Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-24

It is most kind OF young man to sit will
me- Knd!' ID ava
what was the upshot with your friend
| Did ne turn over new leafH' a4
He I'll never be the man Perkins ex.
poets. but he's doing his level hest. and--is
rising In the office. Perkins swears by him
and that's made a man OF the fellow.
| Hes paid over the cash now, but--he car
| never pay up the kindness-confound those
wax matches, they never strike--he told his
| mother last summer the whole story.
"She wrote to Perkins--of course | don't
| know what was in the letter---but Perkins
| had the fellow into his room. You ought
to have regarded our transaction as confden.
tial. l am grieved you mentioned my name,
| and then as IL mean as the fellow-was
going out, IN keep that letter beside my
commission said Perkins.
"If Perkins dies"-young men don't dc
that kind of thing, or else one would have
thought-'It i'll be-a beastly shame" which
was a terrible collapse. and Mr.. Geoffrey
| Lighthead of the Schedule department left
| the house without further remark or even
shaking hands.
That was Wednesday, and on Friday
| morning he appeared, fourshing a large
blue envelope, sealed with an imposing de-
| vice, marked ION Her Majestys Service,
| and addressed to
Frederick Augustus Perkins. Esq,
First Glass Clerk in the Schedule Depart
ment. Somerset House, London.
an envelope any man might be proud to re-
| ceive and try to live UP to for week
Roadway has RETIRED" he shouted land
| we can't be sure in the Office but the bet
| ting Is four to one-I'm ten myself-that
and Lighthead did some steps of a tri-
umphal character.
"The secretary appeared this morning after
the board had met. There's a letter their
| nunurs wish taken at once to MIR. Perkins.
Can any of you deliver 1t at his residence 2
THIN the other men looked at me, because
we'll, Perkins has been friendly to me- and
that hanson came very creditably indeed.
Very low. eh? Doctor afraid not last
over the night-thats hard lines-but l say.
they did not reckon this letter. Could
not you read 1t to him? You see this was
his one ambition. He could never be secre-
tary, not able enough, but he was made for
chief clerk. Now. he's go it, or | would
not have been sent out skimming with this
letter. Read 1t to him, and the dear old
chap will be on his legs in a week.
1t seemed good advice, and this Was what
I read. while Perkins lay very still and did
his best to breathe:
Dear Mr.. Perkins, have the pleasure to
inform you that the board has appointed you
chief clerk in the Schedule department in
succession to Gustavus Roadway, esq.,, who
retires. and their honors desire me further
to express their appreciation of your long
and valuable service and to express their
earnest hope that you may be speedily re-
stored to health. l am. your obedient SER
want, ARTHUR WRAXALL. Secretary"
For little time it was too much for Mr.
Perkins, and then he Whispered:
"The one thing on earth l wished, and
more than l deserved-not usual. personal
references in Board letters-perhaps hardly
regular-but most gratifying-and-streng
ening
81 feel better already-some words would
like to hear again-thank you, where l can
reach it-nurse will be so good as to read
it,"
Mr.. Perkins revived from that hour, hav-
ing his tonic administered at intervals, and
astonished the doctors. On Christmas eve
he had made such progress that Lighthead
was allowed to see him for five minutes.
Heard about your calling three times
day-far too kind with all your work-and
the messages from the staf-toucha I'd me to
heart-never thought had so many friends
wished been more friendly myself
My promotion too-hope may be fit for
duty-can't speak much. but think I'll be
spars sd-Amighty very good to me-chief
clerk of schedule department-would you
mind saying Lords prayer together-it sums
up everything
So we knelt, one on each side Of Perkins
bed, and led with "Our Fathsr'-the other
two being once or twice quite audible. The
choir of neighboring church was singing
Christmas carol in the street, and the
Christ came into our hearts as a little
child.