The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-07-30

Peters knew that he had no right to
think about that girl during business
hours. He was paid to think about the
old man and his affairs, which were not
nearly SC interesting. But Peters was
conscientious, and he tried to do his
duty. Nevertheless, the chances are
that unconsciously little Miss Sadie oc-
cupied some small portion of his mind
that should have been given up to the
concerns of Bentham Bros. & Co., and
her presence where she had not the
slightest business to be threw the rest
of his mental machinery out of gear.
1t is very generally admitted now
that the sprightly Miss Sadie managed
the whole affair. No one who knew
Peters would ever have given him the
credit of proposing an elopement-''ac
cuse him of it," as johnson puts it.
She claimed that while she could man.
age her father all right enough up to a
certain point, yet that in this particular
matter she preferred to negotiate with
him after marriage rather than before.
She had a great deal of the old mans
shrewdness-had Sadie. He used to say
he would not like to have her as an op.
ponent on wheat deal.
Then the clerks say-but hang the
clerks! What do they know about it?
AS Farnam truly remarked, casting a
gloom over the rest as he spoke: ssYou
may say what You like about Peters,
but you can't get over the unwholesome
fact that none of us got her."
The gallingness of this undoubted
truth was that each of the clerks
thought himself better looking man
than Peters
Well, to come to the awful point
where Peters methodicalness nearly
upset the apple-cart. The elopement
was all settled, Peters qual1ing most of
the time, and he was to write her let
ter giving an account of how arrange
ments were progressing. 1t will hard
~ be credited-and yet it is possible
enough when you think what ma
chine methodical man gets to be
that Peters wrote this epistIe to his girl
on his desk and put it in the pile of let
ters that were to be copied into the old
mans letter book! The office boy
picked up the heap at exactly the usual
hour, too them to the copying press,
wet the tim leaves and squeezed them
in; the love letter next to the one be-
ginning:
DEAR SIR-Yours of the 23d received and
contents noted"
Peters got the corner. curled letters,
still damp, and put them all in their
right envelopes and Sadie got hers in
due time, but did not know enough
about business correspondence to know
that her first love-letter was written in
copying ink and had been through the
press.
Next day when old man Bentham
was looking over the leaves of the
previous days letters he suddenly be-
gan to chuckae to himself. Old Bent
ham had very comfortable, good-na-
tured, well-to-do chuclkle that was a
pleasure to hear. Even Peters almost
smiled as he heard it.
''Peters!'
Eyes, SIR
Have you all the letters, Peters.
that these letters are the answers to?"
Certainly, sir"
"There is one want to see, Peters 81
What is the name, please?"
Petty. did not know that we dealt
in this line of goods, Peters,"
"H. W. Petty, sir?"
II don't know the initials. Here's
the letter.
Peters was stricken. He was an
palled-dumb-blin The words Oar
ling Petty" danced before his eyes. He
felt his hair beginning to raise. The
book did not fall from his hand simply
because he held it ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
odically. Old Bentham roared: then
closed the door SO that the clerks would
not hear his mirth.
That's one on you, Peters. It's too
good to keep. l must tell that down at
the club"
Il wouldn't if l were you, SIR" said
Peters, slowly recovering his senses as
he saw the old man had no suspicion
how the land lay.
mo, suppose it wouldn't be quite
the square thing. But of all men in the
world, Peters-youi Why do you elopeo
Why not marry her respectfully at the
church or at home? You'll regret going
off like that all your life."
Miss that is-prefers it that
way"
"Oh, romantic, is she? I wouldn't do
1t, Peters"
There are other reasons"
Father or mother against, as usual.
| suppose. Well, you refer them to me,
Peters. I'll speak good word for YOU.
But what am to do while you are
away?"
IL thought perhaps = perhaps
johnson would take my place."
"All right l can put up with John
son for week, maybe, but think of
me and get back as soon as she'll let
you"
If old Mr. Bentham did not mention
1t at the club he did at home.
"You remember Peters, Sadie. No,
no! that was johnson. Peters is in nv
room, you know. No, the red-headed
man is Farnan. He's in the other
room. Peters has the desk in the cor
ner. StaidaSf fAllouy - A. -AA