The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-01-09

twitched, he held out his hand, and 1
shook as he squeezed each, Of ours in turn
Besides, / said, i am an engrossinl
clerk, so shall be able to give literary char
acter to the Recollections, and write then
in legible hand, which goes, I under
stand, a long way with the reader to {
publisher
Nowwhilst the composition Of this III
erary venture was in progress the weather
turned bitterly cold, and the Major caught
o chill and coughed much. 1t was high
time for him to provide himself with Q
greatcoat. He felt as though q cold hand
were laid on his back between the shoul'
ders, numbing him-in fact, the greatcoaj
had parted at the seam in the rear.
He overhauled the old garment, to see
whether It would be possible for him to
repair it himself. He tried the parted
seam, but the threads would not hold,
they fraycd the edges. No! only pro-
fessional could, so 10 speak, set the great
coat on Its legs again. Then he took It to
a Mr.. Dawkins, a. small working tailor,
who lived in q side fame; o man much
given to brandy, who got drunk OF Sun
day as matter OF course. On Monday he
was dismal, his head ached, his hand
shook, his views Of life were socialistic.
On Mondays he wasaccommodating to his
customers, whether in the matter OF price
or oil repairs. The Major was not man
OF the world or he would not have gone TO
Mr.. Dawkins on Monday. On Sunday he
had come to the conclusion that some
thing must be done to his greatcoat or he
would not be able to go to church
again, and on Monday morning, ac-
cordingly he turned into Little Back street,
and into the tailor's shop. He was at
once almost stitIled with the closeness OF
the room, the smell Of damp cloth, hot
irons and stale smoke. Mr.. Dawkins Sat
on his table, his legs crossed, and without
his shoes, his feet encased in not over
clean white stockings. With his toes he
grasped the leg OF a pair Of trousers which
he was reseating. Mr.. Dawkins was q
pasty.isced, smali-pex-marked man, with
thick black hair and black, frowsy chin.
His thumb nail resembled the back OF u
tortoise. Round his neck, over his dirty
gray waistcoat, hung q skin Of black thread.
lie had been engaged for some minutes in
trying to thread his needle when the
Major entered. He had cursed the bad
light,the needles eye, the thread, and his
wife in the back room, because his hand
shook so that he could not thread the
needle. 49,
Major Cornelius soon saw that the time
he had chosen was injudicioas, but 1t was
too late for him to withdraw. He knew
the tailor, and the tailor knew him. In
deed the man did many little Jobs for the
gentlemen ut Miss Jones's. Mr.. Daw-
kins's eyeat once recognized the customer,
md then Travelled down to his arm to see
what hung over it for him to operate upon.
"How are you this morning, Mr.. Daw-
kins?"
"Not at all we'll. Out of sorts all over.
How can a man be well when he slaves
all day and is worried all night by teeth
ing baby? Squat, squat, sqaalll Look
at my hand how il shakes. l am un-
nerved by that odious brat. wish it
were not against the law to drown babies.
Mine would soon 90 over Waterloo
Bridge"
"How can you, Roberto" exclaimed his
wife, looking into the room.
go back to your wo:k. was not
speaking to YOU" ordered the tailor. ST
don't know. what sort Of work you have
for mo to do, Major, but tell you before
hand can only boggle it with this shak-
hand. Till the baby's teeth are out no
work worth looking at comes out OF this
shop. Well, Major, what is it?"
give come to-to-ju st-indeed-
with" When the Major. was ner-
vous his eloquence forsook him, he ex-
pressed himself in adverbs and PROPOSE
tons, and left the Imagination to supply
the verbs and substantiyes. He stood
still, suffering, thinking he had said his
say, or forgetting what his purpose was.
"Well, sir, what do you want with me?"
asked Dawkins, casting scrutinizing
glance at Major Cornelius, and examining
every garment he wore with the eye of a
critic, remorseless over defects. He looked
for rent, hole, lost button, frayed sleeve,
whitened elbow, worn trouser-foot, burst
out button-hole.
"The-the-greatcoat. I-that is-it-
with-by any means you see is-well
nearly-iust little the worse for wear,
but otherwise good-no, not new-be-
tween the shoulders-yes, l see-at the
elbow also-the collar, YOU obserye-and
tail, l think-with little"
fAlr. Dawkins took the greatcoat and
spread it over his knees.
at is not quite new,"n said the Major
apologetically. ut is not, indeed, at all
new; but, think, with your admirable
skill it may be given another lease OF life,
say ten years more service. 1t has been
an old and;excellent garment, has kept me
snug, and screened me from many chill.
have become attached to the coat, and
do not wish to abandon it." Dawkins said
nothing, but his face assumed sarcastic
expression the Major did not like. Then
he shook his head, raised the coat and
held it before the window. The light re-
vealed all It's imperiections with cruel
dircotness, 1t streamed through the rents,
1t struggled through the thread-bare tracts.
Then he turned the grcatcoat on one side,
and explored the right sleeve, and shook
his head. Then he turned 1t over to the
other side, and studied the left sleeve;
then he shook his head again. Next he
turned the pockets inside out; then he
went over the collar, and broke into a
short laugh. Then he examined the lin
ing and shook the coat, and threw it con-
temptuouly on the table at his feet.
CONCLUDED TOMORROW.
A s,o,,,,, ,rrt, o,,,o for +hot Qualification