The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-09-25

yer, as being the most preposterous piece
Of extravaganza I ever heard suggested.
| viii ten yo,l frankly that | tried my
utmost to tlissas Ie'ng client from max
ing it Il is thoroughly unbusinesslike
and absurd That is ny view of the
matter from professional standpoint
81 see" said Mr.. Prime.
But, continued Mr.. Chelm and
here he stopped and gave IN amused
chuckle-'.it isa rare chance for a young
man, rare chance Ny client will never
mind the loss of the money, and would
feel genuine disappointment, know, if
you were to decline. This being the case,
aud feeling as do that you are in earn
est in your desire to succeed despite yopr
aristocratic tendencies, am tempted "a
the whole to urge you to accept the g,I,j
fortune which is thrust upon you. L is
for my clients cake as much as for your
own that advise this, for l can see that
she has set her heart
He stopped short. There was a dead
pause, for | felt the blood rush to my
cheeks.
Weir he exclaimed, Il have let the
cat out of the bag with q vengeance this
time. A lawyer toe. Pshawl 1t is too
bad!n
THAT settles it, said aIr. Prime qui-
city: 81 cannot. arcept now ut any rate.
1t would not be fair to your client. "
mot accept? OF course you will ac-
cept. Nonsense, nonsense! 1t is all my
fault, and you shall have the money
now if | have to pay it out of my own
pocket. Besides, said Mr.. Chelm with
voluble eagerness, there is very little
harm done after all, and to prevent
misunderstanding | may as well make
clean breast of it. My client is an &C.
centric maiden lady of sixty-fve, with a
lot of distant relatives who bother her life
out while Warrington her to die. lam her
only intimate friend, but even cannot
prevent her from doing all sorts of queer
things in her taste for sentimentality,
You see, poor woman, when she was
very young she had a lover of just about
your. age (she wears his portrait perpetu-
ally in locket about her neck, who
died. He was in business, and doing
very well. Several times already, on this
account, she hassshelped young men who
were in straits: and when / told her your
story, and what You were ambitious to
do, she clapped-her withered old hands
together and sid: i will give him a
chance, Mr.. Cnelm; | will give him a
chance! He reminds me of my Tom.
And that is how it came to pass. There
is the long and short of the matter, Ac-
cept? To be sure you will accept. 1t is
all my fault. i. will make it right with
her. Itwould break her heart if you did
not. So no more words about it. | have
all the necessary papers ready"
Mr.. Prime was patting Ike more alb
stractedly than ever. AS for me, sat
9ghast and overwhelmed. The next few
seconds seemed an eternity.
well, young MANI
Please to write your letter, Mr..
Chelm, and give me time to think"
! Not a bit of it! The letter can wait.
Say you accept, and be done with itr'
Very well then, | accept. We are
gentlemen of fortune, Ike, and you shall
have new silver collar tomorrow.
1t is not necessary to describe the de-
tails of the interview further. An hour
elapsed before the final arrangements
were made and Mr.. Prime left the Office.
He was to start in business as soon as
possible, and make frequent reports OF
his progress to Mr.. Chelm. Meanwhile
l sat within hearing distance, and occa-
sionally took peep at them from my
coign of vantage. | could perceive
from Mr.. Chelm's manner that he was
pleased with the tone and alertness OF
the other in putting matters into shape.
He had shown me beforehand certain
letters which he had received in answer
to inquiries made regarding Mr.. Prime.
In these he was spoken of as a young
man of irreproachabfe character but
strong social tastes, which, while con
sistent with his own statement of what
the world thought of him, did not serve
to reassure MIR. Chelm as to the success
of my experiment. So it was consoling
to me to see his expression continue be-
nignant as he listened to the young
bankers notions.
When at last Mr.. Prime was gone
indulged my hilarity freely at my
friends expense. "a lawyer toor'
cried, when could speak. Your repu
tation in my eyes is ruined forever"
81 have no excuse to offer. 1t was 6
dreadful slip, Miss Harlan"
1.-THE slip was objectionable of course
but it was an accident. No, what | re
fer to, Mr.. Chelm, is the marvellous in
vention by which you sought to conceal
it. / fully expected to see the floor oper
and some demon carry You off amid
smoke and sulphur
Il never stick at trifie like that,
laughed he.t sBut didn't do the thing
well? He believed every word of it. AND
what is more, Miss Harlan he added
seriously. sit would have been a great
pity to have let him decline. He is ;
likely young fellow. l smell wedding
cake in the M already"
"You forget, Mr.. Chem" I answered
..that l am an eccentric maiden lady o.
sixty-fve. You have ruined any ma
terial there may have been OFT of which
to manufacture Il romance"
This tI1rn of affairs took place q few