The Red Cloud chief., 1892-08-12
AN UNEXPECTED COPY.
Why a Queer Looking Paper Was
SO Valuable.

81 have often told you," said James
Mayheld to me the evening before my
marriage with his daughter Kate, that
! owed my property-or, more accu-
rately, my escape from destruction-to
an accident, a chance, a miracle. Stand
up and look at that piece Of paper let
into the over-mantel. Have you ever
observed it before?'
Yes" / said, rising and examining a
faded document under a glass panel in
the oak. ~ have now and then
noticed IL, but have never been able to
make out what it is"
what do you take 1t for?"
"Wcll, it looks like half a sheet of
business note paper covered with indis-
tinct figures that do not seem ordinary"
EYES," he said, gazing with half
closed eyes Mt the paper through the
smoke Of his cigar. ''They are not or
binary, nor Is their history"
ut is not possible to make them out,
they are SO blurred and faint. Are they
very old?"
Twenty years They are much faded
since l first saw them" said he, cross
ing his legs. Now you may as we'll
know the history of hat half sheet of
business paper, and what II has to do
with me and your Rates mother. Sit
down and l will tell it to you"
dropped back into my chair.
'Our Kate is nearly nineteen, as no
doubt you are aware. 1t is the night
before your marriage. You, thank
heaven! II no such risk as ] ran the
night before my marriage. There is no
date on that blurred copy Of figures, but
If there were you would find it origi-
mated on the night before ! was to be
married, twenty years ago. You are
short of thirty now; / was short of
thirty then. You are now in what /
should then have considered ~afluent
circumstances. am going to give you
tomorrow our only child and a fourth
share in the business of Strangway,
Mayfield & Co., of which l am the sole
surviving partner, and that fourth
share ought to bring you n thousand to
twelve hundred a year. The night that
document over the mantel came into
existence was accountant to Strang-
way & Co., at n salary of one hundred
and fifty pounds per annum."
My father-in-law paused and knocked
the ashes off his cigar.
IAN that time" he went on, resum-
ing his story, ''the business of Strang-
way & Co. was in Broad street. We
had warehouses on the ground floor and
in the cellars, the offices were on the
first floor and warehouses filed from
owe the first floor to the states.
1.-THE offices closed Mt six, but as l
was anxious to put up everything in
the finest order before starting on my
honeymoon, l was not able to leave at
that hour. In addition to the book.
keeping I did most of the routine corr
r~espondcnce, and / had some letters to
write. When they were finished l
should lock up the place, put the keys
In my pocket, leave them ut Mr.. Strang-
ways house on Clapham common, and
go on to my lodgings in Wandsworth,
and from my lodgings to my sweetheart
Mary's home IN Wandsworth, too.
"As l was working away, writing
letters ut the topof my speed, and quite
alone In the ofiice-in the whole house
Stephen Grainly, one of our travellers,
rang the bell, and, much to my SUR
prise and annoyance, when ! opened
the front door walked upstairs, follow
ing my lead through the unlighted
passages. l never cared for Stephen
Grainly; nc n in the Office liked him
except Mr.. S~trangway himself. Grain
ly was an excellent a at his work,
but, to my taste, too smooth and good
- too sweet to be sound.
"'What, Mayfeld, he cried, work
ing away still! Why, when ] saw the
light l made sure 1t must be Broadwood
four assistant accountant, who was to
take my place when ! was away, and
- ! had . goodish bit Of money !