The Mineral argus., 1884-09-18
CHASING FORTUNE.

had been the terror Ofmeek companions
the aversion Of loving dominies,
the triumphant o1twitter, on more than
one occasion, Of even that great man the
proctor.
But these halcyon days were past.
Any particular exuberance of spirits in
Bernards present position would have
been as phenomenal and incongruous
with his surroundings as the presence of
English hedge blossoms in an East
ern desert. He was chained to the oar
of daily toll as tightly and as hopelessly
as any galley-slave. The sturdy sym
metry of his figure, the humorous cast
of his frank and open cOuntenance, the
twinkle of his light blue eyes, were all
that outwardly remained of the idiosyn-
crasies that had made him the idol of
his comrades in class and on college
walk. The pressure of adverse circum-
stances had put an iron curb upon his
vivacity, if It had not altogether crushed
1t.
He looked forward to reading for the
bar, with the prospect, if he displayed
ability, Of capital start in his chosen
profession by reason of his fathers po-
sition and influence. Instead of this,
Bernard Hooker found himself, at the
age of two-and-twenty, merely an insig-
nifcant unit in the already over crowded
ranks of professional quill-drivers.
His father had become the dupe OF an
unprincipled business partner, and had
lost everything Even Edwin Hooker's
hitherto fair fame had suffered asper-
sion, for it had been hard to persuade
the great careless world that the vii
lainy, which had made the trading name
of Hooker and Glenning by-word in
the city, was the work of Archer Glen
ming alone. Yet it was so, and the trial
which followed the crash told tale of
forged signatures and stolen securities
which set the elder and victimized part
ner free, and would have certainly rele-
gated the junior to the keeping of prison
wardens for long term Of years, had
he remained to face the storm. He had
fed and carried with him Edwin Hook
er's fortune.
Thus it came about that the son was
earning his daily bread in the Fembury
branch bank of Kenworth G. Co. That
he was located N the country, with
open skies above him and pleasant
fields around, was The one mitigating
circumstance of his hard and dreary
lot. In other respects even the aver
age London bank clerk was better off.
Mr. Hollis, Messrs. Kenworth's Fem
bury manager, was an irasclble little
man, who believed, as firmly as an
Egyptian task-master, in getting the
very utmost in the way of effort out of
his surbordinates. The bank hours
might nominally be from to 5, but he
had a trick of piling on extras, which
materially heightened them.
1t would be, "These letters cannot be
left, Mr., Styles" or "This ledger re-
quires attention, Mr.. Hooker" To
have refused or even expostulated, was
lis was as passionate as he was naughty.
and knew himself to be invested with
plenary power within the bank precincts.
There was no resource but to obey.
1t was bright May morning, frag
rant in the Fembury lanes with the
scent of early wild-fowers and vocal
with melody of birds. 1t was market
day in the little country town, and the
clink of gold in consequence frequently
resounded on the bank counter. As a
rule Bernard Hooker paid little or no
attention to the ftful professions of
clients that passed the door on the right.
He was not cashier, and the burden of
his own duties was sufficient for his
oftentimes weary shoulders. But as
the surely ofice-clock announced the
quarter before the luncheon inter-
val the sound of voice he surely knew
mingled with its dull bass. An instinct
i've tremor ran through every fibre of
the young mans body. He looked
sharply ap. What he saw for tne mo-
ment puzzled him and seemed to refute
the evidence of his ears
The voice was emphatically that OF
Archer Glenning; the outward present
ment of the speaker was that of an alb
solute stranger. But q closer scrutiny
and the recollection of the fact that the
accomplished swindler was of necessity
q fugitive, explained the phenomen.
Edwin Hooker's absconding partner was
of truth there in flesh before Bernard's
eyes, but so cunningly disguised that
the cleverest Scotland Yard detective
might have been hardened for a blund.