Middletown transcript., 1891-09-17

schedule of your debts and book.ac.
counts we'll enough alone. Then
can tell you what we will. do. It il
not going to be much of,a job, and we
might as well begin right off.
Drawing a long, narrow book from
some mysterious hiding-place in his
back pocket, and Mackinnon pen
! from his breast, he gave it a smart jerk,
and said," Take one shelf at time,
and begin right here"
Downer was so much bewildered
by the rapidity of these operations,
and awed by the decision with which
the stranger gave his orders, that he
moved mechanically to the place in
dicated, and said, in q weak voice
"Some cinnamon"
"All right" sang out the crisp
voice of the New Y orker. Give me
the number OF jars, and hold them up
so that can see the stuf.-Two jars
cinnamon,-say, ten cents.-What
next?"
"Ipecac," said Downer, still more
feebly.
"finct. ip., say, two gills twenty
five cents.-Fire ahead"
These repeated spurs reused Nor
mans energy, and he began to feel as
if he were really doing business"
Blood relaxed slightly his per-
emptory manner as he put down,
"Four doz. ten OF. vials sulph. qui-
nine" "Powers & Weightman's
mark, and the seals unbroken, by all
that's sour !" said he to himself.
Good as the gold. But what under
the sun was he doing with SO much
quinine
Suddenly the door flew open, and
Garry Bloom burst into the dingy
store. Very pretty she looked, with
tears in her eyes and wrath and
alarm in her face. She went past
Blood to where Norman stood, and
clasped his arm.
"Oh, Norman" she said, "what
does it all mean? I couldn't stand it
minute longer. I saw him come in
fifteen minutes ago. What is it all
about? What is he doing here in
your store2" And she confronted
Blood with defiant expression.
Norman, who felt the moral sup
port given by the presence of another
man and the dignity of haying really
failed, said gently, We're taking an
inventory. This gentleman represents
Harbert & Froud." He felt that
using the word represents" almost
gave him a mercantile standing
We're going to the bottom of
this thing. Don't feel bad, Garry"
How can I help feeling bad I've
brought the money over" And she
deftly inserted small roll of bills
into his waistcoat-pocket.
"No, no." said Norman, putting
the money back into her hands and
nervously but. firmly closing them
over it.
Blood looked on with conflicting
emotions. He was rather afraid of
women, regarding them as beings who
did not respect the sacred nature of
invoices and bills of lading and cap
able of endless argument against
point definitely settled by a trial
balance, besides being the main cause
for which money was drawn out of
business and failure invited. He was
not insensible to the value OF the
money as hard, incomprehensible
asset; but since he had inventoried
the quinine and glanced at the con-
tents of the remaining shelves, a
glittering vision of seventy-fve cents
on the dollar began to rise before his
commercial imagination. The GER
tainty of being ahead of all other
creditors was soothing to at least the
amount of the other twenty-five per
cent. Besides, he took it for granted
that the girl owed the money to the
druggist, and meant to inquire into il
as soon as she was out of the way. At
present, having nothing to say, he
wisely kept silence, and regarded Miss
Blood with a blank and impassive
countenance.
The young woman felt the awk-
wardness of he situation, and. saying,
" Come over and tell me all about it
as soon as you are through, won't
you, Norman ?" left the store.
Blood closed the door after her,
and said, looking through the narrow
glass, GA good, square-toed girl
Handsome, too" Turning round and
pointing to trap-door Is that the
way you go down-cellar?"
Yes" said Norman curtly. 1t
was not pleasant for him to hear
Carry's good looks commended, as if
she, too, were an article to be in
"What do you keep down there p
said Blood.
"There's nothing there now but
some barrels of whiskey," answered
the druggist.
Whiskey p said Blood, with sud-
den interest. He bent over and pull
ed up the door by leathern thong
nailed to one side. A smell of damp,
musty wood, mixed with a peculiar
aroma which seemed greatly to ex-
cite him, filled the room. Why, so
it is but it is different from any
thing 1 ever smelt before. Where's
your light p
Norman brought him dingy-chim-
neyed kerosene lamp. Having light
ed it, the two descended rude ladder
into an oblong cavern extending
under the entire store, and empty ex.
cept at one end, where two rows of
wooden.hoped barrels were ranged.
The men were obliged to stoop down
to avoid the beams of the floor over
head, which were of round timber
aattened on the upper side. In some
cases the bark still remained, and
from nearly all cobwebs hung, white