The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-04-20
A BUSINESS CASE

and never once in all that time,
could there have been found one
single, solitary error on any of his
books. His balance sheets were mar
vels of unspotted correctness. He
could run down three columns of
figures at the same time, and at ex-
press speed, and add them with abso-
lutte precision. He could locate the
transpositions and errors of the other
employees, in no time at all, while the
most intricate problems of compound
discount or interest were to him as
II they were not. And in all his ways
he was as precise and methodical as
q chronometer and as prim and neat
as a new silver dollar.
In fact, he made too good a clerk,
ever to have become anything better,
and, having neither friends nor suffi-
Gent money to boost him up the
financial ladder, he had rested through
the golden time of life on the lowest
round. He had entered the bank at
fourteen as a petty clerk, and at forty
eight had attained only the head book
keepership. Nevertheless, he had by
economy and a shrewd turn or two,
good fortune accumulated a few
thousand dollars which he had in
vested in the Squawtunket and Squa-
woag Railroad company, very tidy
little property.
Now, on a day, Miss Mehetabel Bas-
com, extracting from a rather lean
old black stocking, which had been
darned with white thread, $S,54306 in
bills and coin, deposited the amount
in the First National Bank of Squaw-
tunket. This came under his notice
and from that day he marked her.
Looking out through the white
sashed windows of the bank, discreet
ly yelled by dingy green wire screens,
wherein was displayed the title Of
that temple of finance in furnished
gilt letters shaded with rusty black
Mr.. Jepling had an unobstructed view
of Miss Mehetabel Bascoms shop on
the other side of the street. This en-
bryo emporium was really nothing but
a one-story addition which had been
built out onto the front of Miss Bas-
CONS house. She had originally start
ed her shopkeeping in the dwelling it.
SELF but as she prospered she found
need of an enlarged establishment;
hence the addition. In the side win
dowS of the little store one might see,
in remarkably methodical arrange
ment, candy, tops, jackstones, dolls,
marbles, kites and other necessities
of childhood, besides some books and
periodicals, a small stock of muslins,
calicoes, chintzes and other cheap
fabrics, as we'll as an interesting as
90 fhof IN
the trade as motions"
Miss Mehetabel had lived and con-
Quoted her business here for more
years than 1t would be polite to say,
and had made a glowing if not bril-
liant success of her humble little ven
ture into commerce. She was tall,
spare and rawboned, with steel-rim-
med spectacles and thinnish dark hair
in which were many silvery strands.
Her eyes were gray and piercing, her
mouth very firm and compressed,
with an expression that never varied,
except when the thin lips parted for
some laconic utterance, for she was a
woman of few words, and those of the
shortest At exactly $50 o'clock
every morning, summer or winter, a
light wisp of bluish-gray smoke would
curl upward from the square brick
chimney of the dwelling. At exactly
6:15 Miss Mehetabel would open the
door of the shop, and attired in dark
brown dress, rather short about the
ankles, but very plain, very neat and
very businesslike, would sally forth
to take down the green shutters of
her shop windows, while her little
maid-of-all-work swept the shop and
the sidewalk before it. You could
have set your watch by her, either in
the morning or when, to the flick of
a fiy's wing, she shut up shop at pre-
cisely 9 p. m. She was Just as
methodical and exact about all her
other affairs. She gave no credit if
she could possibly avoid it, and then
for not above a week. She would
not accept Canadian dimes, plugged
nickels or postage stamps, and she
paid cash for all she bought, and eX-
acted the best discount for the same
wherever possible So doing, she had
prospered, and now had her hand
some little account with The First Ma
tional Bank of Squawtunket, just
across the way.
Pondering upon these facts and
figures in the qualities and fortunes
of Miss Mehetabel Bascom and his
own, Abiiah Jopling, with that acute
penetration with which heaven had
blessed him, saw opportunity flirting
with him out of the tail of her eye
and, knowing that opportunity, like
woman, may make eyes at man yet
not seek him, he determined to seize
the auspicious moment and to deal
with her.
"Miss Mehetabel," he said to him
self. sis a woman of business. | will
waste no words, but talk straight
business and come to the point with
out needless circumlocution."
That very evening, having carefully
smoothed the nap of his respectable
stove-pipe and looked well to the
general neatness of his attire, he be
took himself, with deliberate and dig
nifed footsteps, to the shop of Miss
Mehetabel
He found that lady behind hel
counter. having waited upon her last
customer and being about to close fol
the nig''t
Witho"+ boating about the bush
and = ~~~' ""a no" srred but mos
respectful tones, after he had ex
changed greetings with Miss Bascom
Mr.. Abijah Jopling began to state hii
business.
"Miss Mehetabel," he said, II have
known of you for several years, ant
a part of that time have beer
acquainted personally with you. Wha
have heard of you has been mos
highly to your credit and my own per