Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-12-20
THE LOST BANK NOTE.
lBy Mrs. Henry Wood.
CHAP NII-CoNTINUED.
THE CLOUD.

outright. Ana besides, am not III
for il, really am not; We are rot all
born with the same gift and faculties
and | get into no end of seedlings
through making Mistakes
81 do not clearly understand you,
said Maria, "What mistaken"
& will explain TO you, Maria,
interposed George, "A mole-hill TO
one man is a mountain TO another.
Oswald will take that sheet Of paper
and cover it with abstruce algebralc
calculations, all correct, and with the
greatest case; he will solve. with
looking at them, difficult problems in
Euclid; he will read Greek tluently,
and his Latin verses are something
wonderful. And yet will you believe
that, if he has a column of simple
figures to cast up in the bank books
Two and two make four-he can
not accomplish il without mistake:
or, at least, a mistake is just as likely
TO be found in his work as not.
GLOW is this" asked Maria.
Simple as he says-that he has
been put to what nature has not fitted
him for. | have often stayed over
hours to 90 over his work for him,
and haye never failed 10 find 1t
incorrect"
Oswald dear, | am surprised the
partners keep you"
81 am sure they would not were
my father living; but fancy they do
not like to turn him adrlft." remarked
George. "Mr Graves-he is in my
fathers place, you know, Maria-has
had orders to put him as little to the
books as possible. They did ask
me one day if there was no better
opening for him, but could not see
any"
"And | pass three parts of my
time running round the town TO col
lect bills, or ignobly counting money"
put in Oswald in tone between jest
and veXation.
"They set it down to carelessness
at first, as | did, and were sharp over
it." added George; but they have got
TO believe that he can't help It,"
Neither can l." said Oswald; "and
as to carlessness-if the adding up
his figures took George 1.-THE OF
the care and bother it does me, he
would say all the money in the world
was not worth it. When | am add
ing up these simple fgures-two
and two make four, as George calls
it'll lose myself; my mind runs away,
and | have to begin over and over
and over again, and ten to one but
the sum-total is wrong when 1t is
accomplished.
"And you cannot help your mind
losing itself?" exclaimed Maria.
ono more than | can help breath
ing. No one in the bank sets to
work with a more hearty desire to-
achieve it than | but cannot succeed
simple as it is, it is beyond me-"
"And yet thes abstruse learning
which is a hundred times more diff
cult, he is perfectly at home" resum-
ed George again, pointing to Oswald's
books and papers on the table. "FoI
the drudgery of bank, he is about
the most useless fellow that ever en-
tered one; but at the university he
would shine a brilliant schiar."
"Something must be thought of fol
him." observed Maria, after a few
moments reflection. Oswald, what
would you like to be-"
"Do not ask me, Maria. could
only answer you as | did in years
gone by. And if is was visionary to
to think of it then, how worse thar
visionary is it now?
"Your heart is still set upon enter
ing the church,"
unfortunately it is; but | try tc
unset it."
mo you don't Oswald, interrupted
his brother; "you are always looking
forward to it in your heart. 1t II
his Utopia, Maria"
AT any rate" said Oswald, laugh
ing, cit is so distant as to be nearl.
inPerceptible, like the view from
telescope, when you look through /
at the wrong end"
81 like my occupation and shall
get on in it." observed George; "anC
L it gives no prospect of riches, |
keeps a man from business cares a
my father used to say. All Maria,
he added, sinking his voice, "tha
was an awful escapade of mine.
shall never be sufficiently Thankful
that came out of It's peril unexposed
What would have become of me ha'
/ been discharged in disgrace
"Do you ever see Alfred Letsom!
Maria inquired.
Not often. He has had anothe
rise-draws FIVE hundred a year, am
holds control of the cash. The.
live in style, keep carriage, four o
five servants, and see deal 0