The record-union., 1894-05-19


wanting meal,
Too proud to beg, too honest to steal,
Wen belong TO the shabby genteel-
but We'll not borrow. Not any. Well
go back, / as stewardess and you as sa-
loon steward, first. Now, George,
could do the Singing cham bermaid'
grandly on an ocean liner, and you'd
look lust lovely With short jacket. gilt
buttons and white gloves. and think OF
the splendid tips we'd get, besides"
All this time the little woman was IN
terspersing her remarks with brave and
encouraging snatches of song. while TAX
ing mental inventory of their belong
ings.
''Ah, ,and that makes me think. George!"
She ran to her escritoire and began writ
ing. I'VE must first be honest with our
friends"
She wrote rapidly while her brother
looked at her with admiration and Won
derment.
There, now, listen to this:
Miss Mercy Pelham and Mr.. George Pei
ham are compelled to state that, through the
dishonesty OF a trusted agent, they have lost
their entire fortune and are no longer in a po-
sition to sustain social relations with their
former friends and relations.
'They therefore take this means of most
earnestly thanking one and all of their friends
for many and deeply appreciated attentions
and to beg that all their pending social en-
gagements be at once Cancelled.
Their present situation and their immedi-
ate return to America viii render a reply to
this note unnecessary"
1T certainly has the merit Of original
ity," groaned George Pelham. Il sup
pose you wish this given one insertion in
the Society Jounat"
NO, l want you to push back the
breakfast things, there, and sit right
down and help me write this to every one
.F fria iut 6-
dresses and all. Come now, make haste.
and then we'll auction off everything we
have here or sell it to the secondhand
men and take the first steamer for New
York-second cabin, steerage, or as
stewardess and steward. My! but this
being real poor does make one energetic,
thoughp'
For an hour or more nothing could be
heard in the pleasant breakfast room on
Cheyne Row but the lively scratching of
their pens. George had finished his list
first, had sealed and addressed his letters,
and was sitting beside them dlScOnSO-
lately, tossing them about, reading and
rereading their addresses gloomily. He
finally noticed that his sister was silent,
had paused in her work and was nib
bling at her penholder while her line
face, resting in her disengaged hand, was
turned to the light and brightness OF old
Cheyne Row.
whats the matter Mercer" he asked.
"Got hard one?"
''Yes, yes, George" she replied softly.
'"This is little hard"
He noticed, too, that the tears were
trickling from her cheek into the lace
entolding her round, fair arm, and he
came lovingly to her side and stroked
her head gently as he looked over her
shoulder at the address.
.'Tt almost breaks nv heart to write
this one, George. They were so lovely
to usl'
Almost loving" Pelham added re-
flectively.
THAT'S the worst of it, I'll confess I
never came so near falling in love all my
lite, George"
EXACTLY nv predicament, Mercy"
''And then to think of all those sweet
days we passed up there about Amble-
side, Grassmere and kerswick with them.
They were orphans, too. That seemed
to draw us all the more closely together.
And what glorious time we had when
they passed through London on their way
to Kent, here in this very place. Why,
Harry and | and you and Beatrice were
like four happy children together"
"Y es, and sure as you're born, Merce,
Harry Dunstan asked me, just before
leaving, if there would be any objec-
TONS
ITO what, George?''
"Well, to paying you serious atten-
tions"
"What did you tell him?"
"That as far as L knew, the claim was
not pre-empted, and that there could but
one objection possibly arise"
"My! What was that. George?"
THAT he might object meantime to my
paying court TO his sister.
And did he object TO that?" asked
Mercy with some little trace of anxiety.
"Oh, no, not at all. He said there was
another fellow who might, though"
ou don't tell me?''
''Yes, the vicar of the parish. Splendid
fellow. too. But OFT color, Merce; yell
low, shallow, cadaverous. Too brainy,
solemn, awful. Sort of stewed i'll the
saffron of books and medievalism. I'm
healthy like. Prowis about the old
church monuments and brasses too
much. Now likely young woman don't
just want to marry spook if he does
wear a surplice. Merce. Harry said il
we'd Just stop off in Kent, on our way to
the continent, and I'd be sure 10 have you
along, we could all circumyent the vicar
in no time"
The bravery seemed to have all gone
out of the little woman for moment.
George, | never knew until now how
dreadfully riches and poverty change the
! relations OF humankind"
| Then she bent over her note to 'sMiss
! Beatrice Dunstan. Dunstan Hall, near
! Maidstone, kent,o and added this little
| postscript laboriously and through sobs:
40 none in all the world, as TO your
/ self and your good brother, are these
words so written in heart-breakings and
/ the dimmings of bitter tears"
"Is that all right. George?v She held
the letter back and upwards above hel
averted head for him to see.
THAT'S dead right, Merce. Heart
! break goes. Bitter tears go. Con-
found it everything goes!-and now l GO
/ too."
Where, George?"
"Or clos mani No more Dunstan
Hall III mine"
''Oh, yes-of course. That's right Post
these letters and bring him along as
/ quickly as possible. I'll rub things UP a
bit meantime. Poor Georgel Pm sor-
rier for you than for MYSELF 90
They embraced more lovingly than ever
/ before and separated. Mercy waited in
! the window to throw her brother an en-
couraging kiss, following him with pity
! ing eyes until he turned cityward past
/ the CARLYLE monument down the Thames
embankment.
Before night everything the brother
and sister possessed, aside from their
wearing apparel, and much of the best oil
I that had gone with a few keeDsakes, had
been disposed of, and their debts were
| paid TO the last penny. But they were
| now Mortified 10 lind that their total
available funds did not exceed by two
when they had taken account of stock in