The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-11-01

old mans shrewdness-had Sadie. He
used to say he would not like to have
her as an opponent on a wheat deal.
Then the clerks say-but hang the
clerks! What do they know about it9
AS Farnam truly remarked, casting a
gloom over the rest as he spoke. "You.
may say what you like about Peters,
but you can't get over the unwhole-
some fact that none of us has got
her
The g~allingness of this undoubted
truth was that each of the clerks
thought himself a 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 quaking most
of the time, and he was to write her a
letter giving an account of how ar
engagements wer progressing. 1t will
hardly be credited-and yet it is pos
sible enough when you think what a
machine a methodical man gets to be
that Peters wrote this epistle to his
girl on his desk and put in the pile of
letters that were to be copied into the
old mans letter box! The office boy
picked up the heap at exactly the usual
hour, took them to the copying press,
wet the thin leaves and sqeezed them
in; the love letter next to the one be-
ginning:
DEAR SIR-Yours of the 23d re-
ceived and the contents noted.n
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
abou tbusiness 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 chuckle to himself. Old Bent
ham had a very comfortable, good
natured. we'll to do chuckle 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 too"
Certainly, sir"
There is one 1 want 10 see, Peters,"
What is the name, please"
"What is the name, please9'
PETTY. 1 did not know that we
dealt in this line of goods, Peters"
H. W. Petty, sir9"
81 didn' know the initials. Here's
the letter"
Peters was stricken. He was ap-
palled-dumb-blind. The words "Darl
ing 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 observation-disclosures
thodicalIy. Old Bentham roared, then
closed the door so that the clerks would
not hear his mirth.
That's on you, Peters. It's too
good to keep. must tell that down
at the club"
Il wouldn't if 1 were you, sir" said
Peters, slowly recovering his senses as
he saw the man had no suspicion how
the land lay.
"No, I suppose it wouldn't be quite
the square thing. But of all men in
the world, Peters-youl Why do you
elopel Why not marry her respect
ably at the church or 1T home9 You'll
regret going off like that all your life"
''Miss-s he-thatis-prefersi it that
way"
"Oh, romantic, is shei I wouldn't
do it, Peters"
There are other reasons"
Father or mother against, as usual,
I suppose. Well, you refer them to
me, Peters. I'll speak agood word for
you. But what am I to do while you
are away9"
Il thought perhaps = perhaps
johnson would take my place"
"AI right, I can put up with John
son for a week, maybe, but think of
me and get back as Don as she'll let
you"
If old Mr.. Bentham did not mention
it at the club he did at home.
"You remember Peters, Sadie. No
no! that was Johnson. Peters is in my
room, you know. No, the redheaded
man is Farnam. He's in the other
room. Peters has the desk in the
corner. Staidest fellow on the street.
Ever so much older than 1 amin
name of course. The last man in
tho citu VOL would s11Snnnt of hninp in