The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-05-08

anyway" suggested the optimist. ''We'
have expected so much that we are not,
fair Judges, probably, and may be un-:
reasonably disappointed. It can do no
harm to find out what other people
think of it."
As nobody made any objection, ex-
cept Bruce, who objected to everything
on principle, the suggestion was carried
out, and the manuscript lay on the
table all ready for the express Office,
inclosed in a sealed wrapper, and adj
dressed to q leading firm of publishers,
before the friends went out into the dim
morning light, and separated, in some
what detected spirits, for their several
homes.
In a fortnight the manuscript had
come back, with a courteous little note:
Returned with thanks" etc., etc.
.sSend it again to some n else,"
advised the undaunted De Whit, and
again it was put in a fresh wrapper
and started off on its travels.
In the meantime Donald Bruce was
working secretly and on his own re-
sponsibility. With a great deal of pa
tent industry and intricate wire-pulling
he finally succeeded in obtaining for
Miss Stratton a permanent and fairly
lucrative position as contributor to a
lively little weekly periodical, devoting
itself entirely to fiction, and fiction in
an abridged form, its immaculate pages
presenting themselves virtuously free
from those serial stories which tend to
rouse the hidden Adam in poor, weak
human nature by invariably stopping
at the most thrilling and critical point
in the narrative. Not q word of this,
however, came to the ears of his fell
low-conspirators, and, in wretched ig.
norance that there was no need for
present anxiety, they worried them
| selves considerably over Miss Strattop
and Miss Stratton's financial affairs.
They authorized Bruce to deliver the
weekly allowance over to her as usual,
with the explanation that there was
some unavoidable delay in the publica-
ton OF the book, and the money now
advanced would be deducted from her
one-fourth share of the profits when
they began to come in. Butthis decep-
ton could not be kept up forever, end
the fathers began to ask themselves
blankly what they should do when de-
ception was no longer possible. Their
adoption was beginning to take a turn
that at least four of them had never
foreseen. On assembling as usual one
August evening, the well-known brown
parcel was discovered on its customary
corner of the Office table, sent back for
4 the fifth time. Even De Whit looked
completely discouraged.
"This looks monotonous," observed
Mclean, picking up and glancing owe,
the regular courteously-wOrded note Of
rejection. 81 move that we burn tht
thing"
.tYou will do nothing of the kind
contradicted Bruce. 81 have grown sc
accustomed to seeing it on my table
that 1 should feel completely at a los;
without it. 1t will do for a paper
weight"
sit has proved a veritable paper
weight to u.s." said Dunscombe, meek
ly, too miserable to laugh eve at hi
own joke. SCI feel that I owe you fel
lows an apology for getting you int
this scrape. It has certainly turned on
more seriously than any of us expect
ed"
80, nonsenser" answered Harry
Swift, good-naturedly; "we needn'
have undertaken the thing unless W
had chosen to. What L would like
though, would be to have some ON
show me a decent way out of it"
81 don't see anything for it but to g
in a body and make a clean breast O
it to the young lady," said De Whit
s'No one of us, of course, would wan
to do it alone. and it won't be Al
over-delightful job to do it to
gether; but there is strengt
IN numbers, we are told. 1 hope
means moral, as well as physical
strength. We can delicately hint
you know, that we consider it pleas
ure, as well as our bounden duty, to car
for herself and her myther until she
in a position to do it herself"
"She will be much more apt to shoN
us the door than accept our aid" CON
mented DIR. D~unscombe, %forlornly.
During the ~colloquy Bruce had bee
sitting buried, apparently, in a brow
study. Now he looked up, with a mi
licious twinkle in his eyes, but in h
manner all the energy of a sudden an
brilliant inspiration.
"TIl tell you, boys!" he exclaimed
'Ill marry hertz
And that is what he did. 1t is quit
safe to assume, however, that he ba
! obtained Miss Stratton's sanction to S
extreme a measure before he venture
to propose it as a can of escape frOl
their unpleasant predicament.
!, On the day of the wedding the fou
. ushers received each a little packe'
i done up neatly in satin paper, and tie
with white ribbon; and with each packt
was a note containing Mrs. Dani'
Bruce's warm thanks and acknowledge
> ments for favors received.
,, tits hardly necessary to add that eac
packet contained the exact sixty-nir
dollars and twenty cents contributed b
; the usher when he was playing fatht
. to an authoress.
! On DR.. Dunsoombe's package, wri
ten across in Bruce's handwriting, wei
the words: ga sea-serpent, after al
! accept apologies"
4 Whether Mrs. Bruce ever knew a
the details of her adoption never tran
PRED; but if she did, she kept the
. . wisely to herself, and counts her hu
bands four friends as her own; the on
. change worthy of note being-impro1
able as the statement may seem-th'
= her cosy back parlor is now more fir
= quently their place of meeting than I'll
. law Office used to be in the days
Observation-Disclosures Louis Slegt,
- The Continent.
!; An Old Lady's Pleasures.
IL