The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-04-06


SAN FRANCISCO, CAL
LOUISVILLE, E-Y NEW YORK N Y.
For SIZE ny 7'' N-7Tn1S Price soc. per bottle
this again and again since her accession
to fortune, yet no one dreamed of taxing
her with the quiet help that seemed to
come when most needed. Even the col
lecting churchwardens had not been able
to trace that half sovereign which appear
ed every Sunday in the bag to its rightful
source.
SO it happened that, rightly OF wrongly,
month after month. she identified herself
more and more with the perpleXities of
her employer. Such foolish preoccupa-
ton showed want of worldly wisdom,
and the mere fact that every tone of his
voice betrayed accurately to her the
fluctuations of desponding courage and en-
ergy indicated that her quick perceptions
might have been better employed attend
ing to her own interests instead of his.
The time came when, instead of pacing
restlessly up and down, he would sit de
spondingly with bowed head. She could
just see the blurred outlines through the
frosted glass of the pgeonhole, and then,
in her anxiety for him, the tapping Of the
typewriter would cease.
certain; and this business will go bankrupt
unless
She thought about it until she could
think of nothing else-untl she could not
rest while the thing remained undone,
so entirely had she placed the weight of
his harasSments on her own shoulders
that to alleviate them seemed as natural
as the half sovereign in the collecting bag.
She saw nothing strange or unusual IN it.
Ii wanted the money, she did not, and that
settled it. AS the outcome of her deter
mnation, and through the agency OF those
whom she had well nigh sworn to secrecy,
he found one morning on his table a letter
containing twenty halves of crisp bank
notes, and the notes were for el00 apiece.
1t a muniticent gift, costing her as
yet very little, as she had already decided
against using the money for herself and
if only she had bestowed it on the clerk
with the five hungry children it might
have meant compound interest to all con
ceIned.
Francis Dalwood hardly daring to be-
lleve his own eyes, read the business like
note that accompanied this apparently
heaven sent denouement OF all his diff
culties. 1t contained nothing but an of
fetal assurance that the other halves
NPhltt ApliON ~ IN lt4t ANNOUNCED
receipt of the first; that they were a free
gift from some grateful client, and that he
desired to make known his gratitude but
not HIS nam. his was ALL and cudgel
his brains as he might Mr.. Dalwood could
not think of any client who owed and
paid gratitude on such magnificent scale.
lie was a long, long time over his CORE
SpOndence that morning, and Hester, VINO
knew perfectly the contents OF one OF his
letters, felt nervously self conscious. With
noiseless touches she played tunes on the
keys OF the typewriter, and began to feel
really desperate before the glazed shutter
was pulled back. She looked up quickly,
searchingly, to see the result of her handi-
work, but the professional mask showed
nothing through, not even a sparkle of
new hope in the eyes. 1t was her first
disappointment in the transaction, and
many more were to follow. Yet surely he
stood little more upright, as though a
weight had fallen from his shoulders. In
debating to her, his voice sounded pre-
cisely as usual but as she was little
slow that morning, he looked half absent
ly out of the window.
'What has that fountain got hold of
this morning?'
She followed his careless eye with
tLS oli aibOu SSl utiI1 VI hCi o"h, IVA w
have been Unidentified just then with that
absurdily frivolous little ball would only
have been one degree better than being
found guilty of the bank notes.
Its-it S a ball, isn't it?' she inquir-
ed, looking painfully shortsighted.
Dear me! how very odd"'
But she saw then, with great satisfac-
ton, that he had forgotten her and the
dlctatiOn and was looking at the little
ball without seeing it, with the most I'M
business like smile. He was doing nothing
but just remembering the two thousand
and all it could do for him. With smile
on her face that reflected his, she punctu-
ated blandlywith full stop, and sat wait
ing his pleasure. When he suddenly re-
turned to business she was, as usual. au-
tomatically grave.
"Where are you, pleaseo'
g / must remind you that in the matter
of - she said, ''and then there is a full
stop.'
He frowned impatiently at his stupid ity
and hers.
"a full stop in the middle of SEN
tence? Miss Lowe, what are you thinking
about?''
Between them they put the matter
right, and then the shutter was drawn
to again. Only in that one action alone
did he appear to recognize that he was
dealing with woman and not machine,
for he always shut her out gently, using
no haste and making little sound. A
rough, curt f1inging of that shutter would
have Jared her again and again.
For little while things went on as
! usual, except that Mr.. Dalwood' S business
seemed to dra5v him rather frequently to
town. Then to the general surprise, he
took house-quite fashionable house
which had been recently built, on the
outskirts of the quiet little town, and the
rumor sprang up that of course he Was
going to get married. The clerk and
Hester Lowe were busily piled with
questions, but the one knew nothing def
initely, and the other full of vague dis
quietude never encouraged gossip concern
ing her employer. Just six weeks after
that unaccountable windfall which had
SO smoothed the path before him he