The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-04-05

n ne siipped away from ali hia ii
associates, till even Mr. and Mrs. Know
w;sSa wSIe haiI inclined TO do as he apparent
wished, and let him 60.
but the one person who, with nm aln,o,
1auhrni pertinacity, held to him. was 81
sS Eonn bowerbank. Whether he, too. wa
ne SOFT OF person who, once taking n lii
Jug, great or small, never relinouisbes i;
al wnether some other secret inner svmna
pa,nn my aurscted him to young Stenho1se. !
s hot unnKe wnaJ no nInseIr mao nee
as young man, certain it was that tho beo
y, tne nrm never lost sight of his form q
cierk; and when, on Mr.. Knowles snoaost
inH tne adyisability Of q junior partner' IN
quesuon arose who should be adopied ini
a Va'nab'e and RESPONSIBLE situation
.Ie hrst person Sir John proposed :,
Gnom the offer should be made was Mr.
Stenhouse. was Nhr
Edward Knowle was greatly amazed-
nay, nay, pefpiexed. He rubbed 1p his bai,
with a troubled aspect. W LILO h'i'
IN otop bit; think-I' think I shoul
hke TO speak to my wife about this"
OF John looked in undisguised surprise.
As YOU please. But it never would occn,
t 20 me to consult my wife on business mat.
ssa H. o'ai. ass sssses,as ass sss
"whyp'
- "You see," awkwardly explained Mr..
hnowle, a partner. which also implies n
partners wife, is serious thing to the
woman kind, bringing about much init
=; macy, and all that. fancy-of course ii
Is only, fancy Of Inine-taat the ladies
would both like to be consulted about it
erbankP" ~ -'"''S Do"-
"1f she chooses; but it is really great
nonsense Bringing domestic affairs into a
mere question Of business. It will cause
delay, while every post is a matter of con-
sequence. s t 1 cannot see the use of it all.
IN TACT, with your consent"-and his man
ner implied with or without it, for Sir John
Bowerbank was n very obstinate man in
hls way, as was we'll known to his paftne,
with your consent, I shall write and
night"
He did so, and it~was declined--de-
fusal. 'no ie-
Sir John was considerably annoyed. To
Tue answer, which had come, not by letter,
put by telegram, so eager, apparently, was
the young man to renounce the protfcred
Kindness, he wrote again, suggesting cas-.
ier terms-terms 80 favorable that no man
IN MS senses seemed likely to refuse them,
were. my
"The man muat bo mo-, ,.:. O.:
to his partner. '
Perhaps" was the brief reply.
why, he has three children and doll.
cate wife, and scarcely enough salary To
Keep them in bread and cheese; for Won
know, at Lady Bowerbank's desire, found
out hii about them. She was interested in
the wife, and might write and advise her
TO persuade heSubusband out of his folIv.
1 must speak td115ady Bowcrbank."
Meantime Lady Bowerbank had been
spoken to- In fear and trembling the
matter had been broken to her by Good
Mrs. knowle, but there was no need for
sign ofsseitation. She mere1y ys.a ,,.aS. s...s!
che thought such a partnership would BIO
the best thing possible. both for the firm
and for Mr.. Stenhouse, and that she hoped
she. lay looking into the sunset over the
sea, with strange, soft expression in hcI
eyes.
"You are sure-qute sure. my dear En-
lily, that you have no objection2"
"No; why should ~ And she added
again, still more earnestly, ooh, no-not
now"
"And by that" commented Mrs. Knowle,
as she repeated the conversation to her
husband, 81 am certain Emily feels that
she is dying"
They talked the whole matter over for q
while, conjugally and confidentially, in
their own room, for they had been asked
to dine aud sleep that night at Summer
Lodge, rs indeed they very often were
now, and then went back to the drawing
room.
There, white indeed as dying face, but
eager with all the strength of life, lay poor
Emily, her husband sitting beside her sofa
In his quiet, attentive. elderly way, and
trying, as we'll as he could, to mako little
bits Of talk concerning the news of the day
in Liverpool, to amuse her during the hour
and O half that he and his guests dined,
and she rested alone, for she had now
o2ased entirely to join the circle at meals.
"Come here, Mrs. Knowle, and say if you
do not agree with me-you women UNDER
stand one another we'll. have been tell
ing my wifo about that young mans ex-
ceeding folly-your friend Stenhouse, I
mean-in refusing to enter our firm. 1t
must be O mere crotchet-some offense
taken, or the like, for which we can't afford
to lose such useful partner. or to let a
fne young fellow cut his own throat in
write to his wife, and reason with her. She
has right; for Lady Bowerbank has done
all sorts of kind things to Mrs. STEM
house."
kindness implies no right" said Emily
hastily and tremulously. II don't know
her. l cannot write TO her. What could
/ say2"
"Just little common sense-that such
chance as this does not happen to man
twice In lifetime, that Stenhouse should
take advantage of 1t. He is very poor.
hear that he can but just put bread into
the mouths OF those three children. If be
were to join US he would make his for
tune"
make his fortune" repeated Emily,
wistfully. "Ah! il that had been-once
| But 1t is too late now"
"Too late, my dear! Nonsense! The
| voung man cannot be over thirty vet"
"Thirty- one and half."
Sir John Bowerbank looked exceedingl,
surprised for the moment. "I forgot-yo,
said you knew him."
@Yes, did know him, as Mrs. Knowl
! is aware. met him at her house. wa
once going to be married to him. He wa
very fond Of me-"
Quite quietly, without the slightest sig
of emotion, Emily said these words, as
1t had been fact communicated concern
ing third person; so utterly divided froI
the world and the passions Of 1t SCENE
that frail creature, who already stood clos