The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-12-06

:u'So IOWupIkH uttIes vi course, l
know it is not usual for gentleman to
marriage to her. Indeed, the Idea is
ridiculous. But you have lived in your
'nistress's service gu long that she 70.
yards you as {. tr end and adviser, and
] 'h'der the circulnsta noes think it ouly
right to mention the matter to you.
A word from you, Mr.. Numb, might
prove very u>efu.."
"Very likely" said Mr.. Numb, and IN
| or ocular tone.
"Well, now. come, Mr.. Numb. Jus,
| consider. AN not q foolish aud OK.
t~ava. CANT man who would play ducks
md brakes With your m,stresss money.
On the contrary, | am careful man,
and not pour one either. think W.
should like little better. Numb, if |
We're master here; vOar wages might be-
raised; and-and-well Nu,nO, on NJ,
wedding day dare say 1 might give
you five pound note. VIVA: do you
say II that"
MIR. Fhntshire spoke in his most earn
est aud persuasive tone, but failed &c
move q muscle Of MIR. Numb's stulid face
"Or-orten. Suall We say ten Enmb?
aid Mr.. Flintsh;re, eagerly.
Make it fifty" said the butler with
pc -'ectly i,npasSve countenan g:
FIFTY! Bless my s,u|. Ahem! It's q
cry large sum-" Aaspo Mr.. FI;ntshire,
Can't We split the 4 ference and meet
'alf way-..say twenty Or twenty:ive?
fry" repeated Nu'sb stubhornlv.
"Well, Well! finy them" said Mr..
Fl'ntshire with resignation. ut Is u
Urge sum; but. However say fifty"
The butler said fifty, apparently rath.
~
my interest he felt in the discussion
Indging at least from his tone and man
'er. Nothing more passed at this re-
narkahle interview. but the, next, .iay
Jr Flintshire proposed 70 Mrs. Num-
'lewood and was Immediately accepted.
4 te. this matters went smoothly
enough, and though Mr.. Flintshire fret
ed a great deal about the City pounds
T.. had promised Numb, he did not con-
ider the III ney thrswp away. The
.lacrity with which Mrs. Mumblewooh
mad accepted him plainly revealed that
'e owed his success to the buffers il-
reference. When ,nce he was married
he flattered himself that Mr.. Numb's
dominion waald soon come to an end
Meanwhile it was prudent to be polite
to him, for. since he acted as the Old
lady's confilen ial adviser, he might
make h;ms If Iisayreeable by suggest
ng settlements and other undesirable
complications.
Nothin. of the kind occurred, howev-
-.r, and the marriage was performed in a
neighboring church without fuss or Ger
elnony. Mr.. NumO received his fifty
rounds, together with a promise of a
rise in his wages, which NJ. Flint
hire intended in his own mimi as pre-
Iim;nary to dsmissing him. The we'd.
ding banquet and the suspicious event
in no way disturbed the even tenor o.
the household. The only change that
occurred was that from hencetorth Mr..
F.ip'sh WAS promoted to the dignity
Of pay,naster of the establishment, the
widow stopping ali supplies with promp
titude 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 dill not appear to
desire it. He settled down readily
| enough to his new state Of life, and de-
voted himself to ministeriI:g to his wifA's
chel aim he had in view was to prevent
her from making a will. He strongly
suspected that she had made one before
her marriage, in which the name of Mr..
Numb figured consp'cu"usly; but that
ancamcnt was now null ana void by op-
Grafton Of law. If his wife, therefore
did not make fresh one, che would. at
,er death, inherit everything as her
| husband, and lie was, accord ngly, quite
| content to leave matters where they
were at present.
IfMr. FIntshire deserved domestic
happiness as Il -wari for his perseser-
ance, he certa My did not att lin that de-
| sirable contamination. To begin with,
his wife was :rotcI,ety and fractions, "a
Old peco,e generally are, bat, in addi-
ton . these TAI ing@, she possessed re-
u~trkabiy vigorous temper. Mr.. Flint
ny her side from morning till night, and
she made perfect slave If him. Being
'norbidly fearful Of offending her, he
Jared not venture to retaliate, AMI
never was an unhappy husband more
hehpecked than he. Another source OF
annoyance was that the whole house,
hold seemed to be in league 20 plum or
him. The simple domestic arrange
ments which had suffered when the old
lady held the purse we're no longer suf-
| ticient. His wife was TIE first to pro-
pose more liberia, table, and Mr.. NUMB
| manifested q perfectly tiendlsh ingenu-
ity in suggesting costly little dishes for
| her. In u word, the housekeeping ex
| pense increased to an enormous extent,
| and all attempts at introducing economy
| proved unavailinx.
The last but not the least of the bride
| groom's troubles was the presence III
! the house OF Numb, the butler. SO long
as this man remained, Mr.. Flintshire
'elt that he was only the nominal head
l nf Hn oSny >1,nf, Il
precisely as lie pleased, and his resi-.
dence with his mistress showed no
| signs of dimini hing. Yet Mr.. Fiintshire
did not see his way to &c ting rid of him.
| If he attempted to exercise his authori-
| ", bis wife might be driven to take
some desperate course. He ventured
on one occasion to hint that Numb's
services ml2,.t with advantage bn dis.
| pense't with, but the suggestion called
forth such torrent Of reproaches and
,nve.tives. that Mr.. Flintsh.re trembled
1t his tenerity. Numb stayed on. and
haunted him like veritab!e Old Wan o.
| lie Sea, drawing high wages, increasint
! he weekly bills. and, what was a,
| worse, enjoying the larger share Of his
viics confidence.
The one bright spot in the midst OF
| Mr.. Flint-hire's tribuIation was that his
wife evinced no desire to make will.
| lie therefore felt toleraoly secure about
he future, which WAS q great consola-
ton to HRS. Nevertheless
Ia year of this anxious
life 50 undermined his const tuition, that
in all probability an.ther twelvemon h
would have either killed him or rem.
Tered him hopcle 81 Y imbecil-. Fortu.
nately for him, these dreadful contin-
Sencizs We're averted by the sudden
.'eath of the old lady, who expired
II her sleep without having given tho
highest indication of her approaching
! end.
The sad event had much the same ef.
'ecj u:on the bereaved husband as q
summer shower has upon parched gar
| len. 1t revived him instantly AM
allied forth all his former energy and
| vitality. His first step was to make a
ninue and careful examination of t o
deceased iady's effects, without, as he
'sd antici pated, finding trace of a will
The precaution was hardly necessary,