Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1889-10-26
Squaring Up Accounts.

ey p said Mrs. Castlethorpe.
She was a tall, portlv old lady, with
false front of intensely brown curls,
a fresh complexion, and spectacles that
seemed to CLEAN at you like twin
moons every time she looked your way;
and she always wore black satin with
neckerchief of white tulle, and a
heavy gold chain wound round her
neck and falling in glittering festoons
across her chest.
eyes, ma'am," said Mr.. Audrey,
her legal adviser, "Tm afraid he
does"
"Then," said Mrs. Castlethrope,
she is a downright liar"
Every likely, ma'am," said Mr..
Audrey, dryly. young men have
misrepresented facts before now, and
will vet, Pm afraid"
But he told me that the last eight
hundred dollars would settle all his
debts-but here is a washer-woman's
bill. tailor's account, a boot-maker's
little memorandum, and thirty dollars
borrowed of Higgins the jeweler, on a
set of ruby shirt studs, to say nothing
of these other bills, and Mrs. Castle
thrope nodded her head at a pile Of
slips Of paper that lay under an ivory
weight at her left hand. "Why, it's
perfectly disgraceful He has deceived
me He has perjured himself OFT aud
out p
Mr. Audrey looked moody and i'm
perturbable. To him every phase of
human roguery and duplicity seemed
not only possible but probable.
"But | won't stand it," cried the
old lady, growing more excited, "I'll
teach him a lesson !"
"You will cut off supplies, ma'am,"
said Mr.. Audrey, interrogatively.
"Oh-oh, mop said Mrs, Castle
thrope, scratching her nose with the
point Of her crochet needle. I'll let
him have the FIVE hundred dollars |
promised him | am a person Of my
word, whatever he is" she said with
an an accent of infinite scorn; "but
Audrey, haven't told you about the
worst debt of all !"
"Indeed, a'am ?"
"His landlady's daughter poor
little blue eyed thing, with her head
hanging down, and the prettiest yellow
hair | ever saw-came here yesterday.
He owes her heart"
Borrowed ma'am ?" said lawyer
Audrey, with a twinkle of his dark
eyes.
"Well, yes" asserted Mrs. Castle
thrope, grimly. Engaged himself to
her while he boarded there. Dropped
her completely when he was able to
remove to more aristocratic quarters.
Broke her poor little heart. BEN! he
shall mend it again"
"Do you think it is probable,
ma'am ?" asked Mr.. Audrey, rather
obviously.
81 will make it probable" said Mrs.
Castlethrope, resolutely. "You're not
engaged to dinner for tomorrow even
ing, are you, Mr.. Audrey p
"No."
pray, give us the pleasure of your
company, then" said Mrs. Castlethorpe,
cat six precisely. To meet my
nephew Jerome, and select few of
his friends"
Full dress p asked the lawyer.
ooh, of counsel" said Mrs. Castle
thorpe, briskly
And Mr. Jerome Mordaunt, loung-
ing over a French novel in the elegant
seclusion Of his apartment, was puzzled
at the note he received from his aunt.
DEAR JEROME Come to dinner
at six tomorrow night, and we will
have little talk over your affairs,
The five hundred dollars will be ready
for you,
Your afiectionate aunt,
CONSOLATION CAsTLETHRoPE.
"The old lady is coming to her
senses, eh p said he, folding the billet
into the shape of a cigar-lighter
"Well, I'm glad Of it. | couldn't have
kept up the campaign much longer
without ammunition. | will be there
punctual to the minute, dear aunt
COMFY may be sure !"
He was good as his word. At six
to the second he bowed himself
debonairly into Mrs. Castlethrope's
old-fashioned dining-room-old-fash-
Toned but eminently comfortable. A
fire of anthracite coal, glowed and
cracked in the CRATE, wax candles
shone with white lustre in silver
candelabra, and large centre-piece Of
flowers decked the middle of the board,
white solid silver, glass ornamented
with monogram and painted china,
were arranged to the best advantage.
Mrs. Castlethrope was rich, and she