The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-07-18

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sphere. His decision had
come as a severe blow 20 his mother,
who held him, her oldest boy. as .
cherished ideal, who should be n tribe
better than the ordinary, no mat
ter what the sacrifice. But 30 IL was
that he accepted the position under
the worthy magnate Of Black Rock.
Then to think that this sprig OF
n girl had well-nigh upset his whole
career. Full well his memory pic
tured that morning four months be-
fore when he had driven the homely
family cart to the depot to meet this
daughter Of his employer, and how
she had treated him with striking
hauteur. She had even mistaken him
for her fathers coachman, and yet
her very prudishness seemed but to !
lend a glamour Of romance to her.
which had caught him in a veritable
web! How often she had entered
| her fathers store, accompanied by
some Of the youthful professionals
of the place, and seemed to delight
in airing her superiority to this
| common Office man! True, her pet
| tishness and Alterations sat well
upon her dainty figure, and a certain
indefinable odor Of perfume seemed
to pervade the dinginess of the Office
when she entered. At times he
seemed to see beyond her outward
nature, and at these rare intervals
he caught a momentary glance OF a
character which, il allowed to as
sert itself, might have endeared her
to the coarsest mortal. He often
noted how old Josiah watched her
every move, and how the staid. old
fashioned home of the Jamiesons be-
came the center of the fashionable
house parties and afternoon teas.
Then as a browning tribute to the
witcheries, young DIR. Ames, voted
bv all the mothers of manageable
daughters as the SWEETEST match IN
the district, had quite lost his heart
to this coquettish little heiress.
Since the day Of their first meeting
Tom had fought down his feelings
by applying himself TO his desk with
redoubled vigor, e~ndeavoring to con
vince himself hat his opinion OF her
was much the reverse OF favorable
: On this night in question he had
ceased to wrestle, and upon the eve
Of resignation to the hand OF tate
! he had summed the whole matter uT
: and voted himself one of the great
est fools that ever lived. A square
: pink envelope lay unopened upon his
: dresser. and after arriving at this
!. fairly satisfactory conclusion he tor'
: off the head and scanned the con
tents, although he could have guessed
u what il contained. 1t was an invita-
! ton which the youthful mistress o
> the Jameson household had sen
I, him, to spend the evening, no douD
= prompted by the advice of her father
y The weather had developed into on
: of those January Billiards which pc
. riodically sweep across the Nortn
:, west prairie, almost overwheimin
the town which lay within its circle
= and Tom was loath to brave its FUR
= for such a cause, and yet uncor
sciously he began to dress, and !
" time he had reached the home OF n
8 employer. To his surprise he foun
y that but one guest besides himse
= had been hidden, none other than IL
= Ames, who Of late had been almo'
/, a constant visitor.
= Supper had been served. While Jea
y and the doctor conversed in low tom
- at one end of the long drawing-roor
- Tom sat at the other with MIR. ii
- mieson and exchanged mutual con
dences on the business aspect OF u
coming season. Yet he was not whc
Iy Indifferent to the scene befol
e him. The little lady looked peculia
" b%ewitching and altogether di
ne dainful. and to his eye she was pla
~ ing her cards with the young medic
with a tact and grace which appa
= emily absorbed his entire attentic
re- The hour was wearing slowly alon
nn to Tom especially, and then a nj
= ried at the door broug
ne Mrs. Jameson from the regions
ne the dining-room in answer. A sud-
an noise. as Of people scurrying pa
re- followed, and Tom realized that !
Oh call Of fire had been raised. N
are Jameson cried out in a brighten
70 voice that il was the mill, and tn
Tom had passed her in the hallw'
ON and was out on the street.
Already the flames, caught by
storm that howled without. W
lighting up the town like a e $
The scene Of indescribable G
fusion which ensued could never
forgotten BY those more intimat
ei concerned. The crude freight
iee apparatus frozen solid. refused
work. and as the red streamers VIZ
about the mill and swept across
ION roofs Of the warehouse and sto
-. adjoining. the people knew that
M siah Jamieson's worldly possessi
- were doomed.
Tom, looming out In The reiea
ign mettle of n college athlete, made
= culean efforts to stay the ruin.
~ lowed by q number Of men he the'
'eeP the hose, directed the streams OF
d.. ter, helped to throw out the &c
from the store, cleared the ono