Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-09-05

| et. only ask you TO make me an advance
-capitalizing two hundred year out of
the sum you kindly allow me-"
"How much is that?'
"a thousand. believe. sir"
Il give YOU credit for an honest belief
to that effect But had occasion TO look
through your accounts the other day, and
find that in the three years since you came
of age kbave paid, one way or another,
very near y seven thousand for you"
Bless my soulm
81 will show the figures You see it's a
monstrous absurdity TO talk Of deducting
two hundred from your allowance. Be
sides, Fred, one should be reasonable in
charity. | must refuse TO do anything
more"
The young man did not press his point.
! Conscious that even the large sum men
toned hal gone in pocket money and de
fraying current debts, he was glad TO drop
| the subject This revelation astonished
and shocked him. He resolved to ascer-
tain his liabilities, to pay them off gradu-
| ally. and to incur no more. But this de-
termination applied to the future; for the
present Fred had no idea of abandoning
his notion. He knew very well how 10
raise money, and within a week an addi-
tional five thousand was paid into the
| Bank of England for the sole benefit of
! James keeiey's daughter.
1t was Characteristic of the boy that
Fred made no further inquiries. Return
! ing from the bank on foot, he met very
| humble funeral, and, in the sympathetic
| fashion learned abroad, lifted his hat care
| lessly. He did not look at the cab which
! followed that poor hearse. But a child
therein saw him, and marked the unusual
action. To her it seemed a mockery of
| the dead, last insult Of malice and
wrong-doing toward it's victim. Against
/ her will she had cherished a kindly senti-
ment toward Fred Staymer since that ter
| rible day. 1t vanished. Amy was glad to
| think she had kept her secret, and no one
knew the fortune lying in her name at the
| Bank of England.
| In the years that followed these two
| lived as fate and circumstances decreed.
| Staymer's regiment was ordered to India;
| it was a chance of recovery from financial
! disasters and expensive habits, and Fred
wished to profit by it. But Sir Philip,
| growing more feeble daily, could not bear
| to part with his son, and he exchanged
/ into the wealthiest and most desperate
| corps Of plungers of the British service.
! Amy passed four years with Mrs. Der
mot, who kept very small and very mis-
| cellaneous shop in back street at Clap
! ham, She looked after the children, and
| did more than her share of the homework,
as the unChiyalrous customs Of women
exact from a girl relative sheltered in
charity. Upon occasion she served be-
hind the counter and by degrees the lend
ing library which formed part of Mrs.
Dermot's business fell under her direc-
! ton.
James Kelley had left very little in the
way of furniture which his sister thought
worth removal, but a number of old and
stupid volumes she took away simply as
dummies" to fill her shelves. The child
did not protest, though her young sense Of
justice was outraged. Two years after
ward Mrs Dermot found an opportunity
to buy a cargo Of novels very cheap, and
then she offered those unmarketable books
at the rag-and-bone shop Of the neighbor-
hood. Fortunately, the unlearned dealer
was not anxious TO close and Amy heard
the proposal in time
To urge sentimental associations after
the lapse of so many months would have
been futile: she simply represented that
her father believed his volumes TO be worth
money and obtained permission, after
much trouble, to put some of them among
the toys and sweets in the window. Mrs.
Dermot submitted impatiently, and day
by day, as no purchaser came forward, she
declared with growing vehemence that
they should be sold for waste paper.
! Kind-heartod in her fashion, however, and
Just little hopeful 10 the last that some
thing might turn up, the good woman
waited still, vowing every night that the
rubbish should be cleared away; but
every morning action was postponed. so
it CHANGED that the opportunity came at
| length, and the man of destiny appeared.
He was not a romantic parsonage at all.
For some days Amy had noticed a shabby
veteran who fingered at the window.
Presently he entered TO ask the price of a
duodecimo; in a tumult Of hope and fear
she named half a crown. "Bidiculousp
exclaimed the veteran and marched out.
Amy did not dare to tell this incident.
She bitterly reproached herself for fixing
the price SO high, but when, two days af-
terward, the stranger returned she was
shrewd enough TO draw a conclusion.
w Ell, NY uCdLf nave 9"H NiNo1Lt ~
over?"
ayes, sir made a mistake That little
volume is five shillings.'
The old gentleman showed a frank
amusement He sat down laughing.
"Now tell the truth, my child. hope
you always tell the truth?"
~ hope SO, Sir
"What Is the real price you are told to
ask for that book"
81 am not told to ask any price at all l
guess"
"Oh, sharp little grill How did your
mother get them:'
"My mother is dead, sir, and they be
longed to my father and Mrs Dermot is
going to sell them for waste paper-with
his name in them. toto be torn up
"Weu, wen, child, they sha'u't be torn
up"
At this moment Mrs. Dermot appeared.
81 am trying to strike q bargain for
these old books, ma'am. What do you
ask"
"a pound apiece, aunt" Amy cried.
"A pound apiece, You must excuse this
little girl sir, please. shes not clever, !"