Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-04-14
CHAPTER XVIII.

Onc Utrut. tOWATus tue tfil Oh tue Iol-
lowing January Job Denman sat in his lit
tie home Mt Hammersmith.
"It is Of no use," he said 10 himself, "for
me to go to bed. for cannot sleep" And
in truth the good old cashier had good
cause for an1iety--two large payments to
he made. and no funds in hand TO meet
them. What was TO be donei Job had
tried several times to speak Of the matter
to young Speed. but George avoided all
responsibility, and only appeared at his
Office at intervals. To the cashiers anx-
ious questions, he would only answer,
pulling his moastache, don't trouble
yourself, Denman, it will he all right" and
had the air at the same time Of not know
ing what he said. The report gained
ground in certain quarters that Sylvia
was as faithless TO him as she had been
10 her husband. and this made him very
unhappy. In fact he was more occupied
by Sylvias caprices than by his business
difficulties.
As to Florence he was rarely seen; he
passed his time watching the manufac-
turc OF his new machines. This mdiffer-
ence Of the firm TO their own interests dis
organized the whole manufactory. Work.
men and clerks took their ease, came late
in the morning and left early, paying little
attention to the hell. Much business was
still transacted, it is true, because q large
house like that can 60 alone for some time
after il has had n good start but what
/ disorder and rottenness existed under the
! apparent prosperity.
| Job knew all this. But what could he
dol Where could he get the money! He
must collect all outstanding debts, humili-
| att anI do ~ xpo,l1 ha
TO do so, as such step would show that
their house stood in dire need of every
penny. But this was better than to have
their bills protested.
IL will start to- morrow, early" sighed
the cashier. While the poor man tosses
on his sleepless couch, we will take look
at an attic in Lambeth. where for some
little time the De Lacy's have been living.
Alas. Dora had not been mistaken in
her predictions. Her mother had not been
! able to continue her employment. Her
| eyes had been weakened by tears, and her
birds all had dolefni air, rs If they had
been rained upon. She gave them up and
took to sewing; she repaired lace, and
"got up" muslins. But her earnings grew
| smaller and smaller, and De Lacy finally
got in the habit Of running up little bills.
| He owed his bootmaker and his tailor; and
he had assured them that they should be
paid on the lst Of February. If he did
not keep his word everything would be
seized and sold.
The furniture was poor enough, to be
sure, but it had been theirs ever since
their marriage. For more than twenty
years he had eaten his supper at the end
| Of the long table, and TO see Dora's arm
chair carried off would break his wifes
heart--that chair. about which seemed to
linger still something Of their child, and
! at which neither father nor mother could
| look without tears. The poor actor did
not know where to look for aid and before
| his eyes he saw Dora's look Of tender en-
treaty. She had never told him what il
was she wished him TO renounce, but he
| had guessed oil the same. and the thought
that he had not fulfilled his daughters dy-
ing wishes did not tighten his heart.
George Speed. that same night, sat IN
! his cheerful library, but he was far from
cheerful himself. His head was buried in
his hands. and he thought OF Sylvia, who
was ut that moment sleeping quietly on
the door above. For u long time he had
/ begged of her not to receive the tenor,
Benedict; but Sylyia would not yield,
and that very day had told him that she
should certainly invite the man TO q ball
she was abont TO give.
"Is he your admireri" cried George,
looking straight into her eyes.
She did not deny il, nor did she say he
was. She did not even turn away. She
merely. in her cool. passionless tone in
formed him that no human being had the
! right To control or influence her acts that
! she was free; that she meant to remain
so, and would submit to no interference
from either her husband or himself. They
4 had spent an hour in this way.
| And Il was for this woman that he had
J sacrificed everything; it was for her that
he had thrown aside his wife's love. He
was filed with shame and humiliation
/ He rose from his chair, and walked about
the room. His eyes happened to fall upon
| an almanac. and he saw the day OF the
month. Good heavens! Was there not =
large sum Of money to be paid in q few
days, and he had SLOWED all recollections
OF business matters 10 be swallowed up in
his own ignoblc personal affairs. But now
he saw all the impending disaster. He
had not penny. For six months he had
lost at cards regularly; enormous sums
had gone that way; he literally had moth.
ing left except the factory. and At this
thought the unhappy man uttered deep
| groan.
.George. I sin here; what is the mat
| terri and his wife stood before him. II
had been her habit for some time TO wait
up for his return from his club. where she
supposed his evenings were passed, but
this night she had gone to her child. She
heard her husband come in, and heard
him walking to and fv in the room, and
his groan had summoned her TO his side.
What remorse tore his heart as he saw
her, and felt her gentle arms as she ten
derly drew his head to her bosom! For
tunately he could not speak. or he would
have told her all.
~You have beea playing cards, have
/ you mott And you have had heavy
iossesr