The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-03
CHAPTER ".
An EXCEPTIONAL MATCH.

"a long breath and looked at
ga little ahead Of anything
we've found yet, John," said he. "aave
you ever tried to figure the thing out
in your own mind, Mr.. Donaldson?'
The young man shook his head.
81 know what I saw" ne said, "but
don't know what was back Of it, and
am inclined to think" he added, with
q smile, "that it is much the same
with all we see, however simple. There
is mystery behind that teacup which
no man alive can solve"
1--WE know that it will hold our tee" ="
said Hackett, ''but this psychic buss'
ness doesn't seem to have any bottom" ."
asked whether any one knew why
vinal had not made his confession in
this country.
'He went to beg my brothers par
don and to die forgiven" said Donald
son. "He put his confession into the
hands Of the man who had been
wronged."
A general conversation followed in
which Donaldson appeared to far
greater advantage than before. The
telling Of the story seemed to have TAX
en- weight of his mind. Both Hack
EFT and myself were pleased with him,
and we resolved to carry out our orig
inal intention Of taking him into our
employ. We did not speak Of the mat
ter until after Whiting had left US.
He had said in the beginning that he
could be with US not more than half an
hour. When he had gone, I explained
to Donaldson that we had been con-
sidering him with reference to posi-
ton Of importance in our business, and
I named the duties, the salary and the
prospects.
BE was to be Mr.. Hackett's assistant
incur urdepartmentof sales. WeWerethen
introducing a system Of disposing OF
our goods which was entirely unique in
this country, and We required young
man Of good appearance, Of cultivated
mind and manner and especially OF
that quick, intuitive perception which
is so valuable in dealing with the high
est grade of merchants. The right
man. coming to US with the proper en-
ergy and abiNty, might hope for any
thing, up to an interest in our business,
that would make him more than well
to do. 1t all depended upon himself.
Donaldson received this proposal
with a solemnity which justified his
college nickname Of deacon" by
which we had heard DR.. Whiting ad-
dress him.
sIt is useless for me to deny" said
he, 'that what you suggest is great
advance for me. In my present place
I am like q diver walking with leaden
soled shoes in a medium Of high resist
ance and having everything pumped
down to me from above. can't get to
the top, and nobody is going to pull
me I'D. make few signals by pull
ing on a string, but nobody answers
them. I'm sunk; that's the truth about
me.
Therefore" be continued, looking first
to Rackett and then to me, Il am more
than ready to accept your offer, but
there is one dificulty-1 perceive that
yo" ave another motive in making it,
"another motive?" said l, looking
across at my partner.
Young Mr.. Donaldson laid his clinch'
ed right hand upon the table.
From this day forth" said he, "if l
have any power or means Of knoWl-
edge that is different from the aver
age will make no display Of 1t and
no use of it. That is my irrevocaole
decision. You will never learn more
of that subject from me than you will
know tonight when the sun gees down.
But, since I have cast away restraint
today, let me continue in that folly.
81 know perfectly well that you have
another object in making this propos-
al to me; that it is part Of fantas-
tic dream. You hope to mate me with
q young woman whom you believe to
possess the same powers that are in
me. You think that you are acting in
the interests of the advance Of human
knowledge and that posterity, with
the probable exception Of my posterity,
will rise up and call you blessed"
was mctionless, dumfounded. l
could not have cried "Fire" if the
blaze had broken out in my own pock-
ct. Ten thousand MESA ges~ from Ja-
pan were not to be thought Of in COM
parison with this phenomenon.
For the secret that he had touched
upon was absolutely ours. My own
private speculations upon the subject
and my brief and inconsequential
talks with Hackett summed up the
whole Of it. Neither Of US had ever
suggested that Donaldson and Miss
Vaughn might make a match Of it, yet
the idea had fitted through my mind
now and then, and found out after
ward that it had been in Hackett's.
81 don't mean to say" continued Don
aldson, ''that you would use any iniu-
ence OF hold out any inducements to
bring such q marriage about, but you
will look for it, and you will be disap-
pointed. Why, Mr.. Harrington. if /
knew that girl was what is called a
psychic l could no more love her than
I could love q girl with two noses. No,
sir; am opposed to superfuity. The
ordinary mental and physical endow-
ments are enough for me- If you at
tempt to make any such match for me,
I shall run
"But have you any reason to sup
pose that such girl exists" de-
manded. "Who is she?"
81 have no intimation as to who she
is" he replied, addressing me directly.
81 perceive no more than that she is
some one for whom you have a high
regard, and it is doubtless great hon.
or for me to be coupled with her in
your thoughts. But ask you to think
! of it no more"
"You have read from closed book, ,"
cold fond II Sc q rnarVaIay,c thi0o tn