Morning journal and courier., 1894-04-28

there was still an air of grim
nd Independent cheeriness within the
ozy room. Mrs. Mold sat beside her hus-
and. holding his faithful hand in hers.
II. Raddles reclined In his usual posture
,sfoss his desk, which that evening had
ecsived the accession of quaint old
Argand lamp. Mr.. Nerthup had just
,enger but q few moments before; and
Robert Mold had not returned from his
downtown Office, where he had secret
hopes of gaining an award on his plans
for the construction of some important
public edifiee.
"Upon my SOUL" exclaimed cid Mr..
Northup loudly, a. he tossed the letter to
Raddles, i've are all In the same beat"
ssYou don't mean 1t. Northup?"
"There It Ia. Thurber put 1t as kindly
a. he could, and thank him for 1t; but
aarble must be entirely out of his head.
Why, its unaccountable-"
s'Coptemptible!" echoed Luke Raddles,
tossing the letter of notification back to
his friend.
"outrageousp groaned old M. Mold in.
Ggnantly. 'If I had the writing of that
man. obituary tonight, hs'd not even get
three lines; not even one. One word would |
tell the whole story-Tngrate'l"
sThere, there, MelancthonI" crooned his |
little old wife soothingly. Remember,
dear, everything can't go on the same way
forever. We've got our home. We've
got cur good friends here. We've got our
Bob. And when Bob and Grace are mar
Red"
"Tut. tuti Do you suppose, wife, old
Gsrbls'n ever give up that girl to such a.
us, nowa NeverI'
orously.
II should say never several timesl"
added Luke Raddles, laconioally, without
changing his position In front of the Ar
gand lamp.
At this concensus of forceful male opin-
| ion Mrs. Mold began to sob, but was inter-
| rupted by an impetuous knock at the door.
| In an instant more Grace Garble burst into
the room, her cheeks glowing with excite
| ment, her arms full of parcels and her
| tongue running on at great rate to her
companion, who was staggering beneath
the weight of huge trunk and two cum
brous pOrtmanteaus.
"Here, bring everything right In here.
Don't leave q single article in the hallway.
Get the other trunks, quick, now, driver"
and then dropping everything from her
arms in q confused heap in the corner, che
rushed to Mrs. Mold, nearly suffocated her
with embraces and kisses; held Melancthon
Mold in his seat until he fairly squirmed
from her csresses; grasped old Mr.. Northup
aud whirled him around and around until
he gasped from sheer dizziness; pulled Mr..
Luke Raddles away from his Argand lamp
and set him. awhirling in company with
Richard Northup; and, with triumphant,
"We're all discharged togetherl" proceeded
to pounce on them with such boisterous
rallyipgs and almost hystertc peals OF
laughter as the four bewildered old folk
had never before heard In all their mortal
lives; all Just as Robert Mold came bound.
ing into the room, so filled with glsdnes.
over his own triumph that he could moi
for a moment comprehend the unusua
commotion within, and could only cry out
"1've got itl-got 1t, surel Here's thu
award-mother, father, Graeel It's al
right now, Grace. We won't have to wal
that dreary year."
Upon which Miss Grace Garble herself
! became temporarily the victim of encirclinf
enthusiasm, from which she disengageG
herself to command In mock sternness
"Wait q year, Robert Molda Well not wal
an hourl If you don't get clergyman in
side this house within ten minutes II
! never become your wife at all!'
"Right ACROSS the strset-city missiona
~. You know where he lives, Roberto
3 exclaimed little old Mrs. Mold, between he
laughter and tears.
Bob disappeared instantly, and Grace
dragging the bewildered Mr.. Northup ant
0 Mr. Riddles to where the old couple ga
with an imperious "Stsnd right there
! nowi" through herself across old Mr.
Mold's arm chair and with one arm encir
cling his shrivelied neck, rapturously pro
duced little book, opened 1t and began:
"Tel me the truth, now, every one O
you'll We've all been thro Wn out of EN-
ployment, you know. Mr.. Northup, hav
i uon soved oDvfhfno-hoOaat rou2n
"Oh, yes, Miss Gsrble, could live
few years without work." the old man re
piled proudly.
"And you, Rsddlesa"
"Put me down for the same assignment;
, he answered with a grave smile.
/ "Goodl Father and mother Mould, ha
Bob got single penny?"
''Nothing but his prospects, Grace" an
! swered the old lady sadly.
: anythinga"
"Oh, yes, my dear, a little; little"
, "Good againl Now we'll hear from Grac
! Gsrble!"
She had brought such rattling AM
d merry storm into the quaint old place tina
+ there were no ears to listen for enterin
! footsteps. But a man had stolen within
the room. He stood against the door
!. frame, regarding the pretty picture of tn
t four silvered heads bent close to the beau
Q tiful girl, and he was one who at that mo
7 ment would have given one of the creates
D newspapers on earth, building and all, t.
!; have been in Mslancthon Mold's chair ant
felt about his own neck the warmth of tina
fair arm, which bobbed up and down q
+ recklessly, disarranging the few whit
, | locks which struggled from the has
? of.Melancthon Mold's shining pate.
, "Grace Gsrble, being duly sworn, !" her
, | she fourished her bank book triumphant
ly, ''deposeth and saith: That for the pas
. Eve years, more or less, she has occupied
the position of bousekeeper at the Garbl
mansion; that In that capacity, there hal
been paid to her by Jeremy Gerbls tn
sum of ten thousand dollars annually TO-
household and personal expenses; that b,
dint of economy and good Management
: she has contrived to save the large amour
: of three thousand five hundred dollars, Of
thereabout, for each and every year of thu
} said five years; that at this moment sh,
! stands possessed in her own right Of thu
sum of seventeen thousand four hundred
and eighty-three dollars: and that every
J penny of said sum shall be used for tn,
joint sustenance, SO long as 1t may last
} of father and mother Mold, of Richard
Northup, Of Luke Raddles. unjustly. de
prived of their means of support, and Of
Mr.. Robert Mold, architect, providing thu
latter gets back to the Mold domicile &C
companied by clergyman within The
limit of time prescribed"
''Make 1t an even hundred thousand
Grace, and let your old father in on {
small annHityP' came in quavering tones
} from the figure inside the doorway.
The group were upon their feet In an in
slant, startled, indignant, defiant.
ST mean 1t, Graos," returned Jeremy
Garble, so1emnly. IT have been reallJ
] counting my friends within the last hour
while endeavoring to discover your where
abouts. hope-forgive me, sll of you'll
they are nearly all in this blessed ole
, roomi"
Il 'Fatherl-father! I cannot bsar THU
great happiness" cried Grace, springin(
into his outstretched arms.
ooh, yes you can, Grace. You'll grow
used to it. I will too! Tell Bob and th,
clergyman" the two had just entered tn
hallway, "to call some more carriages anc
we'll all 60 back to the house together. til
. early yet. Well have quiet little wedding
! supper right where that unhappy dinner
was served; and-and with 1t WEN begin
genuine reform"
It was "a Jeremy Garble, editor and
owner, had said. Five silvery heads art
at the Garble mansion still; and the nex1
.. morning, when four of them came to theil
accustomed desks, one bearing an ancient
Argand lamp, the managing editor rubbed
his hands together merrily and began his
arduous tasks of the day with the comfort
inc