The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-02-26
NO ONE KNEW HIM.

sion-to find out why Gertrude was off
and on with him-why she was some
times SO cordial and sweet and some
times SO distant. And poor Florence had
to explain to George that Gertrude had
virtually said that he was too common
place. She could not marry man that
nobody knew and nobody talked about.
He was good, he was successful, he was
kind, he was everything that Miss Edge
worth would require in one Of her
novels, but he did not attract peoples
attention. Nobody ever heard of George
Larkin.
After Florence had explained this in
the minutest way possible twice, George
seemed to understand what she was talk
ing about.
docs she want to see my name in
the newspapers"
81 should not say that, said Flor
ence.
docs she want me to ride down
Broadway in plate armor and nail on
the doors Of Trinity notice that she is
the prettiest girl in the world?"
"She did not say so, said Florence
"Does she want to see mo more?"
81 should think you would do better
if you went there less, said Florence.
"If all she wants is to have me talked
about, she shall have her wayp' And
George Larkin flounced out of the room.
Ten days after, as Gertrude Clark
came down, rather late, to her breakfast,
tho servant brought in pile of letters
on the salver. Gertrude's little sister
counted Them there were 2S. what in
the world has happened?" said she.
The little sister cut them open, and
Gertrude read:
DEAR Miss CLARKE think you know Mr..
George Larkin. Will you have the kindness to
put his address on tho note inclosed2
DEAR Miss CLARK-Do you know your friend
Mr.. Larl1in well enough TO ask him to come
round to our receptionp 1t is very informal,
but we shall be so pleased to sec him.
DEAR Miss Clark am SO annoyed that
forget Mr.. Larkins first name. Iwant to send
him card for our party. May trouble you
for his addressp
Twenty three notes that contained
such references to George!
Yet for these ten days past George
had not sent her-no, not carnation.
He did send her note to excuse him
self from driving with her in the park.
He was not even at her aunt's regular
family party, where he had begged her
to have him invited. George had who'll
ly dropped out of her life, and Gertrude
had begun to wish that he had not drop
ped out.
The reader shall know what had hap
pened. The reader shall know how a
nice girl may be suddenly walked up to
find that her lover is not the unimpor-
tant person which in his humility he
had made her believe. The reader shall
know how ono young man got himself
named from ono end of continent to
the other.
All this happened in a very large city
Of 1000, 900 people, which is the CAPT
tai Of a very large country, which coun-
try is next to the republic of Altruria.
This country was governed partly by
tho principles of tho nation of Altruria,
partly by tho principles Of the devil
and partly by sort of happy go lucky
system which had worked very we'll for
100 years In tho course Of the happy
go lucky arrangements it found itsolf
in scrape for the sort Of ready money
that it wanted 1t had some ready
money, which the people did not much
like, and it wanted some ready money
made Of beaten gold. And 20 the chief
magistrate of this happy go lucky
country had issued his proposals for
what was called popular loan.
Nobody knew very we'll how the pop
ular loan was to be taken up, but every
body was quite sure that his next door
neighbor had better subscribe it. Peo-
pie went so far as to say how much Mr..
Jones ought to subscribe and how much
the Widow Smith ought to subscribe.
But, up till the moment when Gertrude
sent that unkind message to George by
Florence, nobody knew very we'll how the
thing was going to turn out. 1t might
be that the popular loan would all be
taken up by set Of sharpers, or it might
be that it would not be taken at all. It
might be that it would be very unpopu-
lar loan. And everybody was very Curl
GUS to see.
the nations Of the world agreed that ev-
cry person in the world should scream
as loud as he could at particular in
slant Of time When the instant came,
there was a horrible stiffness over the
mundane creation. For everybody, in
stead of screaming himself, had listened
to hear somebody else scream, and no
one screamed but dumb man in China
and a deaf woman in the Sandwich Is
lands.
1t was something like this about the
popular loan But at last the great day
came when, at Washington, they opened
the bids.
Now, the credit of this nation was
pretty good and pretty bad. In very
bright, gilt edged times it could borrow
money at less than per cent. In those
times when there was trouble about the
sort of money that it would give and
take, it generally had to pay 81 Oh $104
that is to say, its A per cents were
placed at 104. The different sharpers
and tho different old ladies, the men and
women who had been ooaxed up to sub
scribing in different ways, were in gen
eral sending in their bids at 1o5 and lo6
and 107.
But when at Washington the bids
were opened, the weary clerks hearing
"107 70, ""104 11-12," till they went
almost to sleep as they wrote down the
scarcely varying numbers, all of sud
den a bolt fell like lightning from Ju-
piter. The reading clerk, almost as
sleepy as the rest, cried ont; lone hun
dred and twenty-fyel Mr.. George Lar
kin Of New Bedlam offers 1876 for 10