Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-18

ano she cuTtseyed TO him, and then sud-
denly burst into a flood Of tears.
In minute Eustate was by her side.
Don't cry, Miss Smithers; for Heavens
sake, don't! can't bear TO see it,'' he
said.
She looked up, her beautiful gray eyes
fun of tears, and tried TO smile.
THANK YOU" she said; II am very silly,
but am so disappointed. If you only
knew There, 1 viii so. Thank you,'
and in another instant she had drawn her
self up and left the room.
We'll" said Mr.. Meeson, senior, who
had been sitting ct his desk with his great
mouth open, apparently too much aston
ished to speak. We'll, there is vixen for
you. But she'll come round. I've known
them to do that sort of thing before-there
are one or two down there" and he Jerked
his thumb in the direction where the
twenty and five tame authors sat each like
a rabbit in his little hutch and did hat
work by the yard, e'who carried On like
that. But they are quiet enough now.
They don't show much spirit now. know
how TO deal with that sort of thing-haf
pay and a double tale of copy-that's the
ticket. Why, that girl viii be worth fif-
teen hundred a year to the house. What
do you think of it, young man, eh?"
81 think" answered his nephew, on
whose good-tempered face a curious look
of contempt and anger had gathered, II
think that you ought to be ashamed of
yourself!"
CHAPTER II.-WHY EUSTACE WAS DISINHER-
TIED.
There was a pause-a dreadful pause.
The flash had left the cloud, but the an
swering thunder had not burst upon the
ear. Mr.. Meeson gasped. Then he took
up the check which Augusta had thrown
upon the table and slowly crumpled it.
'sWhat did you say, young man?" he said
at last, in cold, hard voice.
81 said that you ought to be ashamed Of
yourself" answered his nephew, standing
his ground braveIy; "and what is more, i
meant It'll"
"Ohl Now viii you be so kind as to ex-
plain exactly why you said that, and why
you meant it?'
81 meant it," answered his nephew,
speaking in full, strong voice, because
that girl was right when she said that you
had cheated her, and you know that she
was right. / have seen the accounts Of
Terminals Vow'-I saw them this morning
and you have already made more than a
Thousand pounds clear profit on the book.
And then, when she comes to ask you for
something over the beggarly fifty pounds
which you doIed out TO her, you refuse, and
offer her three pounds as her share OF the
translation rights-threc pounds as against
your eleven
'Go on interrupted his uncte; "pray go
on"
''All right; ! am going. That is not all.
You actually avail yourself Of q disgrace
full trick to entrap this unfortunate girl
into an agreement whereby she becomes a
literary bond slave for five years AS soon
as you see that she has genius you tell her
that the expense Of bringing out her book
and Of advertising up her name, ETC., will
be very great-so great, indeed, that you
cannot undertake it unless, indeed, she
agrees to let you have the first offer of
everything she writes for five years to
come at somewhere about fourth of the
usual rate of a successful authors pay
though, of course, you don't tell her that.
You take advantage Of her ineyperiencs to
bind her by this Ubiquitous contract, know
ing that the end Of it will be that you will
advance her little money and get her into
your power, and then will send her down
there to the Hutches, where all the spirit
| and originality and genius will be crushed
out of her work. and she will become hat
writer like the rest of then-for Meeson' s
is a strictly commercial undertaking, you
know, and Nelson's public don't like gen
Jus they like their literature dull and holyi
and it's an Internal shame tnat's what it
is, uncleW and the young man, whose blue
eyes were by this time flashing fire, for he
had worked himself up as he went along,
brought his fist down with bang upon
the writing table by way of emphasizing
his words.
''Have you done?" said his uncle
Eyes, I've done; and hope that I have
put it plain"
every WELL and now might l ask you,
supposing that you should ever como to
manage this business, if your sentiments
accurately represent the system upon
which you would proceed?"
"Of course they do. I am not going to
turn cheat for anybody"
THANK you. They seem to have taught
you the art of plain speaking up at Ok
ford; though it appears" with a sheer,
''they taught y GU very little else. Well,
then, now it is my turn to speak; and
tell you what it is, young man-you will
either instantly beg my pardon for what
you have said, Or you will leave Meeson' s
for good and all"
81 won't beg you pardon for speaking
the TRUTH" said Eustace, hotly. 'The fact
is, that here you never hear the truth; all
these poor devils creep and crawl about
you, and daren't call their souls their own.
I shall be devilish glad to get out OF this
place, 1 can tell you. All this chickery
and pokery makes me sick. The place
stinks and reeks Of sharp practice and
money-making = money-making by fair
means or foul"
The elder man had, up till now, at all
events to outward appearance, kept his
temper; but this last flower Of vigorous
! English was altogether too much for one
whom the possession of so much money
had for many years shielded from hearing
unpleasant truths put roughly. The man 5
face grew like a devils, his thick eyebrows
contracted themselves, and his pale lips
quivered with fury. For a few seconds he
could not speak, SO great was his emotion.
When, at length, he did his voice was a.
thick and laden with rage as dense mist
is with rain.
"You impudent young rascai?' he began;
"you ungrateful foundlingi Do you sup
| pose that when my brother left you to
| starve-which was all that you were fit for
Il picked you out of the gutter for this;