The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-02-25

the Instant, ind, 1ssiHg III. Brooke
blushed. He spoke quickly, As II hS
had great press Of business on hAno5
Miss Paine. q few Hiends-0 your
fathers, mean-they knew him very
well, sent me with this and their comi
pliments.
Here he broke down. Caroline'G eyes
seemed to read his very soul. BROOKS
wanted to back out. Instead he adj
vanced quickly to . small table. Where
Mrs. Paine was seated, deposited bank
note on the table, and. bowling TO Carol
line, withdrew so quickly she had NOT
time to intercept the movement.
Mrs. Paine turned to look after him
Her elbow swept the bank note on tn4
table. The draught caused by the
quickly closed door Brooks pulled TO
after him swept the note under the open
CRATE. Caroline sPrang forward with =
smothered cry. She was not q moment
too quick. 4 live coal ignited the note.
She had the presence Of mind to crush
| it in her hand, at the risk of q broad
blister. When she opened her hand
slowly, one-haf the note had dissp-
peared. The half in her hand showed
| that it had been a ten-dollar note. She
hurst into tears. It seemed rs il mis-
fortunes would never end.
What is it, Gardiner"
He gave US ten dollars. and it is
lost"
She wept paSsionately.
1T would have paid what we owe in
! the store. a months rent, and left NJ
| two dollars"
..Burned-6urned, Caroline7"
There was a world of anxiety, OF
1 dread, in Mrs. Paine's voice. Carolins
extended her burned palm. on which
lay the half of the note.
ut is not all lost. read of ways TO
| get money made right, I'm sure, some
where. You can get fre for it, may
| be-"
Eyes; but that would just pay the
store bill. And then what could We doe
But we'n see"
She dried her eyes bravely, laid the
burned note carefully away, and re-
solved to make the most of it the next
morning.
i She was dressed, and on her way to
the Office of the Customs OF the Port, :"
whittier she had been directed, long be-
fore the office was opened. After walk
ing an hour on the street, she returned,
to be told that it was a legal holiday,
| so no business would be done that day.
AS she turned away, she stumbled upon
Mr. Brooks. Would she tell himP Not
| for herself-but her mother.
In ten words Brooks had the story.
! He expressed regret, reflected. bid her
wait at drug store, and fastened to 80
friend" he said. He was absent fifteen
| or twenty minutes. When he returned:
| he handed her a crisp IS note, talked
| about the weather; everything but
| money, got the burned note, and babe
her good-day in his brisk way.
Caroline returned home, calling at q
crocer's on the way. and purchasing G
| few necessities-enough to keep body
and soul together little longer. As,
from that hour their fortunes Improved,
somehow work came to her, and &
, physician kindly interested himself il
Mrs. Paine's case, TO a degree that re
/ stored her health. My story has ne
: more TO do with them, further than e
state that the Grand Army of the Re
) public did for them what the Govern
ment should have done. / will follow
| Brooks and the burned note.
r The next day Brooks dropped int
| the q. S.-the great United States De
{ | pository, deliberately recited so much o
. | the facts as concerned the gentlemanfl
4 | clerk, and was told the note, the Whol'
r note, would be replaced. He had Mis-
{ Caroline Paine make affidavit 20 thu
V fact, the burned note was forwarded
e and in two weeks Brooks carried to he
e another s.; thus the Paines had thu
benefit of the entire amount the httll
II knot at the cigar store made up for her
r The incident made deep impression
d on Brooks. He pondered over il, GnC
IS pondered until he got to talking abou
it. From talking to his friends, he go
L to talking about it in the Post. Finally
q he was inspired-I can think of no othel
as fitting-to write q lecture. which ii
y has been delivering with much earnest
ness and unequivocal success all oveI
!; the State. He begins with Paine's vol
Il untary four years service. exposes thu
swindle involved in the silence concern
ing the land warrants when men signed
e muster-rolls, recites the slow pay-da,
experiences, calls up months of WAITING
e by wives and children, compares thl
purchasing power of the soldiers pa,
0 with the purchasing power of silVe
' dollar to-day, burns-StngeS the bond
holders until there is nothing left o
:; them, and winds up with the inciden
of the burnt note which the Government
Z was honest enough to replace. H
makes out very clearly-proves to ever.
man within sound of his voice or logic
$ that the systematic financial system
s the Government has pursued, Is exactl.
as if every note given in payment to
burned a quarter, third, half or FIVE
). eighths. as the price of gold went al
- and down.
II What is very curious, although som
people say behind his back that Brook
It is a blatherskite. nobody has ever Ia
the courage to tackle him face TO faco.