The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-09-01


very sorry for poor Bren; he knew he had
no great strength, and was bound up in
the girl, body and soul Besides. it was
no pleasant thought to have to doubt this
Kate Arrow He had known her long be-
fore Bren. and had liked and admired her
thoroughly watching her apart as was
his won't. When he was sick of the
worlds meanness and shallowness he had
liked to think of Kate and assure himself
there was still to be found goodness and
| artless truth. And now to have to doubt
even Kate--it was D grim thought. And
Just this is one OF the sorriest things that
/ can befall 1t shakes ones faith in it ALL
you feel that the very foundations are
broken up. II l have looked hero year
after year, you say, and found all fair and
sweet, and one day I como and find rot
tenness at the very core. where shall /
! put my hand and say, Here is soundness
and sweetness? If this that l have sworn
| to has fallen out SO. what may be next
and nextY It's not pleasant thought,
friends, nor pleasant thing. God help
us when our friends fail, or when we fail
| our friendsl
Well, the wretched business went on.
| Bren could not make Kate out. But he
could not say where the difference was.
all in himself. But he could not get on
for all that. And the deeper he got into
trouble the harder it was to put a decent
face upon it, and the plainer.it showed in
| his look. Brewer took no notice of his
| i'll disguised hatred; was Extensively po-
lite and oficious on all occasions to Bren.
| And he managed in endless dexterous
little ways to put Bren out or place him
| in all ungraceful or ridiculous light; and
Bren had little skill to retarn the fire.
| One night-it was at ''sociable" at the
I Cotwoods', / think-Bren was sitting
disconsolate, talking indiiferently with
Mrs. c., when some movement in the
rooms threw him close to Kate and q
little aside, just IS the company began to
break up. Bren looked SO wretched and
down hearted as he spoke to her that she
could not but pity him. She gave him
| kind look and babe him good night quite
in her old way; and Bren came away with
lighter heart than he had had In many
day One gentle word had power to
change Bren's whole view of things. He
looked back to these wretched weeks past,
and to himself of an hour ago. with a sort
of doubt and wonder The hard, bitter
feeling was gone. blown clear away by a
breath. He stopped in the street and for
got himself, staring into the gutter and
trying to make out what it was oil about.
Had Kate been to blame after all? had it
been all his own doing2 He could not re-
member that she had shown Brewer any
| special favor. The fellow had been
friendly and obliging; could she be less
than civil? Well, no didn't know. He
had been i'll conditioned enough, at any
rate But he'd drop that. He'd be him
self again. He felt sure Kate had not
| changed. He went over and over her
| words and looks tonight. He saw her
face in tho darkness, and heard again with
fond thrill her sweet, low, plying tone.
! And so he faced home and to bed, and
slept like happy child
Going down to the store next day, he
was thinking rather hardly of the hard
times. Not that he blamed Traveller No;
Charley had enough to keep warm nest
for his mate and the two little birds. But
he did want to have more money just
now. 1t would be such d lift to him. He
felt that he could be more of man He
was not afraid Of this Brewer if he could
only be himself But Brewer had the ad-
vantage of him every way. Kate was
fond of all bright things, of jewels, pic
lures, spectacles, music-of pleasure par
ties and the rest. Bren knew if he only
had money he could stand nearly level and
be better able to keep brave face.
Here was Brettenhams now; he had
walked here one night in the holidays
! with Kate He remembered how she had
laughed and wished she were queen and
could have her wish of all that sparkling
array. Here was tray of diamond rings
that she had specially coveted. He won
dered If any of them were the very ones.
He would have liked to buy her one that
minute. He knew 1t was no use; but he
went in and priced them
Bren went round to the store. It was
the first of the month; he would have q
busy week of it making up his debtors
statements
An hour later statement was laid on
Bren's desk. He finished his count care
fully, put his pen between his teeth, sat
up and looked at the heading of the bill
Charles V. Traveller to Haffelfnger &
Co., Dr." Bren turned to the ledger in
dex, ran down the HIS. Holmes. Har-
ris, Hinkley, Haffelfinger. 1874" He
turned over the pages, found the account
and rapidly ran up the columns of figures
-$ss7 and odd. The bill lay face down;
he turned it up and glanced at the total.
Then he turned white in the face. The
figures of the total were these: e.$543. 36. !"
Bren ran up his own account again. no
error-$627, IS. He saw his hand shake
as he reached out for the file of bills pay
able. He ran over the Inducements
Harris; Appleby; Jaeger s. Smith; Half
felfnger, one, two, three, four, FIVE. The
first that turned up was dated three days
back-$123 and cents. Here it was on
the statement, ''Bill of merchandise,
$123.60." The same with the second,
third, fourth-bacl1ward in order of date.
That was the whole Of the statement.
On Travellers books there was one more
entry: FEB. 25, by Mdse. per Bill
$1S3 TO-" Here was the bill, Endorsed
the same "Haffelfnger & Co., $187. 49,"
Bren felt little sick Just then.
He leaned on his hand and shook
as If with fear. Do you know
what 1t meant7 Let me tell you.
1t meant that the devil came and
put before Bren's face the hardest temp
tstion that it was possible to contrive, as
Bren then was. Here he was. free, gen.
erous boy, and just now miserably poor.
He lodged in bare, mean room. up four
flights. He etc coarse fare, and stinted
himself to keep himself presentable to
Kate. He was in trouble; he was hank
ering for money this very morning as he
never had before. And here came nearly
two hundred dollars and dropped into his
very hand. and he had nothing to do bat