Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-05-17
Tony Grabber's Will.

|
middle sized, elderly gentleman of
aeek and prosperous appearance and
ourtly manners. Anthony Grabber,
H., on the contrary, was tall and
hin, with watery eye and con-
Amptive cough-a young man who
plainly showed that he had not in
leIited either his fathers excellent
constitution or his business capabili-
ties. Father and son were not less
alike in taste, habit and disposition
| than in outward appearance. Mr..
| Grabber, senior, was pious man,
| who was reelected peoples church
| warden with great regularity in his
suburban parish and took an immense
Petsssa 5 P 5u END nfohhy hs e9R RRs
goddess youth, who never went to
church and spent his Sundays in de-
bauchery. Old Grabber hated every
description of sport, looked upon
race meetings as inventions of the
| devil and did not know rifle from
fowling piece; where his son was
desperately fond of racing, coursing
and ock-fghting (when he could
get iD, lost large sums of his.father's
money al cards and shot pigeons at
every gun club within fifty miles of
London. Under these circumstances
it was not greatly surprising that
there was no love lost between the
two gentlemen. Old Grabber de-
spised his son as fool and positive
ly hated him as a spendthrift and
gambler, while Tony looked upon his
father as sanctimonious old prig
and devoutly prayed that before long
he might be removed to better
world. Nor was this all. The cred
it of Grabber, Flusk & Grabber had
to be maintained at any cost, and it
hence came about thatlyoung Grab
ber's bills were invariably honored as
they fell due, a circumstance which
cost old Grabber much anxiety and
bad language and made Mr.. Flusk
think seriously of quitting the firm.
For Tony had been made partner
at the age of one-and-twenty, since
which time he had never done a
stroke of work, and how to get rid of
him without damaging their reputa-
tion was problem which his part
ners had hitherto failed to solve in a
satisfactory manner.
Mr.. Grabber, Jr., though dissipat-
ed, vas quite sharp enough to realize
the strength of his position, and nei-
ther PRAYERS nor entreaties on the part
OF Mr.. Flusk avalled to make hun
turn over new leaf, give up gam
bling and betting, and interest him
self IN the affairs of the firm. He
) plunged deeper and deeper. ill luck
attending every venture upon which
he embarked Old Grabber stormed,
and Mr.. Flusk dissolved into tears,
but Tony was obdurate. He would
persist in playing baccarat, in fire.
quenting race meetings, in making
periodical visits to Monte Carlo, and
t in keeping very smart establish
ment. At length Messrs. Grabber &
D Flusk determined to make despe-
i rate effort to get rid of the incubus
by buying Tony out at the bank al
together, and with view to this ar
= rangement they called in the aid OF
e Mr.. Sharpus, the firms confidential
solicitor and general advisor. The
d question with regard to which Mr.
: Sharpus' counsel was chiefly required
y: was how much in the first place they
could afford to give Mr.. Grabber, Jr.
n to make himself scarce, and how
much, in the second, the said youns
gentleman could be persuaded to ac
cept. Mr.. Sharpus, after the man
~ ner of his kind, was not over san
4 gulne, and when the affairs of th
:" firm were disclosed to him he becam
20 positively despairing, for, sad to say
the bank was by no means in flour
't ishing condition. The drawings o
' young Tony mounted mp to mos
,d alarming figure, and what surprise
r. and Mortified Mr. Flusk even NOR
was the fact that old Grabber, b
er dnt of engaging in doubtful specuIa
," tions on his own account and involv
q, ing the firm in bad debts, was him
:, - self rapidly approaching Insolvency
ed Flusk was a timid, nervous mar
and when these appalling circun
DIV stances were revealed to him he san
, helplessly into chair, his consterns
er. ton depriving him temporarily of tn
les power of speech.
- eve are absolutely ruined!' /
gasped, at length. ''Even if we g,
vn rid of the young villain we must sto
ch within six MONTHS
The ''Stuff and nonsense !' angrily II
sn' torted Grabber; ''anything may hal
: pen in six months. All we want
ct ",
" another good account or two. VIII,
H. if young Peckham comes to us "
an shall have the handling of a coup
not of hundred thousand, at least"
e?" Mr.. Flusk stared at his partner
got horror.
~ Il don't quite follow you,"
family remarked.
: ~, Then you must be fool, "snal
he ed Grabber; edo you think i
he going to put up the shutters if we cs
tbs manage to keep going?'
ays ssOn reflection, Mr.. Flusk," sa
'ns Mr.. Sharpus, softly, 81 am sure u