The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-24

A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL
BY Ian MACLAREN,
Author Of Beside the Bonnie Brier
Bush" Etc

Copyright 1895, by John Watson.)
Never had 1 met any man so meth
odical in his habits. so neat in his
dress. SO accurate in speech, so pre-
else in manner, as my fellow ledger.
When he took his bath in the morning
knew it was half past Z, and when he
rang for hot water that it was a quar-
ter to 8. Until a quarter past he moved
about the room in his slow, careful
dressing, and then everything was
quiet next door till half-past s, when
the low murmur of the Lords prayer
concluded his devotions. Two minutes
later he went down stairs-if he met a
servant one could hear him say good
morning ''-and read his newspaper-he
seldom had letters-tiil 9, when he rang
for breakfast. Twenty past he went
upstairs and changed his coat, and he
spent five minutes in the lobby select
ing a pair of gloves, brushing his hat
and making a last survey for a Speck
Of dust. One glove he put on opposite
the hat stand, and the second on the
door step, and when he touched the
pavement you might have set your
watch by $50. once he was in the
1ODDN al lNe ana twenty minutes 10
IT, distressed and fiurried.
Il cut my chin slightly when shaw
ing" he explained, and the wound
persists in bleeding. 1t has an untidy
appearance. and drop OF blood might
fall on a letter"
The walk that morning was quite
broken. and before reaching the cor
ner. he had twice examined his chin
with d handkerchief, and shaken his
I
now uncertain.
1T is nothing in ITSELF he said af-
forwards, with an apologize allusion to
his anxiety. and might not matter to
another man. But any little misad-
venture yesterdays collar or d ra-
zor cut, or even an inky fnger-would
render me helpless in dealing with
people. They would simply look at the
weak spot. and one would lose all au-
thority. Some of the juniors smile
when / impress on them to be very
careful about their dreSs-QUiet, OF
course, as becc mes their situation. but
unobjectionable. With more response
bility they will see the necessity Of
such details. 1 will remember your
transparent sticking plaster-a most
valuable suggestion
His name was Frederick Augustus
Perkins, so ran the card he left on my
table a week after I settled in the next
rooms, and the problem of his calling
gradually became standing VeNation.
1t fell under the class of cOnundrums,
and one remembered from childhood
that it is mean to be told the answer.
so l could not say to Mr. Perkins-for
it was characteristic Of the prim little
man that no properly constituted per-
son could have said to Perkins
by the way, what is your line Of
things?" or any more decorous render
ing of my curiosity.
Mrs. Holmes, who was as a mother
to Mr.. Perkins and myself, as we'll as
two. younger men of literary pursuits
and irregular habits, had q gift OF
charming irrelevance, and was able
to combine illusions to Mr.. Perkins
orderly life and the amatory tenden-
cies of the new cook in MOSAIC of en-
thralling interest.
'No, Betsy Jane has 'ad her notice
and goes this day week; not that her
cookin's bad, but her brothers don't
later than last night, though if he was
her born brother. e 'ad a different
father and mother, or my name amt
'Olmes. Your brother. Betsy Jane
says l. ought not to talk in a strange
'ouse on family affairs till IL o'clock
"'E left at 'alf-past 10 punctual,'
says she, lookin as hinnOcent as
SIS room as I was lettin' Jim out.
Betsy Jane says l, quite calm,
where do you eXreck to go as
doesn't know wot truth tsp for Ms.
Perkins leaves his room has the all
clock starts on II, and 'e's in is bed
room at the last stroke. If she 'adn't
brought in Mr.. Perkins she might ave
deceived me, gettin' old and not bein'
so quick in my earring as L was; but
that settled her.
"'Alf-past," went on Mrs. Holmes,
scornfully, and i'm never varied two
minutes the last ten years, except one
night e fell asleep in is chair, being
bad with influenza.
For a regular single gentleman as
rises in the morning and goes out, and
comes in and takes is dinner, and goes
to bed like the Modes and Persians,
I've never seen is equal; an it's five
and TWEEN Y years since dimes died,
'avin' a bad liver through takin' gin
for rheumatics; an 'Lizabeth Peevey
says to me, Take dodgers, Jemima; not
that they pays for the trouble, but it'll
keep an 'ouse.
Mr.. Perkins business" it was shah
by, but the temptation came as a way
of escape from the flow of Mr.. Holmes