The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-10-27
MR.. NELSON'S WILL
BY III. RIDER HAGGARD.

snow mark you, my masters: this Is comedy.
OLD PLAY.
Everybody who has any connection will
birmingham will be acquainted with tn,
vast publishing establishment still known
by the short title of "Meeson's," which il
perhaps the most remarkable institution
of the sort in Europe. There are-or rather
there were, at the date of the beginning o.
this history-three partners in Nelson's
Meeson himself, the managing partner
Mr.. Addison, and Mr.. Roscoe-and peopl,
In Birmingham used to say that there wer,
Others interested in the affair, for Neeson's
was company" Qimited).
However this may be, Meeson s. Co. was
undoubtedly commercial marvel It EN-
ployed more than two thousand hands, and
its works, Lit throughout with the electric
Light, covered two acres and n quarter OF
land. One hund-ed commercial travellers
mt three pounds week and a commission,
went forth east and west, and north and
south, to sell the books of Meeson (Which
were largely religious in their nature) in
MP lands; and five-and-twenty tame nu-
thors (who were illustrated by thirteen
tame artists sat-at salaries ranging from
one to five hundred year-in yault-like
hutches in the basement, and week by
week poured out that hat-work for which
Nelson's was justly famous. Then their
were editors and vice-editors, and heads of
the various departments, and sub-heads,
and financial secretaries, and readers, and
many managers; but what their names
were no man knew, because Mt Nelson's
all the employees of the great house were
known by numbers; personalities and per-
sonal responsibility being the abomination
OF the firm. Nor was ii allowed to any one
having dealings with these items ever to
see the same number twice, presumably for
fear lest the number should remember
that he was man and brother, and his
heart should melt toward the unfortunate,
and the financial interests of Nelson's
should suffer. In short, Nelson's was an
establishment created for and devoted to
money-making, and the fact was kept
studiously and even insolently before the
eyes of everybody connected with it
which was, of course, as it should be, in
this happy land of commerce After all
that has been written, the reader will not
be surprised to learn that the partners in
Nelson's were rich beyond the dreams of
avarice. Their palaces would have been q
wonder even in ancient Babylon, and
would have excited admiration in the cor
ruptest and most luxurious days of Rome.
Where could one see such horses, such car
riages, such galleries of sculpture or such
collections of costly gems as at the palatial
halls Of Messrs. Meeson, Addison, and Ros-
coes
And to think" as the mighty Meeson
himself would say, with q lordly wave Of
his right hand, to some astonished wretch
OF an author whom he had chosen to over
whelm with the sight Of this magnificence,
"to think that all this comes out OF the
brains of chaps like you! Why, young
man, | tell you that If all the money that
has been paid to scribblers like you since
the days of Elizabeth were added together
itwould not come up to my little pile; but,
mind you, it amt SO much fiction that has
done the trick-it's religion. It's piety as
pays, especially when it's printed"
Then the unsophisticated youth would
go away, his heart too full for words, but
pondering how these things were and by
and by he would pass into the Meeson
melting pot and learn something about it.
One day King Meeson sat in his counting
house counting out his money, or, at least,
looking over the books of the firm. lie was
In very bad temper, and his heavy brows
were wrinkled up in way calculated to
make the counting house clerks shake on
their stools. Nelson's had branch es-
at Sydney, in Australia, which
had, until lately, been pay
Ing-it is true not as well as the English
one, but, still, fifteen or twenty per cent
But now wonder had come to pass. A
great London publishing company had
started an opposition house in Melbourne,
and their "cutenessn was more than the
'cuteness" of Meeson. Did Nelson's pub |
lish an edition of the works of any standard |
author ut threepence per volume, the oppo- |
ntion company brought out the same work |
1t twopence-halfpenny; did Nelson's sub
sidize a newspaper to puff their undertake
ngs, the opposition firm subsidized two to |
Try them down, and so on. And now the |
results Of all this were becoming apparent, |
Tor In the financial year just ended the Aus |
sralian branch had barely earned beggar- |
ly net dividend of seven per cent.
No wonder Mr.. Meeson was furious, and |
no wonder that the clerks shook upon their |
stools
''This must be seen into, No. g." said Mr. |
Meeson, bringing his fist down with bang |
On to the balance sheet.
NO. was one or the editors, q mllu-eyeu |
little man with blue spectacles. He had |
once been writer of promise, but some
how Nelson's had got him for its own and |
turned him into publishers hack.
"Quite SO, sir" he said, humbly. ''It is |
very bad-it is dreadful to think OF Nee |
sons coming down to seven per cent.-sev-
en- per centw and he helped up his hands
Don't stand there like stuck pig, No.
B." said Mr.. Meeson, fiercely; "but suggest
"Wel, SIR" said No 3, more humbly
than ever, for he was terribly afraid OF his
employer; 81 think, perhaps, that some
body had better go to Australia, and see
what can be done"
'I know one thing that can be DONE"
said Mr.. Meeson, with snarl; ''all those
fools out there can be sacked, and sacked
they shall be; and, what's more, I'll 60 and
sack them myself. That win do, No B.
that win do" and No. 3departed, and glad
enough he was to go.
AS he went n clerk arrived and gave q
card to the great man
'tMiss Augusta Smithers," he read: then,
with grunt, 'show Miss Augusta Smith
ers .n."
Presently Miss Augusta Smithers ar