The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-08-18

happy to say that the deacon's firm
failed within a year, and the assignee
reported that the bookkeeping was
marvel of contradictions. This revela-
ton, however, came too late to be used
as evidence in my favor before the
board of deacons; the old gentlemen
adopted the visiting members view,
and, although they did not formally
discipline me, their wives carefully
avoided assigning me any prominent
and pleasing position in subsequent
church sociables.
A month or two later the firm for
which l had worked many years was
reorganized, on the death of the widow
of one of its founders. The old lady
had owned one-fifth interest in the
business, and proposed to the remain
ing partners that | should buy this,
paying on account several thousand
dollars that | had saved, and assigning
my copyright contract with my pub
Usher as security for the remainder.
But Mr.. Hobbs, the senior partner,
startled me by saying, in most chill
ing manner: Your offer may be safe
enough financially for us to accept, Mr..
Smith, but | can scarcely feel that our
interests would be safe in the care of a
man whose tastes lead him to give part
of his time to different line of bust
ness"
Then Mr.. Tobbs looked meditatively
out of the dingy window of the office,
clasping his left hand with his right,
and said, in a PARKWAY voice: Litera-
ture is death to the business faculty; it
impels men to late dinners, and free
thinking, and Paris, and such things"
This was more than my self-respect
could endure. | withdrew at once and
Internationally from the employ of
Hobbs, Tobbs 81 Co., saying, as | left
the office, they could at their leisure
send me a check for the balance
| due me.
"You'll at least take your letters,
won't you, Mr.. Smith," asked Mr..
Hobbs, with peculiar grin, as he
passed over the rail note which he
knew by the writing and post-mark to
be from a young lady with whom / had
corresponded industriously for year.
Dear Nellie" murmured to myself
as broke the seal, you at least know
me well enough to trust me-" | read
as l walked; but by the time / reached
the store door my head was so light and
my heart so heavy that / needed sup
port. Nellie's letter was by turns sar-
castle and indignant The dear crea-
ture complained that had never con-
fided to her that / had written a book,
that had never acknowledged the au-
thorship in confidence, when | knew
that every girl in the country was dy-
ing to know who wrote "The Smithton
Swains,' and that | had not even sent
her copy, anonymously or otherwise,
when the book was published.
But the most serious grievance was
reserved for the last. During the de-
velopment of " The Smithton SWANS "
it had become necessary that one of the
lovers should be extremely romantic,
so | had compelled him to write some
verses. These Miss Nellie dignfied as
poetry" and said that if admiration
for an imaginary heroine had inspired
me more than affection for her-to
whom l had never written poetry-it
would be better if all were over between
us. She was strengthened in her opin-
ion, she said, by her pastor, who had
declared that the character of the one
william in the story was too powerful
and realistic not to have been drawn
from the authors own life.
Nellie married her pastor 1 wrote
no more books. l have immured my
self in the wilds of the West as keeper
of country store; am also the vii
lage postmaster. / do not concern my
self with the mail matter of my fellow
townsmen, except when / receive g
, bulky package addressed to publisher
In such case / strive industriously tC
seek out the writer, to work myself into
his Cor herr confidence, and to say
with all the earnestness of my nature
" on't!"-Harper'S Monthly.