The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-09-12

ences God and honors his mother, will
dono dishonorable thing"
He took my hand in his arm, and,
bowling to the others, walked out into
the street with me- | heard Grab and
Slower and Carberry laugh, but Merri-
vale gave us a furious look and stood,
white TO the lips, looking after us.
"Mr. Dumps" said /, II thank you
for your confidence in me. | deserve
tin this, at least; but it saves my
heart from breaking under this dis
grace. How shall tell my mother"
Don't tell heryet, said he. ''Wait.
Others shall think OF you as | do
soon"
Then we went on in silence He took
me 10 mis- own room where he kept
bachelors hall. He made tea for me,
and served me with sliced potted beef
and thin bread and butter.
The room was a strange, old-fash-
Toned place, enough ike a room in a
story, and there was a miniature OF
young lady in costume OF forty years
before on the wall over the mantel;
and on book shelves old calf-bound
volumes, and on the stand near the
fire prayer-book with the bookmark
hanging from it.
And it was not until we had done
tea that he said to ME, very APOLOGIZE
cally, after / had called him Mr..
Dumps:
MIR. Forester, excuse me, but | am
not named Dumps. That is the name
by which the young men at the store
considered it witty to call me. | con-
TESS | could not see the wit; but it
rather hurt them than me. | saw
by your manner that you had made
mistake. My name is Adams"
[ was so much ashamed of having
used the nickname, innocently as did,
that | could have cried.
My old friend comfOrted me. | think
but for his sympathy that night |
should have taken my own life. did
not believe he could help me even
then.
But he did said I could not tell
you lust what they accused me OF
doing unless you knew the ms and
outs Of our business, and | can't tell
you how he did it for the samereason.
But one day he came to me flushed
with triumph, and took both my
hands and shook them hard, and
said:
"My dear boy, it's all right. I'd
watched before and had a clew. Your
character cleared. The firm welcome
you back, with regrets that they
should have suspected you, and the
real culprit Is found. The real culprit
Is Merrivale, and Slower is his accom-
plice"
And so it really was. They had
dOctored my books and meddled with
my proofs. They made me out a
thief as plainly as though | had been
one, and they never guessed that cold
Dumps" with his suspicious all
aroused, had played detective, and
was able to come to my rescue at the
hour Of need.
! went back to my situation, and
I've got on well ever since; but there's
more to my story. Think of my dear
Old Dumps turning out to be my I'M
cle-my mothers own brother-and
neither OF US guessing it. Long ago
other. people had quarreled, and so
separated these two who were always
friends. Think of the littleman in the
shabby wig and coat proving to be
quite rich and going down into the
country to live with his sister the
rest OF his life. In vacations and holi-
days [ 90 to see them. They are hap
Ply together, and the little tea-table is
set with the old china, and there is
ported beef and Jelly, and | am petted
like child. And III my uncle's room
the old miniature Of tho vOI1pfr adv
hangs over the mantel-piece, as it did
in his New York lodgings. And once
he told me its sweet, sad story, and |
knew why the quaint old man in the
office had a more true and tender gal
Iantry than the younger ones, and
why they called him Old Dumps.