Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-10


sessed and does and says tie right thing,
while poor honest Culcbs becomes ridiculous
with genuine emotion.
He rojoinod his lawyer in no very gracious
mood. The chambers occupied by Mr. IIar-
lowe were il, the basement of private dwell
ing once occupied and made historic hy an
Honorable Somebody, who However, was
remembered only by the landlord and the
last tenant. There were various shelves ia
the walls divided into compartments sarcasti-
cally know as pigeon holes" in which the
dove os peace had never rested, but which
still pcrpctuatcd in their legends the fcuds
and animostiCs of suitors now but common
dust together There was portrait appar-
emily Of n chclub, which on nearer imspcc-
ton turned out to I've a famous English lord
chancellor III his flowing wig. There were
books with drcary, uncnlivening titlcs-eso-
tistic always, as recording Smiths opinions
on this and Jones' commentaries ON that.
There was a handbiI tackled on the wall,
which at first offered hilarious suggestions Of
n circus or a steamboat excursion, but which
turned out only to be sheriif's sale. There
were several oddly shaped packages in news
paper wrappiugs, mysterious and awful in
dark corners, that might have contained for
gotten law papers or the previous weeks
washing of the eminent counsel There were
one or two newspapers, which at first offered
entertaining prospects to the waiting client
but always proved to he a law record or a
supreme court decision. There was the bust
of a late distinguished iurist, which appar-
emily had never been busted since he himself
became dust, and had already grown per
ccptibly dusty mlistacho on his severely judi
cial upper lip. 1t was a cherries place in the
| sunshine Of day; at night, when it ought by
| every suggestion of its dusty past to have
been left TO the vengeful ghosts the greater
| part Of whose hopes and passions were re-
corded and gathered there; when in the dark
the dead hands of forgotten men were
stretched from their dusty graves to tumble
| once more for their old title deeds; at night,
when it was lit up by haring gaslight, the
hollow noclcry Of this dissipation was so ap-
parent that people i'll the streets, looking
through the Illuminated windows, felt as if
the privacy Of family vault had been in
truded upon by body-snatchcrs.
Royal Thatcher glanced around the room,
took in all its dreary suggestions in half
weary, half Indifferent sort of way, and
dropped into tho lawyers own revolving
chair as that gentleman entered from the adj
jacent room.
"Well, you got back soon, 1 see" said ITar-
lowe brislily
"Ycs," said his client, without looking up,
and with this notable distinction between
himself and all other previous clients, that he
seemed absolutely less interested than the
lawyer "Nes, I'm here; and, upon my soul,
l don't exactly know why"
"Nou told me of certain papers you had
! discovered said the lawyer suggcstively.
ooh, yes" returned Thatcher with Slight
yawn "I'vc got here some papers some
wherc"-hc began to feel in his coat pocket
langu.dly by the way, this is "A rather
drealy ana God-forsa!ien sort Of place! Lots
go up to Wclclier's, and you can look at them
over a bottle Of champagne
after I've looked at them, I've something
TO show you, myself said Harlowc; and as
for the champagne we'll have that in the
other room, 10y and by. At present want
to have my head clear, AMI yours tool
you'll obliac me by becoming sufficiently in
terested in your own affairs to talk to me
about them"
Thatcher was gazing abstractclly at tho
fire. lie started. II dare say" he began
I'm not very Interesting; yet its possible
that my affairs have taken ~ little toe
much Of ny time. However," hr sto ped,
tool. from his pocket an onyclo.c, and threw
it on tho Gcs.,--"thcro are some papers.
don't know what value they may BE-; tlat is
for YOU to dctc rhine | don't know that I've
any legal RICH. TO their pOsscssion-that is
for you to say, too, They came to mc in a
queer way. On the overland journey here
lost my bag containing my fcw traps and
some letters and papers of 10 valUc, as the
advertisements say, TO any but the owner
We'll the bag was lost, but the stage driver
declares that it was stolen by a fellow pas
songcr-a man by the name of Gle, or stiles,
or Bilos--'
"Wilca,' sail Harlowe earnestly.
ayes continued Thatcher, slppressing a
yawn; "Nes, | guess you're ri2ht-Wi'cs.
Well, the stage driver finally believing this,
goes to work and quietly and unos;cntatiously
steals-I say, have you got cigar
"I'll get you one"
Harlowe disappeared in the djoining room
Thatcher dragged Garlowe's heavy, revolvlng
desk chair, which never before had been re-
moved from its sacred position, to the fire,
and began to poke the GOALS abstractodly.
IlarIowe reappoavcl with cigars and
matches Thatcher lii on, mechanically. and