The Hope pioneer., 1886-09-24

hopes, and last, If not SO fully. his po-
sition.
This. duly addressed to Miss Fous-
si," he posted, and waited with what
fortitude he could muster for an an
swer.
He had been out of patience. It was
a week before he knew anything, and
then his own letter came as returned
one from the dead letter Office, the en-.
velope playfully annotated with ''Iry
Fishy," ..Not known" "Fussy," 'Try
Leicester street." ..Rd." and so on.
Harker groaned. So near his object,
yet SO strangely bafled.
Oh, the agony of that week Of sus-
pense! A whole week gone-lost!
And that horrid Fipkins SO jubilant;
day by day growing so luxurious in his
habits; living on the fat of the land, if
his luncheons were fair sample; talk
ing so vulgar about letting out his
waistcoat- = triumphing in such coarse
fashion over him perpetually! Bah!
He would hear it no longer. He felt
it was maddening him. He would fly
from the neighborhood before he was
tempted to do something desperate.
Bill Harker took commission on
the road. He visited the west of Eng
land. 1t was three months or more be-
fore he ventured to set his foot in Lon
don again. The first time he did so he
encountered Fipkins by accident in
Grove road, Stockwell. The rivals
started. Their meeting was like the
traditional one of the strange cats in
the garrett Fipkins' brass for once
stood him IN good stead. He was the
first to speak. He held. out his hand
cordially.
"How are you, old fellow?" he said
frankly, as if nothing was the matter.
Whoever would have thought of see-
ing you in this part of the world2'
Harker did not strike him, did not
repel his friendly advances. In truth
time had smoothed off the raw edges
of his wound. And then Fipkins
looked SO happy, he didn't have the
heart to distress him. They ad-
journed to the nearest bar, and, in the
course of series of "refreshels, Ftp
kins told of his intended marriage,
which was to take place the next
week at ST. Giles Church, Gambler
we'll.
1t grated on Harker's feeling to no.
tice that Fipkins in some sort looked
upon the union as sacrifice.
There are property considers
tions," he said several times in a half
maudlin sort of way-''property con-
siderations, my boy; and folks cans s
afford to lose sight of those in hard
times like these"
Mercenary wretch! How Harker
despised him, even while he fratern-
lied with! What strange power
the fellow always had over him! He
could neither understand nor escape
from it. He found it hard to realize,
after Fipkins had left him, that he had
actually promised to be his "best
man" at the wedding. But it was so;
there was the entry in his own order
book-in an unsteady hand-that
Fipkins had insisted on his writing at
the bar. He had not the courage to
decline it, and, as he had promised,
honor and curiosity both prompted
him to see the drama to the end.
As the two ex-clerks stood waiting
for the BRIDES arrival on the auspic-
ious morning one might have heard
Harker's heart throb; it beat like u
drum with intense excitement. But
astonishment overpowered every other
feeling when, as the bride entered the
church, perfect mountain of fnery,
he recognized in her the dragoon-like,
fiery-faced boarding house proprie-
tress, and knew that it was she Fipkins
had chosen from property considera-
| tions.n .A:..
Confused as he felt. Harker could
understand that in her case, weighty
as she was, something in the shape of
bonus would be acceptable. He had
little time to think Of all this, however,
for the first bridesmaid, he found to his
great joy, was the nameless one! Her
white gloved little hand rested on his
trembling arm as they walked down
the aisle after the ceremony, in the
wake of Mr.. and Mrs. Fipkins; and
before they reached the hotel, whore
breakfast was laid, he discovered,
among other things, that his fair COM
panlon's name was not Foussi, but Cas-
tleton.
Harker still calls his model of wife
Foussi; but the glove he had treasured
did not fit her. Old B.. who had pick
ed it up, might first have dropped it.
One thing is certain-he astonished ev-
eryone by marrying, before the year
was out, a mere child; and her hand,
as 1t rested i'll his on the wedding day,
looked small enough to have been his
daughters.
Student Walters.
About the sickest thing in the world
1 & -