The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-09-08
BOB AND ALICE.
The Story Of Mr.. Heath's Last Ter
Thousand Pounds.


PART I.
On a wet, gloomy afternoon in the April
of 1877 Mr. James Heath sat in a house in
Adam street, Strand, and in the curiously,
furnished apartment which he called his
Office. The very dirty window curtains of
the room were of the richest silk The
costly Turkey carpet was covered with dust
and Uttered with bundles of old law papers
and newspapers, besides letters and other
documents which, having been torn up, had
evidently lain on the floor untouched for
weeks or months. On the walls of the room
were hung a number of valuable oil paint
ings. water colors and engravings. Madon-
mas and Holy Families of the early Spanish
and Italian schools, pets of the ballet and
the prize ring, Dutch Doors, landscapes por-
traits and racing scenes-mlngled as they
were without the least regard to style or
subject the general effect was altogether
novel and surprising. About the chamber
were a numbbr of chairs and couches,
mostly of antique patterns, but all of them
made Of the most costly materials, and COW
cred, like the carpet, with dust. In the
corners of the room werepiles of well-bound
volumes. and two massive de-boards-one
of oak, the other of ebony-were piled with
miscellaneous heaps of books, glasses and
silver plate. Every thing about the cham
Der, in short, was dirty, costly and incon-
gruous.
Finally, mufled up in a thick overcoat,
and with his back to the fireplace, in which
there was no fire, sat Mr.. Heath. He was a
rather stout man of about sixty, with keen,
gray eyes, white hair and very rubicund
complexion. On the table before him stood
among number of papers, a bottle of
brandy and tumbler, and he was engaged
in po1iOr q oh
in rather sprawling, boyish hand.
'Dear Sir, the letter ran, 81 must have
$500 by Monday, and l want at least $500
besides. This, with what l owe you at
present will make $4,000 l propose, in
consideration of that 1000 which l now
ask you to advance, to assign to you the
whole of my life interest in the e15,0O0 per
cent. consols, together with the whole in
terest under the policy of assurance for the
$4,000. The premiums on the policy only
amount to goo per annum, so that the $3.50
odd which acCrues from the consols will
leave balance of about $50 per cent. in
terest on the "a 600 until the policy falls in.
In other words, for $4,000 you get an abso-
lutte reversion in 10000, together with e25O
a year until the reversion is realized. | am
aware that | could do better than this, but |
want the money at once and / am ready to
submit to the sacrifice for immediate pay
ment shall call on you tomorrow after
noon at four o'clock when 1 hope you will
let me have a check. Yours, faithfully,
"RoBERT OSWALD"
Mr.. Heath read the letter very carefully
through two or three times, after which he
laid it on the table and poured out nearly
half tumbler of brandy. Having mixed
this with very little water, he drank it off
and leaned back in his chair, while he in
dulged in soliloquy which he muttered
half aloud
Eyes" he said "the terms are good
enough. The young fool is in consumption
already, though he's barely twenty three.
and this season will kill him Chapman
says his right lung is nearly gone-lucky l
got him to insure for the big sum at once.
Wants the money, l suppose to meet his
losses on the City and Suburban. What's
he going to do l wonder, when he has
parted with his interest in the $4,000! Fall
back on his mother, l suppose. She's sup
posed to be wealthy, but her money is all in
American stocks, they say, and if report is
true she knows how to keep it. The widow
of Scotchman, who made a fortune in
America, they came back TO England about
five years since to get into society and put
young hopeful through Oxford. The father
died three years ago, and the mother has
been leading rather retired life since, so
they say. But, nonsense, what has all this
TO do with me! Young Mr.. Oswald, who
has got himself into consumption through
dissipation, is practically offering me g10,-
900 for further advance Of $1,000. Even
if had to wait a few years it's good
enough. But he hasn't twelve months life
in him. Three months more, at the rate he
is going at present, ought to finish him! And
thenP'
Mr.. Heath poured some more brandy into
his tumbler Having drunk it, he continued
almost aloud, and in an excited manner:
"Then / have made the 100000 which il
has been the ambition of my life to be
worth. This is the last ten thousand. With
this | shall be worth almost exactly one hun
.dred and two thousand pounds in hard cash,
besides the good will of this accursed bust
ness, and all tho things connected with it,
which shall dispose of at once Why,
ought to have nearly one hundred and ten
thousand pounds; but never mind, once
have hundred thousand pounds in hard