Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-08-02

Il snail come Oh WIFI my wife 10
pay my respects to my father and
yourself.
81 am sure, Hartmann" faltered
Mrs. Binkerhoff, laying her hand
upon her husbands shoulder,
"though this match was sudden, and
though Nicholas did wrong in mar
rying without consulting you, you
will not be hard upon the poor boy.
am sure Nicholas loves you, and
-"
She stopped suddenly, terrified at
the expression of the old mans
countenance.
"Leave the room, Gertrude" he
cried, harshly. "If it had not been
for your petting and encouraging
him, he would not have dared to do
this. Begone! don't stand linger-
ing there! | am busy.
Mrs. Brinkerhoff fled in terror
The old man turned to his writing
desk, indited a brief letter to his
Boston correspondent, a lawyer
directing him to present his de-
mands on his son for immediate
payment. A servant was ut once
despatched to the city to mail the
document. A few days afterwards
the mail brought Brinkerhoff a
letter from Nicholas. 1t was long
and explanatory, and full of earn-
est applications for an extension
of credit, as pressure of the old
mans demands would utterly ruin
him.
Brinkerhoff's answer was severely
laconic:
81 will entertain no propositions
from you, and all communications
touching my interests must be ad.
dressed TO my lawyer and attorney
His directions to that gentleman
forwarded by the same mail, were
pursue him to the utmost extent OF
the law"
Though he did not feel bound t.
inform his wife of any of his business
transactions, yet as he held her re-
sponsible for what he termed the
base ingratitude of his son, and a:
he knew his present course woulC
give her most exquisite pain, he took
care to apprise her of the measures
he had adopted. The effect was a.
felicitous as he had supposed i
would be.
Some weeks after this, he lef
home for a few days, to SCI
to some property he had in New
Jersey. On his return, which wa'
cary one morning, he sought hi
wife in the breakfast-room, wher,
he knew he would find her at tn,
hour of his arrival. To his aston
ishment, she was dressed in deer
mourning.
What has happened?" he in
quired, with real concern: what il
the meaning of this mourning
dress, Gertrude?"
1T means that Nicholas viii
give you no farther trouble in thi
world, Harmann," replied the lady
sadly, NOR his wife, either"
"Dearw cried the conscious-strick
ell man, sinking into chair
"This is more than bargained for
Dead, and | shall never see hi.
face again" And tears, the first tn,
hard man had shed for years, fore
ed themselves from his unwOnte(
eyes.
"You can see his face again, i
you have courage to look upon it. !"
"Are the bodies here?" asked tn,
old man, with shudder.
"They are in the parlor. DO YOU
wish to look at them?"
"You must 60 with me, Gertrude
"faltered the guilty wretch. "Idar'
not go alone"
"Come, then," said the lady, Sc
verely, and rising from her seat
"Give me your hand. ! will leat
you to them"
| The stricken man rose feebly
He seemed to have grown very OLE
within few minutes. He surren
dered his icy fingers to the warm
firm clasp Of his wife, and tottered
rather than walked, beside her in
to the drawing-room. The curtains
were let down, and mysterious
twilight pervaded the apartment
But there was no bier there-no
thing of the funeral accompani
ments of death.
"You will not see exactly wha
you expected" SAID Mrs. Brinker
hoff. "Raise your eyes to the wall