The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1904-12-29
Dis Negotiable
Hunt
By otbo 3. sensa
cepyrIsbt, 1904. by Otto 3. ssnga

S,~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~s
Alec Bruce turned around slowly on
tie piano stool and faced the five girls
Probably you girls are not aware
OF it. but our friend Jack has been
adopted"-
Jack Hawarden'sN honest face cloud
ed.
sDon't AIecr he protested
Jack" said Alec solemnly, Eve are
bidden not to hide our light under
bushel. You're trying to hide yours
in pill box, and l shall tell the girls
the whole story"
Il came to see Mrs. Gray" said Jack,
rising Il will find her upstairs,
think"
AS be passed Bruce he whispered
f1ercely, "For heavens sake, Alec keep
that thing to yourself!'
Alec smiled and nodded, but as soon
as Jack had disappeared he continued
seriously. It's thing you ought to
know, girls, and I'm determined you
shall. Jack is too modest-an unusual
trait in an Englishman," he added
thoughtfully.
Forget that you're Scotch and let's
have the storyp' cried the girl who
wrote stories
''Sure. I'll begin right in the middle
SO as to reach the denouement sooner.
Our Jack is in love-
Laughing EXPLANATIONS of increduli-
ty from the listening girls.
.sHe is-hOneSt His soul is tuned
to sweet accord with peerless strains
off,
Never mind his SOUL" interrupted
Kathleen again. Tell us the story"
This isn't a wild Irish story, Miss
Clyde" he returned, with an air of
slow moving and a particularly slow
speaking Englishman He hasn't told
his love, because the young lady is
earning fine salary and is seemingly
happy in her work, and his position
was far from satisfactory. But the
first of the year he was promoted,
with generous increase He was
screwirg up his courage" here Alec
paused and made a strenuous imita-
ton Of a person using q screwdriver)
when he received a message from
the immigration authorities that
changed all his plans"
The willy story teller stopped as if
the narration were complete.
do go on!' cried some one impa-
tiently. THAT surely isn't the end?"
what could the immigration au-
thorities want Of Mr. Hawarden?" ex-
claimed another
After much urging Alec continued:
When Jack went to the immigration
Office he found 4 clean, decent looking
old EnglishWOman, who fell upon his
neck and called him her dear nephew
and announced to the officers that he
was the living image OF her dear dead
brother, Jock Now, Jack hasn't a liv-
ing relative and never had an aunt
and he tried to explain this to the old
lady and to the officers. But she'would
have none Of it, and the officers told
him very gruffly that if he didn't in
tend to support his aunt to say SO at
once, for in that case the woman would
have to be depOrted She broke down
at this and cried in the most pitiful
way, and-welI, it ended in Jacks TAX
ing her away with him. He has a
room for her in the house where he's
boarding and is doing his best to make
her comfortable. He spends most of
his evenings with her. and the old
creature is as happy as can be-"
Jacks brickw exclaimed Kath-
leen eXcitedly.
1T is certainly very noble of him
said the editor warmly.
Cant he find the real nephew?'' ask
ed the artist
.No. He has visited every Hawarden
in the city, and none has any knowl-
edge of the old lady. He has found
the record of the death of a John Ha-
warden who came from England TWEEN
ty years ago and who died shortly after
his arrival
'That was undoubtedly the real
nephew" said the girl with the violin.
IAN old person does not realize the
change there would be in a young
man. She would expect her nephew
to look as he did when he left Eng
young Englishman would correspond
to the picture she has carried in her
memory all these years."
What does Jack intend to do?" ask
ed Miss Fairlie.
Take care of her as long as she
lives. 1t can't be so very long, poor
soul, and she hasn't cent. Jack says
Providence has sent him an aunt and
he shall do his duty by her. She adj
mitted a day or two ago that perhaps
she might not be his real aunt, but she
was his negotiable haunt OF course
the poor old lady hasn't the slightest
idea of the meaning of negotiable, but
under the circumstances-the way she
has transferred herself to Jack-you'll
admit it's funny. He's upstairs now
asking Mrs. Gray to go to see the old
lady"
He turned abruptly to the music
teacher, who had remained silent
What do you think of Jacks quixot-