Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-02-07
NO Ia

he said. he and Mrs. Jenks could earn
enough money TO keep the little house 60
ing, without making Billy help them, for q
! few years.
by the time that his father was through
with all that he had TO say, Billy had to
own mp that the right thing for him to do
was to work hard at the public school, and
so get ready TO take care Of his mother and
the baby, i'll ease his father should get sick,
or did, or do anything of that sort But il
! certainly was hard on him he thought. to
have to give up the express business just
as he had made such a splendid start in
IT,
The next day Mr.. jerks creditors held
their last meeting before making a bank
rupt of him After everybody had settled
iuto their chairs, Mr.. Wilkinson said that
they had very unpleasant piece of work
To do, and that the sooner they were
through with it the better All the credi-
tors but one, as he said this he looked
very hard at old Mr.. Skimmington, and so
did everybody else; and while nobody
SH'hS u Noluf q ctlN w HiONl went
the room-all the creditors but one had
consented to an extension; but since this
one could not be brought to take liberal
and sensible view of the case, there was
nothing for his client to do but to GO into
bankruptcy. Then there was dead ST.
lence, and everybody looked at old Mr..
Skimmington. And then, in an instant,
Mr.. Skimmington said, in a sharp way:
'1've changed my mind III give him
an extension, too"
All the other gentlemen We're on their
feet around Mr.. Skimmington, and shak
ing hands with him, in no time; and all of
them were talking at once, as hard as ever
they could talk. Mr.. Jerks was the only
mau in the who remained seated. He
scarcely had dared to hope, even, that he
would get an extension; and when Mr..
Skimmington came round in this sudden
sort of way it quite upset him. But he
did not stay upset long; and when he was
steady again he went up to Mr.. Skimming-
that he was very much obliged to him in
deed for his liberality.
Don't you thank me, Mr.. Jenks," said
Shimmington. THANK yourself little,
and thank your boy Billy much more. Yes
terday, sir, your boy brought my nag up
| from the station in his donky cart express
wagon-I recognized the name on the
wagon, and Ruggles told me it was your
son-and made him come in and talk to
me 1t was not the thing for me to do,
sir, | admit; but made him tell me all
about himself, and a good deal about you.
And the upshot of that talk is, as / said
just now, that I've changed my mind. am
in harmony with the othercreditors, and am
ready to join them in giving you an exten-
sion-for the man who is ready to step
down to the foot of the ladder and take
fresh start, as you were going to do, sir,
deserves to have his friends keep him at
the top!
II am not much given to making jokes,
gentlemen" Mr.. Skimmington went on,
''but I will make one now" There was u
sort of awed silence in the room as he
said this, for the bare thought of Mr..
Skimmington's making joke was so. un
natural that there was something rather
dreadful about it. Eyes I will make one
now: What has carried our friend here
safely out his difficulties is w. Jenk's Ex-
pressp"
Well, it was not very much of a joke af-
ter all, but by this time everybody was in
such good humor that they all began to
laugh over this as if it had been the best
joke ever made. When they were done
laughing at last, they settled down to
business and had Mr. jerks extension ar
ranged in no time.
Billy told me the whole story all over
again, the other day, while we were taking
drive in the donkey cart.
Mr.. jerks is all right now, and my faith
er says that he is doing better than ever,
s inee he and Mr.. Skimmington have been
such good friends, for Mr.. Skimmington
gives him such good advice; and Billy
said the only thing that bothered him was
that his father had not let him go ahead
and be an express man. 1t was pretty
hard work, he said, bnt he liked it.-St
Nicholas