Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-09-15
soso Soc sosoa $3.50 oscsoSo'
Z A Financial Failure

Goshawk s GHiiri3we we're trm y
bankers 10 Hoiblesafe. wheFe their hame
was o tower o. credit Governments
might decline anu sreentacks auctaate.
but Goshawk y Ggldrilse were always
at par
They might have gone bail for brace
Of millions without ever helns asked 60
Justify" There was sunetAiHS in The
very curve u Goshawk's bose and az tae
broad folds Of Gul8ridges vest that sn-
vored OF solvency.
''Iavc you heard The newsf'
''What neWss"
"Goshawk 4 GuldridEe'-
tFor heavens sake. speak,
Smashed r debts million 80 assets
nothing partners ahscondedi
Seth Dodge caught b. la two directions.
The loss OF his own money was hal
enough, but il was too progokiug &C. see
Kate 0rviile's. on which be had long
cast tender elances, 80 the SAME luokless
road. He fairly cursed old Orvilie's stu.
pidity Ia trusting his nieee's entire for
tune in the very hands ia which he bad
himself trusted and lost the bulk Of bis
own.
Seth had fallen In love with Kate NJ
first sight--of her grandfathcr's will
which he had read over for amusement
in the probate Office one day.
From that document he learned that
she was heiress TO a cool hundred thou
sand in her own right. which her uncle,
Walter Orville. was appointed trustee to
keep till her marriage or majority. The
money, Seth knew, was snug IN the vault
of Goshawll & Guldridge
He lost no time in declaring the state
of his feelings, which Uncle Walter
seemed to reciprocate, il Kate didn't We
won't say positively that Archie War
ham had anything to do with the GOODNESS
of Seth's reception on her part. Appar-
emily he hadn't, for when Seth began his
visits Arches suddenly ceased. and Kate
tossed her pretty head aud didn't seem to
care.
What with Uncle Walters backing,
his own perseverance and Archie War
hams demoralized retreat. Seth felt his
chances were by no means desperate.
He could afford to wait. lie was not
an impatient lover. His own finances
were easy. and as long as Rates money
was secure there was no need of haste.
But a terrible awakening came that
day when men rushed to and fro, star
Ting each other with the announcement:
"Goshawk & Guldridge have failed!'
With the depletion of his own pocket
departed all hope of its repletion from
Rates.
To withdraw before acceptance a mat
rimonial Offer the Consideration" of
which, in legal parlance, had failed.
struck him as the first thing 20 be done
under the circumstances. and for that
purpose Seth presented himself without
delay before Uncle Walter, whom he
found at his office looking as serene as If
nothing had happened. The imperturba-
BILE old stoici
81 suppose you've heard the news?" he
began.
Uncle Walter had heard 1t.
But Seth never shirked a duty-to him
self. With much circumlocution and by
ways that were indirect he managed at
last to make himself understood by Uncle
Walter.
The old gentleman didn't seem much
taken aback. There was a touch of con
tempt in his tone as he thanked his Wis
itor for the very unnecessary pains he
had taken, and when he bowed Seth out
the latter felt considerably lower than
before he entered.
Uncle Walter got home early that even
ing. If he was angry at finding Archie
Warham there, he didn't show it. Kate
looked as happy as though she hadn't
lost a penny. but had found instead
treasure worth all the world.
Don't mind it, uncle" she cried. "You
see don't, and I've heard all about it,"
And | suppose you've heard it, too?"
said Uncle Walter, turning sharply on
Archie, as if suspecting that he, too, had
come to recant.
'Now, don't be angry. uncle, dear"
coaxed Kate. I'D have been glad to
marry Seth to please you, but
"Confound Seth Dodge"
''But. you see, | couldn't love him."
Kate continued, land IL did love
Archie and-and"-
Uncle Walter didn't break out in a pas
sion, and that encouraged Kate to go on.
"And Archie has asked me to be his
without any money, and-and-Pve
promised, and he says you shall live with
us"
1t was a quiet little wedding. that of
Archie and Kate 1t came off one bright
morning while all Hobblegate was too
much agoe with the recent financial
shock to think of anything else.
When Kate kissed Uncle Walter good
by, before starting on her unpretending
wedding tour, the old gentleman slipped
a folded paper into her hand.
She opened it, with an exclamation of
surprise. 1t was a check on one of the
first city banks for 100000!
''You see," said Uncle Walter, I'D
lurking suspicion that all wasn't right
with those scamps, and so checked out
your money three days before they fail
ed"
About the same time another wedding
took place. Seth Dodge kept his losses
to himself, and without loss of time Of
fered his heart and hand to Miss Elyira
Fenoose. She accepted both at sight.
Miss Elvira was q maiden of forty odd
autumns and not to be called handsome.
Seth knew her to be the possessor of
goodly batch of hve-twenties, from which
she derived a handsome income by cut
ting off the coupons.
The morning after the wedding Seth
hinted-delicately, of course-that cir
cumstances over which he had no control
l. lie ~ - o och pf