Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-10-16

Quite SO, said old Godfrey, grirnlv. And
ne relapsed into his ledger again.
''(suite 80; and next month everybody viii
be saying that I'm as big a fool, and propbe-
sylng on my account, he muttered irrele-
vanity when, with farewell word about
shipment of wool from Melbourne, the visi-
tor had gone
"Confound the boy" be went On in HE
bitter soiloquy; what did ne want to be So
cocGsuro about coming in for my money fora
as for the q, 5S0-it was Q heavy tirnra-T
could have forgiven him that. And now he's
let ne in for o worse scrapc.n
Remorse was working. But what could r.
avail man who had drawn up document
as compromising as half the inare comnosi-
uons that figure in reports of breach Of
promise suits, and had watched it with a
malicious smile committed to The charre Of
her majesty's postmaster general With a
groan his conscience supplied the response
none. He was bound by every consideration
OF honor and probity to go through his enter
prise. And this meant a call that EVENING,
at Gartmore His exact expression in his
old fashioned and somewhat Cumbersome
phraseoiogy had been:
In so important matter, my dear Miss
Venn, 1 would earnestly desire that Won
Should eschew hasty decision, and l there
fore viii ask to be permitted to wait in per-
son at your home for your reply during the
early hours Of tomorrow evening"
And he went
Not altogether to his surprise Mr.. Venn re-
ceIved him. 1t was quite in keeping with his
notions of propriety that the preliminaries
OF the momentous contract should be settled
with luis future brides father; and. in truth
he was very considerably relieved to have to
enter las he supposed upon purely business
discussion and to postpone the ordeal of MAX
ing love. What he should find to say when
the latter labor had to be undertaken il
passed his power of conjecture to imagine
he could only hope that the crisis-and he
dreaded it worse than an interview with his
dentlst-would by its very severity kindle
within his mind illumination for the road he
had so fatuously elected to travel
Mr.. Nenn was rotund little man, with a
bustling manner, twinkling dark eves-the
twinllling was intensified at this iuncturo-
and the good gift Of sound digestion. which
renders i'll temper on any but the most inso-
lett provocatiOn a base ingratitude to kindly
Providence
Delighted to see you at Gartmore, Mid
dleton, and-ahem! I believe have some
idea of your errand," said he.
The shipbroller bowed. II fully expected
that you would understand" he answered
And then somehow he paused, for it was
borne in upon him that he was on the eve of
listening to some disturbing revelation.
Nothing could be wrong with the bank sure
ly? 1t was a dreadful thought that made
him quake in his boots. Certainly Venn's
face wore an aspect of funereaI gravity, re-
lieved only by the oddly contrasted bright
ness Of his eyes, where couple of imprisoned
sunbeans seemed to be basktng
'First let re express my sense-our sense
of the honor done to my daughter and
through Dusa to her parents, by your offer
of this morning, Mr. Middleton
Old Godfrey breathed a trife more freely.
1t was the question he had come about, then,
that accounted for Venn's solemnity. The
stability of the famous old banking house
was unimpaired- 1t was ridiculously alb
surd terror that had seized him.
But, Middleton, am sorry"
81 am afraid I don't quite take you"
And indeed the inference seemed to be too
good to be true. Never, surely, did pretendar
await with more eagerness the verdict of dis
missal
II repeat that am sorry. Ny daughters
affections are bestowed Observation-Disclosures
my dear Middleton. And there has been
an odd mistake, the oldest mistake, l think,
l ever knew or heard of. If had seen your
letter l should have known, of course. But
you sec Dusa is quite unfamiliar with your
hand; and then you write rs vigorously as
nc 4, 7
didn't ask to see the note. Dusa told me
what was in it, and who she supposed it had
come from, and so, as l say, we Numbered all
roundn
Light was slowly breaking on old Geof-
frey's mind. Perhaps the reaction from the
dread that he might be taken at his word
and married out Of hand $50 to speak, by
Tightly young mig, quickened his faculties
of apprehension Ii was queer how strong
was his temptation to re-enact the schoolboy
Of ffve-and-forty years ago and throw up his
hat at the joyful news Of regained liberty.
But there was more to learn.
do | gather correctly that you mistook
the sender!n
'Dusa did; pardon me, not unnaturally"
''Then Miss Venn could only read that note
as coming FROM
"Your nephew"
Possibly may sill be within my right?
May ask was its petition then denied!n
mo, it was granted. And it was at Dusa's
request that l am here to tell you this. WIZ
you see herr"
'Not now, not now, thanks"
The banker, whose love for his daughter
had made him more compliant than perhaps
biS irstiup+c iaJ
and who had not Withdrawn his consent to
the young surgeons suit-a consent given as
it transpired in error-even when the quarrel
at EIgin House stood disclosed, made clear
with a few more pithy words what had hap
pened And his shrewd insight into his
patrons character was indicated in the
sequel.
''Have no fears, Godfrey; your uncle viii
come round, he had SAID. Il am only glad
that it was through Dusa that he proposed
to punish YOU
Old Godfrey went home, humiliation swal-
lowed up Of relief He found his nephew
standing in the library, hunting up certain
cartoons in an old volume of Punch. With
a quick nervous tread he stepped to his side.
1--WE are quits, Geoff, now, he said. Il
saved you from one dilemma, and you've de-
ivered me from another. III not forget the
service.n
And it was the last reference he made to
his two days wooing.
In the autumn he settled an income Of 600
year, as a marriage gift, on Godfrey Mid
dleton's nephew.-W. j. Lacey in Home
Journal.
Historian Bancrofts Longevity.
Mr. George Bancroft accounted for his
own longevity the other day with three
reasons: First, that he was the middle
child in his fathers family, equally dis
tant from the youngest and the oldest;
second, that he had always gone to bed
at 10 o'clock, unless it had been impossi-
BILE; and, third, that he had always spent
four hours in each day in the open air,
unless prevented by a storm. He added
that his riding of which the neWSDaDprs