The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-28
siaI Tor saascs ride out there sais a y

old woman. I'll take spin out there and settle
Mr.. Billy What-you-callhim. II you will tell me
Hello" said Mr.. Curper the next morning.
when we met at the Office, you have got that
affair all wrong. Your old woman didn't half
state the case It appears that the agreement
she was to feed him. This she did not do, and
| the horse starved to death at the very be-
ginning of their partnership. Haskell took
him over there on . Friday; Saturday was
| Decoration Day, and the old man went 10
town; and on the Monday it rained. and no
ploughing could be done; and when he went
| over on Tuesday the horse was dead, and 1t was
found that he had died from starvation. The old
woman refuses to pay for the horse, nor will she
adhere to the original bargain, although Haskell
has done all taat no promised to do. Now If his
statement Is correct, and / suppose there will be
| no trouble in getting at the facts, the old man
ought to have the value OF half the crop, which,
as understand IL, was very small one, and
would scarcely pay him fo- the loss of his horse
| and for his labor"
II had an idea" said I. when was talking to
Mrs Grome, that she was grasping old
creature, and that her gratitude to the young
| anything else"
"Ah," said Curper closing the law book no had
just opened, that young lady, to be sure. who
is, OF course, the Janet of my letter / forgot TO
say how eloquent the old man was about this
young person, for whom he has evidently con-
ceived a great admiration. 1t was quite plain
that he was disappointed that she didn't come to
| see him instead of sending me. From his &C
COUNT she must be fine girl, dressed tip top and
| very pretty. put him through a regular cross
examination about her. for I want to find out
what Miss Janet looks like, and who she is, but
so far can't place her. But I'll do it yet. I'm
bound to find out who she is"
Upon this remarked that it seemed to me
tnat II the lady desired to remain unknown her
wishes ought to be respected. and that by under
taking the affair she proposed to him, he had in
manner, entered into a contract with her not
to endeavor to find out who she was.
That's drawing it too fne," said Mr. Curper,
entirely too fine. There can be no earthly rea-
son why this lady should object to my knowing
who she is. except that she doesn't want to .be
under obligations to me, and, if that's the case,
feel am justified in finding out who am
working for. And. besides, she must be con-
foundedly pretty girl, and I have curiosity
about her."
"She said in her note, remarked. shat she
wished to remain unknown at present. and that
clearly indicated that at some future time she
intended to make herself known to you"
THAT won't do, said Mr.. Curper. as he lighted
his cigar and seated himself at his mornings
work; when give my services for nothing I,
at least. want to know who am working for, es-
son is young and uncommonly pretty girl"
"Humph" said !, and turned towards my
room.
"By the way" cried Curper, suppose the
Uuslu0SS part or THIS Cn1ng might as Well De
finished up at once and it will be impossible for
me to do anything more now, IL l am going to
town this summer. Couldn't you drop in on
your clientp
''My client" exclaimed.
Eyes, the OLD woman" said Curper. "As il has
turned out she's your Client and the old man is
mine. Just let her know that the sooner she
does the square thing the better it will be for all
parties. And if she doesn't agree to that, Has
kell will have to sue; that's all there is about it.
tHhaf'g the wa uon ri 10 itqo
said. you look after the pretty girl in the
business, and ask other people to do the work."
MOT at all said. Curper. In a tone that indi-
Gated that his feelings had been hurt You
know very we'll that would have attended to
this whole thing if 1 had had time but if you
choose to drop it may 60 and see the old woman
next week"
While he had been talking had been think
mo, "said /, II can see her this afternoon"
And walked into my private room.
For some reason, which I could not we'll OK
plain to myself. felt that I would like to pro-
tect the unknown young lady from Mr.. Cuper's
obtrusive curiosity, and knew very we'll that il
Mrs. Grome talked to him about her. his
zeal in pursuit Of her identity would be
greatly increased OF COURSE my feelings
In the matter were entirely disinterested but if
this Janet Floyd was the kind aud generous girl
there was every reason to suppose her to be, and
| was, moreover, person of culture and TASTE as
was indicated by her preference for the demon
plaque when there were SO many pretty things
among Mrs. Grome's treasures; and if, too. she
| had that frank and honest spirit which was
| shown in her letter to Curper, and in her aban-
donment of all pretense in coming to see Mrs.
Grome, felt that my Office associate was not the
| man who should be hunting her up There was
nothing positively bad about Curper, and
should be loath to say anything that would iniure
his character; but he was young man who paid
rather too much attention to his dress, who was
rather too much of club man, who was rather too
| fond of being considered man about town, who
| was rather too much given to expensive cigars
| and other extravagances, and who, in fact had
| SO good an opinion of himself that he naturally
| aroused spirit of opposition on the subject in
| those with whom he associated. There was
| general air about him which indicated that he
was all right, and what he did was all right and
| if other people did not agree with him it was
matter of very little importance to Mr.. Curper
had no right to take any active steps to prevent
| him from discovering the unknown lady, but
certainly did not intend to help him to do So
and il in any indirect way I could assist Miss
Janet Floyd in preserving her incog-
| nito l would do it. AS I had been
| asked to engage in the affair considered that
| this attention to her wishes was as much duty
| as anything else. had nothing whatever to
| gain by this course, but am a man of principle,
! and must also admit that Curper's manner was
such as to arouse in me, in a moderate degree,
that spirit of opposition to which have alluded.
| For these reasons I was very willing to visit
| Mrs. Grome again; and, besides, had no obisc-
| tons to have another look at the demon plaque,
| Of which / determined to obtain the refusal in
| case the young lady did not buy it
| When saw Mrs. Grome that afternoon and
| told her what had heard of the facts in her
dispute with Mr.. HASKELL she lifted up her
hands, opened wide her eyes and mouth and
uttered an exclamation of enraged amazement
"Did old Billy tell you that's" she cried
| mo, said I; II did not see him when went
over there. but another gen lsman, a lawyer.
called upon him, and he told me how the matter
| stood"
IA pretty gentleman he must be-" exclaimed
Mrs. Grome, Ito believe such stuff as that!-that
| I'd go and starve boss that expected to work
| my farm. The truth is the wretched beast died
| because he was too old to eatn
1900 old to eat!" exclaimed
! ''That's jest how twas" said she. "Billy
brought the creetur over ON Friday, SOS to have