Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-07-05

fore; and she was not above letting him
go on hoping, as long as his devotion
agreed with. her business purposes.
He seemed entirely honest with her !;
he told her, in confidence, that all his
own money, which he frankly admit
ted was but few thousands, was in
vested just as he advised her to place
her funds, and he seemed to prove
what he said.
No one who is possessed of single
idea can help talking of it to every
one. So Mrs. Mattleway began to
make the stock market subject of
conversation with her acquaintances.
One of these, journalist, named Barth,
had known so many persons afflicted
with the Wall street malady, that he
recognized the symptoms in Mrs.
Mattleway's case at once, and did all
he could to discourage the lady's
mania. But he did not succeed. All
gamblers are unreasonable, and a
woman gambler is the worst of all.
Beside, why should Mrs. Mattleway
heed Barth? He had never proposed
to her; he was pleasant enough, and
seemed to admire her little, but
he never attempted to get nearer
to her, and she was not sire
she forgave him for his cold
ness. How did she know but he had
designs upon her?-(journalists were
sly creatures, she had heard )-and was
talking as he did merely for the pur-
pose of undermining her broker, on
the supposition that Winston was
likely to persuade his fair customer to
change her name? Mrs. Mattleway
laughed a cruel little laugh, and ven
tured deeper than before. When her
ready money failed to keep good her
margins, she mortgaged her tenement
houses; then she mortgaged her own
residence; finally, she gave her -indi-
yidual notes, which Winston dis
counted.
Then the crash came. "The bottom
fell out" of Watertie Preferred. and
Mrs. Mattleway found herself almost
penDiless, loaded with mortgages, and
with notes almost due. What to do
she did not know, and long, hard cry
did not help her to decide. Winston,
believing that at last his opportunity
had come, called upon her, nobly offered
to extricate her from all her difficult
ties (which he could easily do, as all
her money had gone into his own bank
account). and asked in return only
that she would rescind the dreadful
"No" of year or two before.
Mrs. Mattleway sent Winston away
sorrowful she had endured him only
as shrewd broker, but he seemed not
to have been even that. Then she re-
sorted to her own thoughts for COM
pany, and found them extremely dis
NAL. What was she to do? She need
not starve, for she had brothers and
sisters, but none of them were rich
enough to help her out of her difficult
ties. She might open clearinghouse
dreadful thought y or marry the first
man who proposed, which was more
dreadful yet; perhaps, too, no one
would propose after the story got out
that she had lost all-men were such
mercenary creatures.
She heard her door-bell ring-could
it be visitor9 She would see nobody
that evening; how could she, with her
eyes red with weeping and her cheeks
blazing with modification and shame?
A servant came to the door of her
chamber, but she would not let even
servant see her face. She put her
hand to the edge of the door and took
a letter-a very bulky letter-it looked
as if it might contain paper patterns
for a dress. AS if she dared think. at
nresent of a new dress Mechani-
eallv she onened the envelone. It CON
tained beside nackaoe a letter that
road as follows.
DxAn Mns. MArrnEwAY. 1 want to confess
to some underhand proceedings and pray for
Winston S bookkeeper to let me know the eT,
tent OF your ventures, and nave OBTAINED
expected.
It's 50 seldom thas h man ha can pe OF genahne me
pleasure in asking you to make use of in
of tbrU osrs for as
mo7ths or years as you like