 'defalcations'? Here II
is.n And no tossed me over the metssge
had sent from the secretary to myselt-l
That respectable and intelli.
gent commissionaire had, 1t seemed, taken
It for granted that / had made mistake in
a telegram to myself, and substi-
tuted the word "from" for "to," and ito"
for .from." He thought, doubtless, he was
doing a very clever thing, and one for
which should be much indebted to him.
heSecretary really had, itseems, "deial.
Gated" il q small way, and getting my tele.
gram (instead OF my getting his) he thought
all was discovered, and so laid his hands
on everything he could, aud decamped. It
was the chairman himself who had wired
tue news to me in that familiar style, which
had go incensed Slowcombe: sour Secre-
tary has bolted, and the blessed concern
has burst up"
The Great butter Company, in fact, was |
nowhere, thanks to my little device for
avoiding pheasant shooting. The secretary
would probably never have fad but only |
have gone on defalcating slowly, but for
my alarming message; as 1t was, everything |
was precipitated, including the compulsory
Of my debt to Slowcombe. It was
altogether a miserable fasco; and when l
heard fellows talking about the splendid
results OF civilization, and tlook at the
electric telegraph, for example," and "the
corps OF commissionariesl" | 50 y to myself
But never mind what | say. l have
told enough to make it understood why l
should not agree with them.