Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-02-12
UNDER A CLOUD.

Morris Tucker and his uncle sat at
their coy breakfast table one winter
morning. each with a copy of the
mornings paper in his hand, each
with a clouded brow and troubled
eve. The elder gentleman was the
first to speak.
cit is a bad business, Morrisl'
"a bad business, indeed, slrl'
Then there was another long silence
while each again read the ominous
news of the failure OF firm whose
business was so involved with their
own that the failure of one house
was nearly utter ruin to the other.
The hot chopsj cooled on the dish, the
coffee was untouched and the break
fast literally forgotten, when the
gentlemen left the house to ascertain
the extent of their misfortunes. Bad
as they feared these would prove, the
realities were even worse than the an
ticipation, and before night the old
firm OF Tucker & Co. was in the list of
failures.
There was dreary amount of hard,
distasteful work to be done after the
failure was an established fact; but
Morris Tucker never flnched from
any task or interview till night shad
ows fell, and he faced his uncle at the
table once more. Then, with set fea-
lures and pale face, he said:
eff you can spare me for an hour,
sir, / think had better call on Miss
Creswell."
II can spare you, bat are you wise
to hurry an interview that, l feel,
will be very paiaful2"
Better 10 understand my position
at once, sir. IT. he moistened his
dry lips here, as if the words choked
him-''if Meta is true to me / will
remain here and try to work my way
up again to the position / held only
yesterday. If she frees me from my
engagement, | accept your proposal
TO go to California.
II think it is a good time to look
up those old claims, said Mr.. Tucker,
sliding easily over the first part of his
nephew's speech; there may be
money in them
"We will see If | do not go we
may be able to find some trusty mes
senger'
u am afraid you viii 60" his uncle
SAID
TT may be. Mrs. Cresswell is a
worldly woman.
"Meta il a worldly woman! Nay,
let me speak, Morris. | have said
nothing before, though my heart was
sore over your choice of a wife. Meta
is wonderfully fascinating, beautiful
and accomplished as but few women
are, but she is thoroughly heartless.
hoped your choice would fall on
Clarice'
"Clarice She is a mere childw
"Only two years yoanger than
Meta, love her very dearly, Morris
But you are fond of Metal
mo! For her fathers sake, the
brother of my dead wife, l have tried
TO love Meta, but she repels metz
yet you never spoke when / told
you | should seek TO win her love-
Because love is too sacred in my
eyes for any one TO interfere with its
expression. If Meta loves you / will
give her warm welcome and cordia
affection when she becomes yom
wife, Morris But nerve yourself foi
the worst, my boy
Nerved for the wort Morrls Tucker
sought his bethrothed bride From
the time he had come from his west
ern home, an orphaned lad of nine
teen, TO accept his uncle's offer of ;
home he had met Meta Cresswell con
stantly. He had received cordia
welcome from her mother. and hat
not suspected the schemes and subtl,
influence that had led him on, stel
by step, from the position of friens
to that of accepted sutton of the beau
tiful girl. While his feet were bring
ing him slowly to the moment0us in
terview after the failure of the firm
of which his uncle made him full
partner Mrs. Cresswell was school
ing her daughter to meet the emer
gency.
Did you write TO Morris Metag
she asked, languidly stirring he
coffee.
"Not yet, was the reply. II
will probably call, being an honorable
gentleman, mamma
II hope you will be firm Meta
Remember that you have been tn
injured party throughout From tn
time your poor papa died l have ha'
every reason TO believe Mr.. Tucke
would make you and your sister thu
heiress of his property. He won
shipped your aunt, and he neve
spoke of any relatives of his own til
this nephew appeared. I belev
4 L. 1,
brothers that ended in the younge
one going west, while John, the elder
remained here. At all events it i
very clear now that Morris would
have been heir to the business anC
property if this failure had not hap
pened. You are to be congratulated
that it came before the wedding in
stead OF after