The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-03-17

qualification to think that. even i. Il
had cost him four days Of arduous et-
for, he had finally conquered that
which had threatened to elernally
blast a hard. won reputation for alb,
solutc imperviousness to pectoral
weaknesses. Yet he was n trifle dis
mayed to discover himself trembling
\ little as he responded fittingly 10 the
CHEEKY good morning Of the man who
raj the elevator.
He entered the Office. Miss Morri.
son was at her desk, a,l there was Il
ring of %genuincness about her greet
ing that struck him ia,ntably. Al hel
side. in an armchair, was Il young MAJ
of athletic build and esolutc cast OF
countenance, reading a newspaper.
As Mr.. Trent passed on toward his
private office he observed this you!g
man rise and make n rather sheepish
exit. though he paused to exchange n
whispered goodbye with the girl,
who seemed very sorry that he should
60.
Once in his priv ate Office. and the
door securely locked, the demeanor
of the lawyer underwent a mctamor-
phosis as rapid as it was unaccount-
able. His calmness deserted him
utterly; he strobe up and
down the small apartment
smoking furiously and uttering from
time to time calculations which to an
untutored ear resembled such express
sions as internal counter-jnmpar,"
eddy girl" las frivolous as the
rest of thcm," and many others of
equally hazy and irrelevant import.
He ended the singular performance
with n sudden rush from the room. and
bolted down stairs in most undigntied
haste. without needing a call from the
young woman who followed him out
into the hallway with an urgent re-
quest for him to stop.
During the day Mr.. Trent had I'M.
pie time 10 once more review the ques-
ton in all its phases. And without
pausing to follow his line of reasoning
too closely. it will do to state that he
slept that night more soundly and
more peacefully than he had done for
q week. The sight of that young man
in his Office had. to use a ~vulgarism
settled his business" He had con-
Guided to cease struggling against
nature and accept defeat with becom-
ing grace. as became a good soldier.
He would marry Miss Morrison. let
the consequences be what they might.
And, on reaching this conclusion, Mr..
Trent felt stealing upon him Il salts.
faction and Il peace he had not known
for many a day.
He calmly announced his resolution
TO Mrs. Herrick the next morning.
and that excellent lady was mex
pressibly shocked. By virtue of her
long service she vcntured on a mild
rcmonstrance or two, based OH
hypothetical illusions to the world
verdict, all Of which Mr.. Trent cut
short by n hasty exit in the direction
of the stable.
1t chilled him a little. on reaching
his office, to find the outer door lock-
ed. but he opened it and walked in.
Miss Morrison's desk, of course, was
vacant, aud it was too early for the
none of whom we're con.
spicuous for punctuality. S, Mr..
Trent walked on into his private Of
fee and turned to the pile of personal
mail that had accumulated in his alb.
sence. But he started %nnrvously on
.pcrceiving at the top Of the heap a
note addressed in the neat character
of Miss Morrison's typewriter
Without delay he opered and read
t. 1t was polite, but brief. The writ
IT, after referring in grateful terms to
her employers many kindncsses
shown to herself and her family, beg
red permission TO resign, as She
well. as she was going 10 b. married.
She added that she would hay. prefer
to speak Of this matter personally,
'nt had had no opportunity, owing to
Mr.. Irent's absence from the Office
md hasty departure Of the day before.
For Ten minutes after reading the
MI. Trent unused deeply. while a
'aricty Of expressions fitted across his
,lear-cut features. Al the end Il that
ime he murmured: II could have
,orne it better if she hadn't written
t with that Internal typewriter"
'hen Mr.. ferdinand Trent, attorney
It law. cynic and blnse man of the
world as he was. went into the outer
flee, got an from m adj lcent
oal- box, hit NJ s. Mprrison's hundred.
nd-sixty-dollar caligraph n thwack
hat cnlna its usefulness for all time
o come, and once more left his off &c.
A i,nI