The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-25
OLD MISS PETTIFER.
CHAPTER ].


visitor in. Mr.. Dsdley was clergyman.
Any one could see that by the cut of his
long black coat and the little white bow az
his throat. lie was . large. heavy man. an
ample and sOmbre man, with loose. 6aggy
cheeks and a very bald head.
II received your letter. Miss Pettifer.
and am here to counsel you. to the best
of my humble abilities. TO-the-best-of
-my-humble- abiIitles."
He spoke slowly. rehectively, and had
habit of even more slowly repeating the
last few words of his sentences. as If he
were carefully posing and weighing them
and trying TO make them balance
1T is very kind of you to come. am in
great trouble. Bot won't You SIT down,
sirf" said Miss PettIfer. with quaint
mingling of reverence and apologetic
courtesy. but with no sign of trouble on
her hard features. no sound OF trouble IN
her clear. cold voice.
The Rev. SIR. Dsdley turned ponderously
about. deposited his hat upon the table.
dropped his black kid gloves into it and
sank down in the coy. Old-faehi0ned arm
chair with a prolonged sigh. He W as such
o large man that he made every thing in the
parlor look smaller than il was For IL was
q very small, neat little room, and the fur
niture barnonlzed with the smalluess of
the room. and the size of Miss Pettifer was
an harmony with the furniture.
Duty, said Mr. Dadley presently. Sigh
1ng and looking at the ceiling duty, my
dear friend. is not always pleasant. IL IS
Nearly always unpleasant; but, being duty.
&c must be done. Must-be-done.'
Il want you 10 tell me" said Miss Petit
fer. calmly, what my duty is"
TO be sure. To-be-sure." responded
Mr.. Dadley. Now / have thought ear
nestly over IL all. and having known and
watched your abandoned nephew. George
Pascoe. from hIs boy hood upwards. / trust
that am rignt-I feel that AIN right in
saying: no. you mustnot do It. Certainly
not No-certaiDly not"
MISS Potufer looked at him steadily,
without speaking. and he continued. with
. studied intOnatIon and gave earnestness
which vas really impressive:
Il know ALL have considered all. i
F. know how you loved yonr younger sister,
now true you were To her. Who. but your
self said word In her behalf when. for
eetful of her duty to her widowed mother.
she ran away from home and married
man unworthy of herl She went her will
full way; her mother died without for
oysrtake her. to whom does she turn for
help but TO yOuf Your love Is still
hers; you go TO her. find her In abject pow
erty, deserted by the scoundrel who mar
ried her and you E3,nister to her dying
needs. Her one chiia. = boy of seven. she
leaves so your cara lad how have you
fulfilled your trustf You have kept HIM,
clothed him. sohooled him; You ave stint ted
him III nothing. Your love for your sister
moves you TO do all this and more. You do
IL all for her sake-for love of her. Not for
the boys sake. Hin you never loved" :.
MISS Pettifer made q movement as If to
interrupt him, but checked herself dropped
her head In mute acquiescence and he
went on:
''You did your duty, but you could not
love him. How eonld youf True. he is
Your sisters child. but he Is also the child
OF the man who dsrkened your old home
ana made your sisters Young life miser.
able. Her death is at his door. You could
not love that mans child, but you
dill all else but love him. With the
wiilfulness of his mother the boy has
She utterly bad heart OF his father. How
has he repaid youf One may forgive much
mischief In boy. but not such heart
less. malicious mischief as was brought
home TO him so often that his name became
ebyword in the town. He did not love
you. and did not care what sorrow and
shame be brought upon you. On my adj
vice. you sent him away to school. There
young ae be was-for be was still only
: eIghteen-he was soon found to be indulG-
fDg in secret gam bling. drinking and riot
Gus living. He communicates his school
fellows. terrible reports come TO you here
and over and over again You pay heavy
gums TO relieve him from debt and degrade
tion; but at last he falls INTO
such disgrace thatbe Is ex PEELED. He sneaks
back to you-the spiritless houndl-with
promises of amendment Promises-of-
amendment. What are they WORTH In the
weeks that followed, how many times did
he got money from you-wheedling it ont
OF you. or even robbing you of il if be could
not get it otherwtses How many times did
be come To your door after midnight sense
lessly intoxicatedf How many times did
you forgive him.. for your sisters sakef
All And now"
He paused and spread his hands out ex-
pressively.
Now" said Miss Pettifer, quietly, "it is
worse than ever"
'Worse-than-ever," repeated Mr.. Dad
ley. when you persuaded Mr.. Greliin.
your fathers old friend. TO give the grace
less scoundrel q chance, thinking that If the
boy could get FREQ of his old companions
here. he might settle down to work In
London. under Mr.. Grellins care. and 90
member what you told the boy here, in my
presence. on the day he left your
81 told him." said Miss Pettifer. that if
he did wrong again he should bear what
ever punishment he had earned, that
would not shield him any more, because
felt that it only encouraged him in wrong
doing. told him that. so long as he lived
honorably and we'll. l would help him In
every wav / could. hut that If he fell into
bis old bad ways again | would help him no
more-I would utterly disown hIm.n
erly-disown-him," repeated Mr..
Dsdley; yes. And now he has gone from
bad TO worse. Betrayed his masters trust.
Got into difficulty through gambling and
loose living. ana forged his masters name
60 check for two hundred pounds. Takes
advantage of his masters absence to do
it. and hides his crime by classifying his
accounts. Now he Is found out. arrested
and remanded, and Mr.. Grellin rightly
communicates with you. You ask ne
what you should do. lou say that for
your sisters sake you feel that You ought
TO pay the money and beg that the THE.
may be pardoned."
If IL were possible for such hard, uDsy IN.
pathetic features as Miss Pottifer's to
soften; if it were possible for such cold
keen. steely eyes ever 10 be dim with tears
IL it were possible for such thin, firm lips
TO become tremnlous. her whole look sol e.
ened her eyes grew misty. and her lips
quivered at that moment for a moment
only; then she spoke with no trace OF
weakness or emotion. as calmly as one at a
judicial examination who merely desired
that every fact should be LAID impartially
before the court
Yet" she said. he Is my sisters only
child."
The more reason" intoned Mr. Dadley
why You shonld be stern towards him
when IL Is for his good. Again and again
he has done wrong. and You have saved
him from the punishment he merIted. He
might not have gone so far as he has If he
bad felt the penalty of his earlier SINS
Now. tor his sake. for the sake of your
dead sister. You must not interfere. You
can pur your money TO better nses
Punishment may do for him what forgive
ness has JAILED 10 TO-"
lyon are right was Mica pattifar,s a n