The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-03-22
CHAPTER
NY OWN MYSTiFICATION.

Nr. alien was a flch man. he ndu
male his meme: III California mines
and had come to London to spend it.
He had worked the pick with his own
hands. CIRCUMSTANCE which had
caused MIN to ie excluded from the
London cares nothing for these mat
ard an i'll sense, for what they are
worth, and asks no questions about
either their relatives or their antece-
dents. 1t welcomed Mr.. Pullen be-
cause he was u hOspitable fellow. and
Mrs. Pullcn because she was good ma
turcd and took SO kindly to the pros
perity that had betallen her. If it
had been told by any mis,.hievOus per-
son that Mr.. Pu.len had been a practi-
cal miner it would probably have said
that it was an argument in favor OF
carly marriages. and if it had known
better would not have cared.
Indeed, though their old reighbors
may have fought shy' OF this excel
lent couple, we acknowledged their
merits, and had no objection. 50 long
as it was at home, tn cultivate. or at all
events make u-e of their acquaintance.
Hence II happened that when | got my
first c crkship at Mcs5rs. Bullion X In
gOt's | got an Introduction from my
people to the Pullcns in London. We
believed $780, and they even believed
1hemselves-thatt they were in LOnIon.
but the fact was that though their resi-
dencc could hardly be called suburban,
they were not quite in what is humor-
ously termed the village" They were
u good way off firm my lodging in
King street. st. James, and | did not
often take advantage Of their hospital
ity, though it was generously rendered.
The people one met ut their dinner ia
bio were like themselves. middle aged,
and not much to my youthful mind. |
think they were financial people with
whom Mr.. Pullcn had commercial rela-
tionS, and they talked Of matters I did
not understand. II there had been
daughters in the family it would doubt
less have been different, and | should
have joined the lawn tennis parties
often saw playing in the public gar
tcns at the back Of Eigc Square. but
there wore no young people to attract
ne.
Moreover, honestly add that there
was another reason which di> inclined
enc to much Intimacy with the Pulfens,
'0r rather another cause. for it could
y I
eamy, their butler. To those who have
not reed "Dagid Coprcriie d." it may
seem incredible that any young .ntic-
man should b, made uncomfortable by
somebody elsc's butler. But then |
was very Young and Bcllamy made me
know II. He was solemn. scdatc. and
intensely respectable. One has heard
ri e,sstlcrs who took like bishops. but
ahis ore looked like an arch bishop
Gic had been rec mmoEdcd to the Put
lens Oh their arrival in town and been
with tn m ever since. Mrs. Pull, II
once desc, bed him to me a, q per-
feet tr> a,urc. but | think She was Sc
cretly afraid Of him, and am quite
suro her hts band was. though he tried
TO persuade himself that he was actl,-
atcd by love and not fear. On our first
acquaintance | thought that perhaps
akllamy had found out that his mas
Ter had been u miner ard thereby
got the upper hand of him His
former places had been Tor he said they
had been, in great establishments with
persons OF title, and believe it was
that alb -urd circumstance which mainly
we;ghed with the simple couple, and
established the mans authority in the
household. He ruled it, not indeed
with rod OF iron. but a it were with
n astoral staff. There was an unctuous
dignity about him which would have
adorned the very highest ecclesiastical
t.xsition. But what objected to was
what in those salad days | called hi,
internal patronage. He made me feel
I'd very. very young. and when l re-
scented il, made mo feel Younger.
have known him at dinner party give
~,
It may have boon N accident, but |
firmly believed it to Ec Il hint not to
mix my liquors: and once when looked
in at luncheon time he omitted to give
me "A napkin. a, though | were not an
adult. am ashamed t say that Bel
lamy was certainly n cause as old
7Nirton calls it, why my visits to the
pu.lens were so few and far between
1t was with some feeling of renitence
and remorse indeed that after very
long interval | started one september
afternoon to call in EiyO square. |
knew ought to hare done s. any time
with in the last two months. and also
that was doing it then because aim ,st
all my other friends were out of town
and could MT afford to be SO particu-
Lar as at other times in my choice of
hOspita titles. \ good dinner at old
Pullen's, evcn though Bethany might
roproach me from tho sideboard with
my youth and inexperiencc. was better
than dining alone at y ,taurant, for
club had none.
Imagine. then. how my conscience
smote me when drew nigh that hes
pitablc door to find II Ecarse and a
couple of mourning carriages before
it. Either poor Pullen or his wife for.
as have said, they had no family,
were evidently about to b, taken to
their ong home. Indeed, even while
l looked the coffin was brought ont.
and after it was borne away saw Bel
amy in the portico deeply but respect
ably affected. and waving farewell
blessing u the lamanted remains.
was no: more uncharitable than mos,
men .: my age with whom cynic;sm is
only popular because they think it a
sign of maturity. but the reelection
did strik. ne that | had never seen a
mere Notwithstanding scoundrel in
my lie. As to asAi.c IA any ques
-tion in connection with the mournfu1