The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-07-13
A SCREENING SCOUNDREL.

that had run the gauntlet of half a century
and didn't show a scratch. At least, |
didn't see any, though a friend of mine
one t those fellsws who go about among
t,cir acquaintance doing everything they
can TO make truth Odious-had habit of
triing me every day OF two that man
i fifty was scarcely AS "chipper" as man
Of thirty, whatever he might think about it
himself.
In addition to my fifty years | was
which wa> not counted against me by
t .ose persons best able to analyze true
grace al character rich. Not multi
ilionairc, perhaps, hut enough to make
'".chelor very comfortable, not to say
LNulinus. My business was easy, and |
ad no help to bother after, except a clerk
private secretary, as it sounded more
aborate to call him, and a young woman
Who manipulated the typewriter in my
,illce Concerning these two persons
have considerable to say.
My private secretary, whose name was
was Jeremy kilton, was without any ex
ception the most modest and lady like
young man ever met. He had come to
my service highly recommended y friends
of mine in the country, and though he had
been with me for seven years in town, he
never came into the Office of morning that
was not minded of the green fields and
the running brooks and that sort Of thin;.
indigenous to all traditions of the rural
neighborhood. He was only about ten
years younger than | was, and | have
many times sat watching him plodding
away at his desk, silent as sphinx AMI
faithful as a fanatic and wondered why it
was that he should be as he was, and as
was. | with the money, and he with the
numherrss good qualities that would be
an ornament to wealth, even though he
.cked in that polish which wealth seems
to demand.
But paid him good salary, for could
afford to- and his twenty five hundred a
year appeared to be almost as satisfactory
to him as my twenty five thousand was to
me.
Yet he wasn't half the man | was in
youth and love of life, and | used to twit
him about his advancing years, and tried
to get him to 90 and call on the ladies with
me. By all that is lovely, you should have
hin, tla trs tipa | nI him pp
with me to call on particularly bright and
interesting young woman knew, and
whom he had met on one occasion when
she had come to my Office with her mother
to see about piece of property the mother
wanted to buy. The girl had flashed her
brilliant eyes on Jeremy, out of pure
michief, because | had told her of his
ditldence, and she wanted to make him
feel as uncomfortable as she could, and for
a minute or two was fearful that | would
lose my valued servant, so evident was his
desire to incontinently run away. He
nlusht d two or three colors, and stammered
80 when he tried to talk to her that |
thought he would get his tongue twisted
around his teeth, and in moment of
confusion would bite it off. When she had
up and call some evening, and he showed
signs at once of hysteria. Then | told him
If he would not do that, would send him
up to the house next day with the paper for
the mother and daughter to examine and
sim, and, though he said no word and
bowed in humble submission to my will
felt so sorry for him that | took them up
myself
And here, | may say that little thing
like woman never had the least effect on
me. At least, in respect of giving me the
panicky feeling that overlook Jeremy
everytime "A woman came in sight lie was
a bachelor, of course, for how could a man
of his sheeplike courage be anything else?
He couldn't, and Jeremy was a living
example of it. Even the young woman
who manipulated the typewriter was a
source of discomfort to Jeremy.
She had been with me for three years
and was most exemplary person, not to
say very intelligent and good looking
one Being woman, she did not get as
much salary as the man, but she was as
we'll satisfied with the nine hundred dol.
lars year paid her, and | must say my
official family was very agreeable in its
relations to me and to itself | felt this
particularly, because, for sometime past,
Miss Higgins-that was the young woman S
name-had been occupying good deal OF
my attention, and am pretty sure that if
Jeremy had been dashing young fellow
or dashing old one, he would have made
me have more Or less palpitations of the
heart and other disagreeable sensations
which are experienced even by the best of
men under some circumstances.
But Jeremy l wasn't afraid of Jeremy
and the more he tried to fight shy of Miss
Higgins the more | twitted her on the
growing fondness for her l had detected
and was daily detecting in my faithful
secretary. Miss Higgins would always
laugh at these small pleasantries of mine
and would give me her very sweetest smile,