Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-11

dulge in, yet always with certain conscious
ness that he was allowing his feelings to run
away with him-a fact that did not tend to
make him better humored, and rather in
clined him to place the responsibility of the
elopement ON somebody else. If Miss De
Haro had been home, ETC., ETC., and not going
into ecstacies over speeches, ETC., etc, and
had attended to her bushes, i. e., being ex'
actly what he had supposed her to be-al
this would not have happened.
am aware that this will not heighten the
readers respect for my hero. But I fancy
that the imperceptible progress of n sincere
passion in the matured strong man is apt tC
be marked with even more than the usua
haste and absurdity Of callous youth. The
is apt to pass your ailing weakling by. Posi-
bly, there may be some immunity in inocula
ton. 1t is Lothario who is always self-pos
sessed and does and says the right thing
while poor honest Coelebs becomes ridiculous
with genuine emotion.
He rejoined his lawyer in no very gracious
mood. The chambers occupied by Mr.. Har.
lowe were in the basement of a private dwell.
ing once occupied and made historic by an
Honorable Somebody, who, however, was
remembered only by the landlord and the
last tenant. There were various shelves in
the walls divided into compartments, sarcasti
cally know as pigeon holes" in which the
dove of peace had never rested, but which
still perpetuated In their legends the feuds
and animosities of stitors now but common
dust together. There was a portrait, appar.
emily of a cherub, which on nearer inspec.
ton turned out to be famous English lord
chancellor in his flowing wig There were
books with dreary, unenlivening titles-ego
tistic always, as recording Smiths opinions
on this and jones' commentaries ON that.
There was handbiH tackled ON the wall
which at first offered hilarious suggestions OF
n circus or a steamboat excursion, but which
turned out only to be sheriff's sale There
were several oddly shaped packages in news
paper wrappings, mysterious and awful in
dark corners, that might have contained for
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 be law record or a
supreme court decision. There was the bust
Of a late distinguished jurist, which appar-
emily had never been busted since he himself
became dust, and had already grown a per-
ceptibly dusty mustache 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 fiaring gaslight, the
hollow mockery of this dissipation was SO APP
parent that people in the streets, looking
through the illuminated windows, felt as if
the privacy of family vault had been in
truded upon by body -snatchers.
Royal Thatcher glanced around the room,
took in all its dreary suggestions in half
weary, half Indifferent sort of way, and
dropped into the lawyers own revolving
chair as that gentleman entered from the adj
jacent room.
swell, you got back soon, see, said Har-
lowe briskly
EYES," 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. eyes, I'm here; and, upon my soul,
don't exactly know why"
"You told me of certain papers you had
discovered, said the lawyer suggestively
"Oh, yes" returned Thatcher with slight
yawn. give got here some papers some
where"-he began to feel in his coat pocket
languidly-"but, by the way, this is rather
dreary and God-forsaken sort of place! Let's
go up to Welcker'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 Harlowe; @and as
for the champagne, we'll have that in the
other room, by and by. At present / want
to have my head clear, and yours too-if
youth oblige me by becoming sufficiently in.
terested in your own affairs to talk to me
about them.n
Thatcher was gazing abstractedly at the
fire He started. II dare say" he began
I'm not very interesting; yet it's possible
that my affairs have taken up little toe
much of my time. However," he stopped,
took from his pocket an envelope, and threw
it on the desk-"there are some papers.
don't know what value they may be; that is
for you to determine. don't know that I've
any legal right to their possession-that is
for you to say, too They came to me in O
queer way. On the overland journey here ]
lost my bag, containing my few traps and
some letters and papers of no value as the
advertisements say, TO any but the owner
Well, the bag was lost, but the stage driya
declares that it was stolen by fellow pas
senger-a man by the name of Giles, or Stiles
or Biles-"
"Wiles," said Harlowe earnestly
"Yes," continued Thatcher, suppressing a
yawn; "Yes, l guess you're right-Wiles
Wen, the stage driver, finally believing this
goes to work and quietly and unostent,tiously
steals-I say, have you got cigarl"
"Tll get you one"
Harlowe disappeared in the adjoining room.
Thatcher dragged Harlowe's heavy, revolving
desk chair, which never before had been re
moved from its sacred position, to the fire
and began to poke the Goals abstractedly.
Harlowe reappeared with cigars ant
matches. Thatcher lit one mechanically, anC
said, between the puffs:
ado you-ever-talk-to yourself!'
"Nol-whyis
II thought heard your voice Just now il
the other room. Anyhow, this is an awfu
spooky place. If I-stayed here alone hal
an hour, I'd fancy that the lord chancello
up there would step down in his robes, out o
his frame, to keep me company
'Nonsensel When I'm busy often sit her
and write until after midnight It's so quiet!
"D-mnably sou
"Well, to 60 back to the papers. Some
body stole your bag, or you lost it. Yo'
stole ~
"The driver stole" suggested Thatcher, $
languidly that it could hardly be called an in
terruption
"Well, we'll say the driver stole, and passe,
over to you as his accomplish, confederate o
receiver, certain papers belonging -
See here, Harlowe, 1 don't feel like joking
in ghostly law Office after midnight. Her
are your facts. Yuba Bill, the driver, stole
bag from this passenger, Wiles, or Smiles
and handed it to me to insure the return o
my own. found in it some papers concern
ing my case. There they are. Do with then
what Won, like