St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-03-30

sage, sharp and saucy, over the wires
No Edwards appeared, and | had to re-
turn home in bad humor. The next
day letter came from Edwards: and
1t was enough to make the oldest -four
merchant cut up rough.
'The mills are still idle and will be
until the first of next month. They
must eat, whether they pay or not.
haven't the heart to starve them, nor
should you, either, am sure"
1t then occurred to me that perhaps
Edwards was feeding the unemployed
operatives of the mills named with flour
at my cost. There might have been
improper language about it in the of
flee but that was no reason why the
porters should all at once step round as
If they were in mortal fear of some
body, and say to each other
81 never thought the gentleman could
swear like that, did you ?"
But | sat down and wrote Edwards a
sharp letter:
F'You have been doing strange
thing with my flour. What right had
You to sell it in the way you have
done? 1t is bare-faced robbery, as |
iOpN ~ u anu IL NOu tsiu pun any OlIl-
er and better face upon it, you had bet
ter do so at once. At any rate, come
down to the city at once and bring
your accounts with you, so that | can
see what it all means"
Such Il letter ought to have brought
Edwards or any other man at once, but
it didn't.
1t was busy time. Mcintyre of
Liverpool, Van Swartz of Hamburg.
and one or two others called for some
thing every day. Let them wait day
or two. This Edwards had stirred up
the depths of commercial bitterness to
the very bottom now let him answer
for it.
| went to Springfield full of mischief
for Edwards. If he didn't show good
cause for his outrageous dOIngs | in
tended to close him up, sell him out,
break him, and make an end of him as
flour merchant.
Most people are hungry when they
reach Springfield, and that city is one
of few places in the world where there
is always something good to eat ready
and waiting for you. A good dinner
makes true democracy. Where there
are ideas ut all it makes them more
broad and liberal. After my dinner |
went to see Edwards in better humor
than before.
Standing in the door of the store to
which | had been directed was boy
a remarkable looking boy. His pants
were tucked into his boots, he was
covered with flour, he was cross-eyed :;
and if that little Chicago man had come
and stood beside that boy, it would
have been hard to tell which was the
original and which the copy.
81 want to see Edwards" said to
the boy.
"GOne to ChicOpee to see grandfath-
er. Be back at four O'Clock. Want
some flour ?"
"No. | want to see Edwards"
"COme at four o'clock"
At that moment Il customer came
and the boy left me to attend to him.
| went back to the hotel and waited.
At ten minutes past four / started
out again to see Edwards. The same
boy was on duty ut the door as before,
only now his face was so befloured
that he was still more singular than at
first
'Is Edwards here ?" | asked
He nodded.
'Then | would like to see him at
Oncen
He looked me fairly in the face and
actually grinned at me. Then, jerking
his head towards the rear of the store,
said
'Back in the office"
| went back into the Office and found
only lady there.
~ want to see Mr.. Edwards. Is he
in ?"
"YOu want to see me, then. There
is no Mr.. Edwards. My husband died
three years ago"
| was too much astonished to say
anything for Il moment.
as it possible that you are Edwards,
the flour merchant p
~ am the person, sir"
"And | am John Middleton of New
York. must beg your pardon, mad
am, for writing You a very sharp let
ter. | supposed 1 was writing to a
man, OF it would have been very differ
emily worded. You being a lady makes
it rudeness on my part"
81 know | deserved it," she said,
smiling, 'but in spite of Johns remon-
strances (JOhn is my bOy) that | was
running my credit with you, | simply
couldn't see former customers starving
when it was possible to feed them. You
have come for your money, sir. Sit
down and | will pay you what have
here. | must borrow from the bank
enough to pay the rest. They offered
to take Il mortgage on our house, but
hope to get along somehow without
that. But you must have your money,
| know, even if there is a mortgage put
on the house"
And she went to the safe and took
out what money there was-nOt much :;
and sat down to write me "A check for
what she had in the bank. While she
was filling the check she kept looking
uu at me in the oldest way. Such IA
pretty little woman she was, too. But
| was so ashamed of myself that | sat
dumb as an oyster. Here was the lit
tie widow going to mortgage her
house, and perhaps herself, on my ac-
count. 1t was rough-the toughest |
had ever seen. But | let her fill out
the check. Two hundred dollars and
thirteen cents. 1t took the last cent on
deposit, and she had just given me the
last cent in the cash drawer.
She was so pretty as she sat there
gravely writing in her book, and
every now and then glancing shyly at
me. Where had | seen that face be
fore ? | puzzled myself in vain
couldn't tell.
She gave me the check, and now my
wandering brains had come back into
business channel again. | tore up
the check.
Mrs. Edwards, | am heartily asham-
ed of myself for what has passed be
tween us. YOu shall not mortgage
your property for me. Do the best you
can When Won can collect and nav