Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-23

Stand by you?" and he wheeled round.
Rather, and no palaver either; with
money and with time and with
other things that do a fellow more good
than the whole concern, and no airs.
There's more than one man in our office
has cause to bless Schedule Per-
kins.
Let me tell you how he got one
chap out of the biggest scrape he'll ever
fall into. Do you mind me smolins?" And
then he made himself busy with matches
and a pipe that was ever going out for the
rest of the story.
| office, had not been long up from the coun-
try, and he was young. Wasn't quite bad,
but he couldn't hold his own with older
fellows.
| in their rooms, and gambled bit, and he
lost and borrowed, and in fact, was
stone broke.
Its not very pleasant for a fellow to sit
in his room a week before Christmas, and
Know that he may be cashiered before the
holidays and all through his own fault.
IF it were only himself, why, he might
| take his licking and go 10 the colonies, but
it was hard 3. on his mother-it's al
ways going out, this pipe-when he was
her only son, and she rather be-
lieved in him.
Didn't sleep much that night-told me
himself afterward-and ne concluded that
the best way cut was to buy opium in the
city next day, and take it-pretty stiff dose,
you know-neXt night.
"Cowardly rather, of course, but it might
be easier for the mater down in Devon
his mother, l mean-did I say he was
Devon?-same county as myself-affair
would be hushed up, and she would have
his memory clean.
LAS it happened, though, he didn't buy
any opium next day-didn't get the chance;
for Perkins came round to his desk, and
asked this young chap TIC kave a bit of
dinner.
He had the jolliest little dinner ready
you ever saw, and he insisted on the fellow
smoking, though Perkins hates the very
smell of 'baccy and-well, he got the whole
trouble out of him, except the opium.
Dye think he lectured and scolded? Not
a bit-thats not Perkns-he left the fool to
do his own lecturing, and he did it stiff I'll
tell you what he said: Your health must
have been much tried by this anxiety, so
you must go down and spend Christmas
with your mother. and 1 would venture to
| suggest that you take her suitable gift
With regard to your debt, you will allow
me, and Perkins spoke as If he had been ex-
planning schedule to take it over on two
| conditions-that you repay me by INSTALL
| nents every quarter, and dine with me every
Saturday evening for six months
See what he was after? Wanted to keep
the fellow straight, and cheer him up and
you've no idea how Perkins came out those
Saturdays-capitals stories as ever you heard
and he declared that it was pleasure to
him.
81 am rather lonely he used to saw. and
|
, me- Kind
What was the upshot with your friend?
| Did he turn over a new leaf"
He'll never be the man that Perkins ex-
| poets, but he's doing his level best and
Is rising in the office. Perkins sWears
by him, and that's made a man of the fell
| low
Hes paid up the cash now, but =
he can never pay up the kindness-confound
those wax matches, they never strke-he
told his mother last summer the whole story.
she wrote to Perkins-of course l don't
know what was in the letter-but Perkins
| had the fellow into his room. You ought
TO have regarded our transaction as con-
| tidential l am greved you mentioned NV
name; and then as II mean as the fellow
was going out. I'll keep that letter beside
my commission said Perkins
IF Perkins dies'-young men don't do
| that kind CT thing or else one would have
| thought-"it'l be a beastly shame"
| which was terrible collapse, and Mr.. Geof-
! frey Lighthead of the schedule department
| left the house without further remark or
| even shaking hands.
That was Wednesday, and on Friday
| morning he appeared, f1ourishing a large
| blue envelope, sealed with an imposing de-
| vice, marked ION Her Majesty's Service I"
| and addressed to
Frederick Augustus Perkins, ESQ,
| First-class Clerk in the Schedule Depart
ment, Somerset House. London"
, An envelope any man might be proud to
! receive and try to live up to for week
Roadway has retired he shouted, land
| we can't be sure in the Office but the betting
! is four to one-pm ten myself-that the