River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-06-06
A SCHEMING SCOUNDREL
BY W. J. HAMPTON.

AAt AdEA AAAhA vas MY 0@A
never occurred to me at all Or If il
did II was merely 10 make me proud of
myself that ! had run the gantlet of
half a century and didn't show a
scratch At least, l didn't see any,
though friend of mine-One Of those
fellows who go about among their &c
Quaintances doing everything they can
20 make truth odious-had a habit of
telling me every day or two that a
man of fifty was scarcely as ''chipper"
as a man Of thirty. whatever he might
think about il himself.
In addition TO my fifty years / was
(which was not counted against me by
those persons best able TO analyze true
graces of cLaracterl rich. Not multi
millionaire, perhaps. but enough TO
make a bachelor very comfortable, not
20 say luxurious NV business was
easy. and had no help to bother after.
except a clerk or private secretary, as
At sounded more elaborate to call him.
and young woman who manipulated
the typewriter in my office. Concern
ing these two persons ! have consider
able 10 say.
NV private secretary, whose name
was Jeremy kilton, was without any
exception the most modest and lady
like young man / ever met. lie had
come to my service highly recon
mended by friends of mine in the
country, and though ne had been with
me for seven years in town, he never
came into the office of a morning that
j was not reminded of the green fields
and the running brooks and that sort
of thing, indigenous TO all traditions of
the rural neigh borhOod. lie was only
about ten years younger than | was.
and have many times sat watching
him plOddiug away at his desk. silent
as a sphinx and faithful as a fanatic,
and wondered why il was that he
should be as he was, and | as | was.
with the money, and he with the num-
berless good qualities that would be an
ornament To wealth, even though he
lacked in that polish which wealth
seems to demand.
But ] paid him a good salary, for
could afford TO. and his twenty-five
hundred year appeared to be almost
as satisfactory TO him as my twenty
five thousand was to me.
youth and love of life, and | used to
twit him about his advancing years.
and tried To get him To GO and call on
the ladies with me. by all that is
lovely, you should have seen him the
first time l asked him to go with me
10 call on a particularly bright and in
teresting 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 bay. The girl
had flashed her brilliant eyes on Ter
euny, out Of pure mischief. because
had told her Of his diffidence. and she
wanted to nuke him feel as uncom-
Portable as she could. and for a minute
or two was fearful that would lose
my valued servant. 50 evident was
his desire To IncOntinently run away.
He blushed two or three colOrs. and
stammered So 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 il
of. When she had gone. asked him
how he would like to go 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 pa
pers for the mother and daughter to
examine and sign, and. though he said
no word and bowed in humble submis-
sion to nv will, / felt Sd sorry for him
that took them up myself
And here. I may say that a little
thing like a woman never had the least
effect on me At least, in respect of
giving me the 1panIclIy feeling that
overlook Jeremy every time a woman
came in sight. lie was a bachelor, of
course. for how could a man of his
sheeplike courage te 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 10 Jeremy.
She had been with me for three years.
and was most exemplary person. not
20 say very Intelligent and cookbook
ing one Being a woman. she did not
get as much salary as the man. but she
was quite well satisfied with the nine
hundred dollars year 1 paid her. and
! must say my official family was very
agreeable in It's relations to me aud to
itself felt this particularly. because.
for some time past. Miss Higgins-that
was the young woman's name--had
been occupying a good deal of my at
tention. and ! am pretty sure that il
Jeremy had been a dashing young fell
low or daShing old one, he would
have made me have more or less pal
pitations Of the heart and other disa-
greeable sensations which are expert
e1ced even 0y the best of men under
come 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
had detected and was daily detecting
an my faithful secretary. Miss Higgins
would always laugh at these small
pleasantries of mine and would give
me her very sweetest smile. partly.
presume. IN recognition of various
services rendered her. which were not
called for in the contract when she
came into my employ.
Why shouldn't be agreeable 10 her?
An excellent young woman of excel
lent family. with nothing in the whole
wide world against her except that she
was poor. OF course. that was an oh
iectiOnable feature 10 some, but IL was
not 10 me. for l had money enough for
two. and ! could afford To be entirely
disinterested when it came 70 a ques-
ton of the disposition Of my real senti-
meuts. l had real sentiments. too. aud
they were all for Miss Higgins. knew
plenty of girls, old and young. grave
and gay, pretty and not so pretty, rich
and less rich, but ! didn't SCI. any of
them every day. in sunshine or rain.
and had not the opportunity of judg-
ing them as had in the case of Miss
Higgins, who seemed to me a little
nicer each time I saw her during those
later days
Once or twice, perhaps several dozen
times. spoke rather vaguely TO Jere-
my about her superiority. and he in
dorsed what had 10 say with the hest
tating remark that he thought She
might be more superior il she talked
less during business hours. but didn't
cherish any i'll feelings toward Jeremy
for that Ii was quite TO be expected
OF Jeremy.
Things ran along smoothly enough
IN tha oafea mill the 90 Svxqe. tiavS