Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-03-26

WV OF lH.. W.INN .AlNHu.|. MNu EuE
houNa H. amused hlmsaii BY drawing
girl heats upon BE b|0ttnz PAL "a psnelL
When one pare wascoVerodhs turned ftossI
end drew on tie next, 70 that tho pai VI.
beooma q perfect gallery Of lovelinoa b
dint Of long p~ractics DO could draw & Rfrr,
face very well whether full or ia D ole. a
q three quarter face. He looked at his watch
8 goud deal and he grumbled agooi deal
and Il The oftles boy mads any noise he used
bad language, but not lou enough for hi.
fatler 70 hear, because Mr. Murridse va,
! ore Of those parents who reserve certain
wires for their own uss and forbid them 70
their sons.
The Office boy sat at another table, on
which was a copying press He had nothing
TO do, as 4 rule, except TO copy letters by
means Of me press ami 90 on srrands.
But this boy never found the day too
long or the golden hours dull. This was
because his tabls had a drawer. Even to an
industrious clerk a drawer Is a standing
temptation. To thu lazy clerk it Is an ever
present snare; to the clerk who has nothing
to do the drawer is a never. failing solacs
and resource. This boy, a city-Dorn boy.
with sharp eyes, pasty face and common
place features, was able, by means Of his
drawer, 10 live all day long in another
world He kept 1t half-open, so that at The
least movement or sound from the nner Of
nee, or change of position in Mr.. Murridge,
who sat with his back to him, be could, by
a quick. forward movement Of his oh st,
shut the drawer suddenly and noise,essly,
and be discovered, so to speak, in the att.
tude Of the expectant. ready and jealous
clerk, eager to do something which would
lessen the drain OF his three h~alf-crowns
a week. Inside the drawer there
was always a story-one Of those
spirit-stirring, exciting and romantic stories
Of adventure which can be bought for a
penny, and which never pail upon the reader.
So that this boys days were passed in a de-
hcious and delirious dream Of adventure,
love AMI peril, tempered only by the fear Of
being suddenly found out and horribly cuffed
or even dim ssed, when he would catch it
worse at home under the family cane. If
the boy IS not before long enabled to live UP
to that dream and to become a rover, pirate,
smuggler or h~ighwayman, l fear that his
whole future will be wrecked. Because there
inevitably comes a time of hope too long de-
ferred, when the realization Of a dream,
thouyh possible, no longer seems delightful.
This boy at eighteen, may cease TO desire
the lawles life; or. if he pursues 1t, he may
become a mere common burglar, forger,
long firm man, confidential-dodge man or
welsher-joylesI moody, apprehansive. sus-
picious and prone to sneak round a corner at
sight Of a man in blue coat and helmet.
In the front room-Mr. Murridge's room
the chief sat at a great table covered with
papers. He was not consulting any; he had
before him half a dom checks, and he was
looking at them with perturbed eyes Some
times he compared one with another; some
times he looked ct each separately; and as
he looked his hard face grew harder and
his keen eyes sharper. Six checks. They
were all drawn for the same sum, twelve
pounds, and they were all signed by himself.
One would not think that the contemplation
of half a dozen checks. payable to self or
bearer, signed by ones own name, could
take . busy man from his work. But they
did.
About eleven o'clock the silence Of the
office was broken by a light step on the stair.
The boy shut up his drawer with a swift and
silent jerk Of his chest, so that he might be
discovered with his elbows on the table and
his hands clasping the handles of the copy.
ing press, a model attitude for the jealous
unemployed, when the door opened and a
young lady appeared carrying a black bag.
This was the priv ate secretary. She nodded
pleasantly to Dick, and passed through the
room into the inner Office. But Dick re-
sponded with a grunt.
Mr.. Murridge looked up and greeted her
with an il-temperel snort.
You're late again" he said.
"Pm not. " she replied. eleven is strik-
ing; and l never am late; and you know
it. Be just. even though you are out of
temper"
'Your lead is turned by your fathers
title. | suppose you think you can say what
you like. Is the Honorable Norah Cronan
going to continue in her present employ
mentF'
II don't know. Very likely. Meantime
there is this case to finish l have brought
you some papers you will be pleased to see"
Il don't know that anything can please me
this morning. Give them to me. Humphl
Mighty little, considering the time you've
takenl'
Hadn't you better read before you grum-
blel That's always the way with you when
you get your fur rubbed the wrong way.
Look at this, now"
YES; will you read it to meF'
She Away, stood up" to him, and gener-
ally reduced him to good temper by sheer
force OF courage. To-day, however, he at
Aa,nIkoI ~ vosos.I.. k.A ..--.lt-. 49,. =
without reply. 1t astonished her. Perhaps
he was i'll.
g on, please"
Norah, therefore, sat down and began to
explain the nat ure and the bearing Of her
papers. Genealogical research i5 really
most interesting work. You ara always
hunting for some one and finding some
one else. Then you go off on a
dozen hunts; and you discover the most
abomina BILE falsehoods in printed pedigrees,
with gaping flaws. and disconnections. and
impossibilities where everything looked fair
and smooth. The girl enjoyed these things
more than Mr.. Murridge, for the simple
reason tba, he could never for one moment
forget how much money there might be- in
it. Now, no one yer enjoyed any kind Of
work, whether it was painting a picture
with brush or painting a succession Of pic
lures with a little steel pen and a sheet of
blue paper, who keeps thinking all the while
of the money. But while Norah told her
story a strange thing happened-a very
strange thing. For the first time in his life
Mr.. Murridge was in~attentive, and that
over an important piece Of work. He had
often before been irritable, but never mat
tentive.