The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-08-07
A STORY SUCCESSFULLY TOLD.


wrote the following paragraph in one of
her letters the other day:
John must come down here at once.
whether you can spare him or not. Our
dear Laura is greatly taken with a tall.
thin young man, with a hooked nose and
thin lips, called Stuyvesant 1t is wills
pered about the hotel that he is very
good match and has the veritable blue
blood of the old Dutch governor in his
veins. | must say it has queer way of
showing itself. for the young man is pale as
a specter, and dressed in that white duck.
with his sunken eyes and bilious skin, is
enough to brighten any one. | have grown
to hate him, while Laura is growing to do
quite the contrary, I'm afraid. All the
evening he leans against the wall never
opening his mouth save to give vent to
some hateful sarcastic criticism upon the
scene around him, and yet dear little
Laura's eyes-as indeed all the other pretty
eyes about-are perpetually beseeching
him for some attention. In the daytime
he is always with a black horse, that COW
ers more ground with its legs when it is
going than any animal | ever saw. When
Laura goes out to drive behind it, and
vanishes out of sight with the bony crea-
ture, | tremble to think how dreadful it
would be if our dear little Laura ever be-
came part and parcel of this wretched man
and his wicked beast. So | think John
had better come down at once: quite
long to see his handsome face and hear his
honest voice, and think it is about time
John should tell his little story to Laura,
and have things settled comfortably
Mr.. Archibald Steele smiled as he put
the letter from his wife in his waisteoat
pocket and picking up the morning paper
scanned the news of the day. Finding
nothing therein to ruffle the exceedingly
satisfactory condition of his affairs, he put
it down and smiled again, as only pros
porous, contented. downtown merchant can
smile. He was one OF those happy eXcep-
tions to the ordinary rule of mortals, with
whom everything went well. His whole
appearance was an exclamation point to
that effect. If he yentured little hazard
ously in trade fortune trimmed her sails to
favor him. If he set his heart upon any
thing relating to domestic felicity, all the
elements of art and nature conspred to
bring it about So, when he stepped to
the door of the office and beckoned to
young man with a strip of commercial
paper in his hand and a pencil behind his
ear, Mr.. Steele smiled the third time, with
the air of one who was not afraid of any
bilious, blue blooded obstacle that might
be thrown i'll the path of domestic happi-
ness which he firmly believed had been
arranged by an omnipotent hand.
''John," said Mr.. Steele, closing the
door of his private office, and looking be-
nevolently upon the young clerk. I've
got an order here from Mrs. Steele which
l wish you would attend to-
Certainly, sir" said John. Shall |
go out and get the articles myself?a
''Why, the fact is, John, said the mer-
chant, enjoying the joke more and more,
''its only one article, a rather bulky one.
1t was bargained for long ago. | think
you will have to go with it, John"
Down to the sea-shore?'' said John,
getting little hot and fustered is it
very valuable parcel, STRIP
''Well, perhaps your natural modesty
may depreciate its worth, John; Mrs.
Steele and | think great deal of it. and
Laura, too-I'm sure she does. The com
modify is yourself, John. Mrs. Steele
wants you to go down and take little
holiday there
the young mans face grew more flushed
and hot than before.
''You are very kind" said he, ''and
Mrs. Steele is more like an angel than
woman
''Rather solid and plump for that in
terposed Mr.. Steele; ''but | like the
phrase, nevertheless.
''But it is simple Madness" pursued
John, "to dream of further happiness than
| now enjoy-your affection and that of
your wife, my position here-l don't dare,
can't hope for anything more. Oh, Mr..
Steele, can't tell my story. She would
shrink from me with aversion, she is SO
young and beautiful Let me at least en-
joy the present"
''And in the meantime some cadaverons,
bilious, blue-blooded scoundrel will carry
her off from us
Then Johns face grew pale and stern.
s'lf there is the slightest feeling upon
her part for any one else, then, indeed, Mr..
Steele, is my case hopeless
The commercial paper iluttered from his
hand, and the pencil fell from his ear; he
leaned his head against the desk and
trembled
''Why who should suppose you could be
such a coward ~ said Mr.. Steele impetu-
ously. "You shall go down with me this
very day"
All the way to the seashore Johns face
wore the look of one who had resolved to
storm deadly breach, but who did not
hope to survive the attempt. Even the
ocean, when it confronted them, wore
threatening look. Upon the horizon pile
of clouds formed a background wan and
gloomy, great black mist lay in the
zenith, II dense red vapor almost touched
the water.
"a very nasty sea, !" said Mr.. Steele.
John shifted it in, his eyes dilating. his
broad shoulders expanding, his head high
in the sea-scented air.