Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-12-25

scarcely noticed 1t, but which, in his
retrospective glance, under the bright
illumination Of this magnificent offer,
weighed on his spirits like a pail.
What! He an equal partner in the
firm! He an equal sharer in the profits!
He the heir of Mr.. Alden! 1t seemed
incredible. E
"Well, Josiah, what say your"
He reused himself and said:
81 don't know what to say, the Of
fer is so unexpected and undeserved.
have never done more than my duty,
and why you should be SO generous
do not know; really do not know
what to say or do"
There is nothing you need say, Jo-
siah, and but one thing to do-allow
me to have my own way. My decision
is not a thing of the moment; have
thought of it long and often. The store
does not pay very much-about four
thousand dollars year-still' it has
enabled me to lay up snug fortune,
| and to place upon my life an insur-
ance of twenty thousand dollars"
Josiah listened to the old mans talk
only with external application; he un-
derstood what was said, but each word
conjured up a picture. At first his
| mind did not wander beyond the year
| ly income of two thousand dollars; this
sum, in contrast with his beggarly
| fifteen dollars a week, seemed mex
| haustible. He thought Of the many
l 11sv =, n hi
wife, should have silk dress, and
should rest from the labor which had
been wearing her out. Martha, his
i Oldest daughter, should have the wish
of her life granted, and should study
music. Alfred should go to college;
the other children should have their
dresses when they grew up-and he
oh, he would get a new coat!
] With such roseate pictures did the
two thousand dollars fill his thoughts;
but when he allowed his mind to con-
template the time when he should pos
sess Mr.. Alden's entire fortune, it af-
fected him as a flash of lightning does
the eve.
"Well, JOSIAH" said Mr.. Alden, 'let
us go and have the partnership papers
drawn up; then, as it is your birth
day, you can take holiday, some
thing you have not had in many
years"
"Just as you say, SIR" said Josiah,
meekly.
| Soon the business was transacted,
Josiah signing all the papers in a
dazed manner, unconscious of their
| contents. Then he fastened home, for
he was anxious to conf1de to some one
| the joy that filed his heart; and to
I whom more properly than to her who
had shared his privations and sorrows?
| When he reached his abode, a dingy
| house in an obscure back street, he
found his wife working upan a pile Of
| shirts; this she had done for many
| years to exc out their meager exist
| ence. Josiah was not unused to the
sight, since he had witnessed it day
after day, but now he felt within his
soul an impulse of indignation that his
wife should be doing such work; so,
| while his wife gazed in astonishment
at her iege lord, who never before in
all their married life had returned so
early from the store, he stalked gran
diloquently to the pile Of shirts, gath
cred them up and cast them out of the
door.
Josiah Reynoldsr' exclaimed the
amazement-stricken wife, "are you
| craZyY .
mo, Maria, am not, but do feel
rather strange here" said Josiah, tap
ping his forehead, "but crazy or not,
you shall make no more shirts for
Wringer & Starchem."
"But, my dear, what shall we do?
made three dollars a week out of
them; we can't get along without the
| money"
Mrs. Reynolds" answered Josiah,
with an air of dignity, the wife of the
junior member of the firm of Alden &
Reynolds does not need to make shirts
at three dollars a week."
Maria was ready to burst into tears.
Never before had her dear Josiah
called her Mrs. Reynolds; moreover, he
frightened her with his strange actions
! and incoherent talk, and, with wom-
ans reasoning, she concluded he was
gathering burst forth like torrent, ac-
companied by storm of sobs.
"My dear Maria, what is the mat
ter?" exclaimed the now awakened
husband; "have I said or done any
thing to offend your
NO." sobbed Maria, "only go-gone
and go-got crazyw
"Why, Maria, 1 am not crazy; what
do you mean by saying sow
''What do you mean by talking
about the firm of Alden & Reynolds
when you are only clerk getting fif-
teen dollars a week? p
This was more than Josiah could
stand. What! He. partner in the
/ firm, accused of being clerk at fifteen
dollars week? 1t was an INSULT In
a voice of indignation he said:
"Madam. wish you to understand