The Atlanta constitution., 1900-04-30

at tho manager and directors. as they
had been seated for hours. lf it had
hc.n safe To have ycntured into the street,
the directors would have quilted the sink
. ing ship. long ago. but now il was not to
b. thought or. So they waited on i'm ST.
lence FOR I O'Clock. when the decision Of
the great financial firm. as to whether aid
to the bank should bc given or not. would
be brought t. them. The messenger was
TO come i'm by the private entrance. direct
into the managers room. and his advent
meant either the banks rcsucc or ruin.
Wine and food We're on th" table. but
none 81 these anxious pallid men had
touched them. FOR the ceascless sound of
an angry torrent was in their ears. The
silence within the bank parlors seemed
deadly i'm contrast with that .iull roar
outside. and tick by tick the clock over
the mantclpiece wore on to l o'cioo X, re-
morsel,ssly. The gold mines under the
cashiers counter were almost worked out,
anI the ledger clerks at their desks sat
waiting for the end.
Nearer and nearer TO the doors. came
the white hat. There was only one win
dow Ieft L. d. crushed past. and Mr..
Selby. haCgdrd and faint. EaSped the hot
AIR. There was no space Tor MS talllhSs
or hc must have done 50. buj MS brain
haa ceased 20 work cohcrtnilN hal an
hour ago, and he was conscious only OF
the window which seemed 10 faSclnate
him. lie connected IL with his account,
and 81 one as the hroad shetl ol glass; S3
WAS clear, mis- money WAS safe. Now anu
lh.n he begged somebody 10 give nun a
chance Of life. but the request Was not
needed. and vet he lived on. rather sur
prisrd al himself
-r.n minutes past one. There had been
a uic a. scufilt- al the door II the private
entrance to the bank. and "a hercu-'dil
messenger had bored his way thr1uS n
hsI a
t.srlnr too and a rumor was waiting
among the ledger clerks as 10 the nature
of his message. Mr.. Sclby was Mitnll
touch of ths ioors at last. and hNe NM
ures more of that life and deain sttuEE =
would land him II the counter. bul ne
kept his gaze ON the window; u me ldlio
remained clear for i've minutes .ons~
four minutes nuW-hiS money Noulu b'
rescued. then he felt himself being thruss
. hacISward-they were clearing the peopie
from before the counter, ana the cashiers
had disappeared.
That. The announcement WAS hlurrlnS
H. window at last. and the Great Cen
trial bank'' had suspended payment
CHAPTER VII.
S.x months had elapsed since MI. SelpS
had baen brought back To MarlhurSt by a
sympathizing friend. and put 10 bed.
where h.. remained a fortnight. tended by
Dr. Mortimer with a care and skin that
alone could have saved MS hl". Nheh h1
recovered sufficiently 10 be brought DOWN
stairs. Mr.. Selhy's first inquiry was reia-
tive. TO his invention. and from that mo-
mcnt ne never referred to the object OF
his visit 10 London. That he had lost
large sum of money and that there wou
h difficulties in making both ends meet
I'm the future did not concern him in the
least. and his natural chcerfulness seem
ed rather to have increased. To Madse
the misfortune brought great many
anxious thoughts. for il was quite plain
to her that the daily expense would have
Ia he considerably curtailed. Her moth
er. accustomed 10 receive a generous
check once a month. quietly resigned
herself to the altered circumstances. and
outward Y life at Westdown house went
on TRANQUILITY. in spite of Mr.. Se'by's re-
duccd fortune and gradual weakening OF
mind.
AIortimer's project of buvins a practice
had baeu postponed by Mr.. Selby's Ill
moss and the time had passed rapidly
,vvaS- since his recall to the manor. wnere
h. remained in duty bound to his patient
and the squire was quite content To nave
IL so Mr. Dorman. after enduring the
duIInesS OF Whyteleas for some weeks hau
taken chambers i'm London, visiting the
squire. however. with great dutifulness
At intervals and nothing. except Mr.. sell
by's Illness, had occurred To mark the
passage of time. II was winter now
bleak and dreary, and the manor present
cd a forlornness that would have driven
n visitor away from il. had not the fet-
ters of love kept him there. For day by
day Dicks love had grown stronger and
MadGe's more devout. as she watched her