The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-09
An mPosTEO BUTLER.


finish an education thas had been be
gun a. bome.
Peleg v Atkinson, without tn
mir, which. in obedience O. what
ne was assured was q New York Gus
tunl, he always had engraved on his
caris, was worth much ~ the foot 81
= check. IL was q great name IN the
Philapelphia niarts OF trade. Third
street knew aud honOred %, and Il was
not unknown m Wall street. a.
said, he was rich: he had skinned
the cream OF Europe. % a. he phrased
a., aud he mad exhausted all the
pleasure that could be had from
drinking Santerne 40 luncheon, when
he prefefed beer 10 Ice water, and OF
making collection Of modern French
pictures. lie hat a CorOt and 3
MeissOunier, n Nibert and q Deiaille.
He never bought Wospecimens Of the
same artists work he had orchids,
cellar Of good wine aud two pretty
daughters. and yet be was not happy,
because Mrs. Peieg v. Atkinson was
unt happy.
II IS not easy for people accustomed
10 the pleasures Of being well 10 DO TO
bear tile weight of riches. When |
lirst knew the Atkinsons they were
thoroughly contented. They
drank lee water when they chose;
they dined at noon, sud tOrned beef
sud cabbage was a delight % them.
On hot days Mr.. Atkinson threw of
MS caat after dinner, stuck pipe la
ais mouth aud sal ia the back door la
his shirt sleeves, while ClurissA OF
Jennie played Listen 20 the hooking
5irdn or "Silvery Waves" by che
way Of refreshing him before he went
down to the office az the factory
lou sOnt lee neige diantan?n asks
VillOu. Aud Mr.. Atkinson, in after
years Of spleudOT, often asked the
same question, ia less pOetieal lam
guage, ~ he thought OF those happy
days. Alas! there could be no more
sitting under the grapevine arbOr and
smoking the pipe Of peaeel Mrs. Peleg
Y. Atkinson would no more make the
mint julep with her own fair hands
and come out to waken him frOm
bllssful sleep a. he sat In the yard
with a newspaper over his bead TO
keep off the flies on blissful and
drOwsy afternoons. Then Mrs. Al
kinsOn was satisfied that her four
white stone steps were equal in size
anu DulANI " MCAknnNN . Auu AnAN
there was no window glass In the
whole town Of Philadelphia more
dazzling than hers: but now!
ClaFissa and jennie played only
Chopin; they could not possibly cOn-
descend even to opera music, although
not averse to a dash into Wagner &c
casiOnlly. He dined by candle light.
10 a dress suit and stiff white shirt
shirt bosom, which he WAS always
tempted 10 cover up with his napkin
de had taken a house just outside ct
Washington for the winter, for Mrs
Atkinson saw no chance Of making
suitable matches for her daughters IN
her native city. The "best" society
Ras closed To her; she lived on North
Broad street, anu therefore Cllrisss
and Jennie could not possibly 20 IL
the assembly ball; aud above all
things outside Of heaven, OF course
Mrs. Atkinson preferred what IS cal.
ed society.
Mrs Atkinson, who was what Is
called a capable woman, had come 20
know the social characteristic OF
American cities a. we'll as she used 10
know iht points Of y good fowl when
she did her own marketing In Phlla-
delghia decided that Washington
was the best place to begin the mAtIi-
mOuial campaign. She felt that "A
foreign Establishment WAS preferable
10 an American one aud less difficult
10 arrange. The rich Americans, ~
she knew, were too uncertain Of their
own status TO be ready 70 make what
their aristOcratic connections would
consider mesalliances. Titles for
Clarissa and Jennie would nlske all
things easy, and Ia time she might,
with such prestige even come TO glare
At Mrs Cndwallader omy the At the
ball, where the elect Of Philadelphia
gathers. al whose portal she stood,
ike Mnore's Peri, "discOns0late"
Mrs. Atkinson had acquired
naughty bearing, studied from Miss
Aorantis Russian countess In THE
DanichefTs. " she WIS plump aud rosy
ind imposing. with white hair = ID
Vine, ne POmpadOur. She seemed TO
Se a great lady until she opened her
mouth.
Clarissa aud Jennie had become,
like their father, unwilling slaves 60
splendor. But they had acquired a
kDowledge OF the peerage, and they
anew sh3 pedigree OF the new British
minister to Tie TeiuuIr-st quarteriug.
Il was kind OF the family 10 ask me Ia
-p,-id two weeks al their house out
idle Of lieOTEetoWn. because d Is not
often that families 81 such quality re-
niember their a, quaiuiauces uf the
past went, aud when dear old Mr..
Atkinson met me wlili brpugisn al
the station nay heart sank. Riches
had aged my old friend splendoF had
Rithered hiiu; ihe finger which hsld
the Immense seal rug hearing his
cost of arms was thin aud trembling
There were more wrinkles lu his face
than under the grape vine arbor. His
eyes were restiess, but he greeted tue
with the Old-tlme cordially. The
oroughan cushions we're heavily
scented with heiIOtrOpe. large crest
"a lion couchaBt-was embroidered
everywhere. There were two men
on the box. One Of them, = short.
Stout red whiskersd persDnags q, In q
brown coat, came down End spoke "a
Mr. Atkinson.
you will not mind seeing to Mr..
Fitzpstrick's baggage, viii you,
Ludovie? You'll see ms name on the
bags-Mr Gerald Fitzpatrick.
The man turned his ruddy face to-
ward me aud smiled out Of Z pair Of
che most shrewd and humorous eyes
ever saw.
'S are, sir, you're an Irisbmsn you
have the look Of Il, and an Irish gen
lIeman. too.n
ppm very near to being an Irish
man. said said laughing. i was
born there finy years agn."
The msn laughed.
you're . dry one, hG said, tipping |
his hat you don't hook 90 be 30 -
al ava glad Ladovie has taken a
fancy o. yOn," he said, sinking beck /
In his seat: sometimes he dislikes /
people, and it's hard for "a all"
/ looked at him In surprise Mr..
AtkinsOn's manner % his employees
AZ the factory was peremptory la the
extreme, too much 50, / had thought. I
What had wrought this sOftness?
fznit ahai's-his-name q servant p
AR Atkinson started, as IL afraid
that some one would hear him. "Oh,
we dou't talk Of him that way. He's
the butler, yOn know. He does pref
- much what he pleases, though.
sometimes he wants 10 drive, and Of
eourse let him. Ms. Atkinson I'm
ported him. He Is very expensive,
but be keeps Us up 10 the marx, you
know. He knows everything that
we don't know. Between ourselves,
I wish / was dead I'm not hl for
this sort 81 thing. I nearly di-grHced
n u. "a I