The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-02

1WeinnG 01s o. TIE G1eDG rrvf ma
years have beep connected With the
Tirst National bank of SquawtGnket.
and have been perhaps. Il ] may be al
lowed to say 10. not unimportant factor
IN the steady growth and deserved sue
cess Of that institution" 'le'
Miss Mehetabel stood bolt upright be-
hind her counter. her arms folded. her
gray eyes, with their piercing black dots
Of pupils, fastened uuwinkingly upon the
countenance Of Mr. AbijaL Joplinc, while
her own maintained its normal impassive
gravity. She was listening attentiyely.
but not eagerly. She may have wonder
ed what object be had In view, but Curl
osity was an emotional weakness not 10
be expressed. She neither commented nor
encouraged but merely waited for him 10
unfold himself.
"My present salary" he continued, lis
81, 200 per annum, and have invested In
shares In the Squawtunket and Squawo-
az Railroad company $7.853. which 10 at
present paying per cent dividends and
which will when the Vanderbilts have
purchased the controlling interest yield at
least 10 per cent per annum." Mr.. Jop-
ling paused again, this time to note the
effect of his statement, but Miss Bascom.
displaying no perceptibie evidence OF
emotion and still regarding him silently
and without blinking. he experienced
slight feeling of disappointment.
"As an employee of the First National
bank of Squawtunket," he resumed, ut
has come under my notice. Miss Meheta-
bel, that you have on deposit there ut
present the sum of $6543.O8, on which
you IRE receiving Of course In bank OF
deposit no interest whatsoever. Suppose.
Miss Meheta bel-now, do not be startled
at what l am about to say" miss Me-
hetabel looked about as likely to be star
tied as wooden Indian and fully as self
contained as hard boiled egg). Sup
pose, l soy, that $7,653 were added to
$8,543O8, the sum would amount to $751;
1906 This sum, invested In shares OF
the Saua wtunket and Squawoag railroad.
paying dividends of 10 per cent, for l
have It on the highest authority that the
Vanderbilts fully intend to take the con-
troll, would afford an annual.income Of. in
round numbers. $1,000. This, added to
my salary, would amount to $500. and.
as l take it the annual profits Of your
business here amount to not less than
$1,000, ] may place the grand total at
1880. Now, Miss Mehetabel," said
Abijah. throwing back his head and ey-
ing Miss Bascom with the air of an at
torney who had made out lucid and all
but unanswerabe case, ''you will per-
ceive the end of this somewhat extraor-
binary interview, | have the honor to
offer you--tlat is, would like to-no; l
ENTHUSIASTICALLY you be kind enough
to marry me, Miss Bascom?"
Now, Abijah, in thinking out the posi-
bic contingencies of this campaign. had
supposed it not unlikely that Miss Mehet-
abel on hearing his proposal Of marriage.
might throw her arms around his neck
and embrace him and perhaps caress
him, after what he had vague notion
was the feminine usage Of like circnm-
stances. The thought Of this possibility
had at first somewhat dashed him. hut
lie had made up his mind to submit
gracefully, and even to return those Law.
sh caresses in q chaste and Inethodical
manner.
Rather to his disappointment, but
much to his relief, nothing Of the kind
happened. Miss Mehetabel kept her head
in a truly remarkable manner indeed and
gave way to no such passionate outburst
of affection. Instead of that she con-
tinued to regard him immovably. arms
folded, bolt upright, the little black points
in her gray irises seeming to pierce the
glasses of her steel bound spectacles and
to gimlet into the very brain and soul of
Abijah Jopling.
After she had thus continued to gaze
for about 20 seconds and when Abijah
had been reduced to state bordering
closely on imbcciity, she spoke.
"rhet would be very nice arrange.
ment," she said very deli.eratcly-"a
very nice arrangement"
Abijah frightened up at once and was
betrayed into acquicscing. "Yes, indeed"
when she continued FUR yOn! Ez fur
me, now tibet I've found out tibet folks is
a-pryin un a-peepin ento my private eff
fairs an tibet them, ell fack. thet's got my
money en- charge is a-devisin an entriggin
to lay hands onto ct to put ct ento Wild
eat railroad sheers an bulin an bearn
m other on-Christian bedevilment | en-
tend to dror all my money out of the
Squawtunket bank temorrcr mornin an
to take ct over to Squawoag, where 1
know ct will be safe. An you, young
man." she added grimly, "can be very
thankful to ME Of don't tell the direct
DIS all about your little speckerlatin CO.
ms on an cuttin's up. Marry you? Why,
you oughter be thnkin about funeral
,nstid of weddin--you're old enough"
When Mr.. Abih Jopling reached
home five minutes later, he was some
what flushed from the rapidly Of his mo-
ion thither il not from other causes, and |
Is lie glanced at himself in the mirror of
iis bureau he noticed that not only was
lis hat rammcd down very tightly upon
lis head, but that it had been put on
backward.
Now. never before in the whole course
# Mr. Jopling's AZ years had he once
'ut his hat on wrong end foremost, and,
ct it be added, never again in the entire
curse of his subsequent career was he
observed wearing II 10 any such unscem-
y or abnormal fashion Truth.