The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-11-24
"OUR" MR.. JENKINS.

BY JOHN BERWICK.
Twas fortunate in my uncle. So every
body thought, for Uncle Braithwaite wa
as wealthy and thriving manufacturer a
any in Lambeth, and !, his dead sister
son, Cyril Vaughan by name, was no
merely drawing fair salary, with the pros
pect offs partnership, but was actually en-
Igaged TO be married to my second cousin
reputed great heirtss-dear, sweet Lucy
Braithwaite-the old mans only child. a
severe, Just man was John Braithwaite. He
had won his own way in life by rigid self
denial and unwearying industry during q
ljoyless youth, and l doubt II he ever thor.
oughly enjoyed the fruits OF his well.
earned prosperity. 1t was only whom bic
eyes rested on his daughters pretty face
that his stern looked relaxed. Lucy re.
minded him, doubtless, OF her gentle
mother. But he was good master to a
good servant, and notably where be, who
was by nature and habit suspicious, could
repose full trust. He did so in his conf
dental clerk, Jacob Jenkins. That head
clerk was one cut Of thousand. Respect.
able Jenkins" was the nickname by which
irreverent youngsters in the counting house
smoke, with Gated breath, OF that pearl OF
clerke; but even those pert Office lads had a
belief /, the man-be was go respectable,
with his lean, well.shayen face. his neatly
brushed suit Of formal black and his
square-toed boots. Mover, as have heard,
II the twenty.nine years OF his toll had
honest Jenkins been known to ask for q
holiday, to shirk extra work or to make
blunder as to tare and net, thing OF
moment with q firm like ouIs, large ex-
porters as we were.
AS for myself, am afraid that my poor
merits, Il I had any, were quite eclipsed by
those OF that commercial comet, Jenkins.
Indeed, l know OF no reason, except my
blood relationship 10 our principal, head OF
the house Of Braithwaite, Perry & Co., for
any comparison between that veteran Of the
uv K anu my inexperienced sell. But my
uncle often said, In bis gruf way:
"Take Jenkins for your model" or
"Cyril, lad, It will be one while before You
fill Jenkins shoes! See how neatly he sat.
lied that business with Chanyanet Flls, Of
Bordeaux, and how cleveily he avoided
The heavy loas of that last shipment when
Krakjaw & kindergarten, OF Hamburg,
were going to smash"
Yet 1 stuck to my work, young as was,
md did my best to be deserving OF the
prospective partnership, and somehow 1
got vague impression in my head that,
instead OF my being jealous OF Jenkins,
Jenkins was jealous OF me.
One day there was big check to be
changed-nearer to three thousand pounds
Than two-aud 1t was my task, no unusual
lne, to present the draft at Peabody 4
Sons. In q house like ours, where the
furnaces were always aglow, and the tall
chimneys always smoking, the outgoirgs
Tor wages, horse.keep and fuel were, need
hardly say, very large.
On that day-how we'll remember i'll
Twas in exceptionally high spirits. Ihad
Deen talking with dear Lucy, and though
her father, who said that we children need
be in no hurry, would never consent to
name even an approximate day for our
aeddipg, still there was vague prospect Of
sonnubial bliss next spring. 1t was fac,
bright weather, and on the Tuesday there
was to be a garden party at some Rich
nond villa, to which we wero all to go.
Altogether l was in excellentspirits,an as
Jar as any man could be from dreaming Of
the evil that was to come.
"How will you take III" asked thebank
cashier.
"Short!" answered, with a sort OF boy
ish pride in my newly acquired iamiliari-
~ with business phrases, and, with my
gold and notes, left the bank.
As did so, q man staggered toward me,
| 1aI 1nl
beg pardon" and would have fallen but
or the support OF my arm. l saw in a
moment that the man was sober. But he
looked Ill, very i'll, haggered and hollow.
syed, though still young, and he was de.
Gently clad in o well worn velveteen suit,
with large bronzs bottoms. There was q
smack OF the country about him, waif as he
was in the midst OF London, and hisaccent,
20 far as 1could Judge, was that OF York
shire or Northumberland.
You are III, l fear" l inquired, land
perhaps stranger 10 LondonW
"Figh clemmed In this blessed London
Of yours, paved VII golden guineae, as our
old crones say up in Craven" muttered
the countryman in the same thin, reody
voice; paved wi traps, say ], and cause
Tor 1t, since all that Granddaughter stored up,
whether for Bees and Rel or for me-"
and then he would have fallen but for my
assistance.
Clearly the man was fainting, and from
starvation. We had walked some distance.
In tempting proximity, ct the corner Of
side street, was house, over the door OF
which in great gold letters cleaned the
words Luncheon Bar" Into this, quite
instinctively, half dragged, hall hustled
the man.
1t was the middle Of the day, luncheon
time, brisk hour for business in the city,
in the eating and drinking limo ut least,
and the place had entered was full OF
customers, young men mostly, noisily
chatting over their sandwiches. AS flung
open the swinging door I felt sure that
caught glimpse OF uncle's confidential
clerk on the pavement outside.
"Mr. Jenkins" called out, but no eyi.
IDENTIFY did not hear mo, but passed on.
There wss rush OF excited young fol.
lows toward us-"Bet you hos drunk p
-Four to five he's dead" run over !"
and so forth-and II was not Immediately
that couldget some restorative. But the
poor countryman's face was liyid, his eyes
closed, his teeth fast shut and he could
swallow nothing, Then a doctor was sent
Tor, and the doctor was slow in coming, and
had explanation after explanation to
give, FIRST to the dull-witted landlord, who
came blinking out OF back parlor, then
to inquisitive customers, and when, OF last,
breathless surgeon, hastily summoned,
came painting in at-the heavy swing door,
amid the surging crowd, there was neces.
sarv word or 80 Tor him.
"But where is my patient?' asked the
bewildered man Of science, aud, indeed,
the " poor fellow who was the object Of
all thia stir had disannaarad In the nnidst