Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-02-06
A STORY OF
TWO CIPHERS
When the Old MAN Wrote Ms
Check He Got Mixed with
His Figures.

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Obed Jarrett was a hard man. He
rather gloried In his hardness. A hard
man was a man who couldn't be fool
ed. Obed Jarrett never was fooled.
In his private opinion the world was
made I'D of a few honest men and
great many fools and knaves. An
honest man was one who paid his way
and neither asked nor gave favors.
Fools might call him hard, and knaves
migat snarl because he wasn't gullible.
But what cared Obed Jarrett?
The honest man sat at his desk that
June afternoon with his pen loosely
dangling In his fingers and his check
book open before him. He was In no
hurry. To give away money was SO
new q sensation that he felt justified
In prolonging it-not but that he could
amply afford to give the sum he had
fixed upon; II was the principle OF the
thing that held him lrresolute.
He was worth close to $4,000. There
was a memorandum slip In the upper
right hand drawer that showed this
total In round figures. He could have
told the amount within dollar or two.
1t was q gilt edged property-stocks.
mortgages, cash and q little real es-
tate.
"If was sold out tomorrow" said
Obed, smiling grimly. ''it would bring
every penny that I've totaled 1t at"
He had won this comfortable prop
erty by shrewdness rather than hard
work. For more than 20 years he had
bought mortgages and loaned money
and snapped up unconsidered imam
cial trifes In that same old office. He
slept In the rooms above II. and some
times for days together he didn't leave
the building. There had been few
episodes to enliven the dullness Of this
money grubbing life, but tomorrow
one Of them was to take place. To
morrow his son, his only child. was TO
be married.
Instinctively his eyes turned to the
portrait above his desk-the portrait
Of q brown haired young woman, with
smiling eyes and slightly parted lips.
As he looke' upon the gentle face he
felt little tightening about the heart.
Dead four and twenty years. Their
son was four and twenty, and he mar
RED tomorrow. Their son. Had he
done his duty by their son? He
thought 80. He had certainly given
him q good schooling. The boy had
gone through college with credit TO
himself and his father and had helped
TO pay his way too. ODed had wanted
him to study law, but he had a love
for chemistry and, in company with n
fellow student, had set up an of ce OF
his own. They started In as consult
ing chemists and assayers and were
from all Obed could learn-building up
q fairly remunerative business. He
was certainly a good boy. though per-
haps q little lacking in that respect
for his father which begets confidence.
It seemed but day or two ago that
he had come to him and said:
"Father, am going to marry"
It was like blow to Obed.
swell, WELL" he presently said In his
testy way. "since It's all settled. why
do you come to meT
Because I think you should know
about it." said Arthur stoutly.
"You didn't think to consult me be-
fore you took this step" said the old
man grimly.
"You couldn't expect that father
said the son. IL am no longer a
boy. Besides. you can't help but ap'
prove Of her. She's the dearest girl
Her name is Alma Truman. and her IA
ther is chief accountant with Fancher
4 Co.. She's the eldest Of six, and
they're awfully broken up at the idea
Of her going. That's the kind OF girl
to marry. father-the kind that Is miss.
Cd at home. But you must see her.
"How do you expect to support herT'
inquired Obed dryly.
"With these two hands and the ex'
cellent education you have given me-"
replied Arthur.
The boy had taken him around u
the Trumans' house one evening, but
there were 30 many Trumans. and l,
was only q short call, and he had
scarcely caught a glimpse Of the girl
And now the boy was going to marry
and leave him. he felt. forever.
Their boy! Had he always remem.
bered that Arthur was their boy
Would things have been different II
she had lived? Would he himself have
become the dry. old. money making
machine he was? God only knew.
How happy they had been that briei
year. How ambitious he was for heI
B6kc. k1OW uC tOuCo anu piahbCn
And he remembered how she would
come to him and lay her soft. cool
hands on his and draw the pen away
and turn him round In his chair and
command him to rest. Was she smil
Ing down on him now as she had smil
cd down upon him then and as she al
most seemed to smile upon him from
the lifeless canvas?
Four and twenty years, and here ht
sat, an old man, preparing a wedding
lift for, their son who was to be mar
ried tomorrow. A gift for their son
Yes. yes. It was q custom-foolish per
haps. He would give him check FOL
500. It was q tidy sum and prett,
nearly as much cash ~ the boys IA