The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-22

y y y y y ~ <>-~Q
take to ha' kept the lot 1t would
ha' come in pretty handy for presents
when we. got back-a bottle here and
there OF such wine as that would ha'
been thought considerable OF, 1 be-
iieve-' specially if Islet the. price leak
out sort of accidental. But, anyway.
don't mind confessing right here that
do wish I'd kept one bottle"
w eli, father, suggested Daisy, with
something of a twinkle, perhaps there
wouldn't be any great difference be-
tween dropping thirty -fortieths
OF that thousand dollars and dropping
all the ferty?'
No. there wouldn't A bottle OF
wine costs s975 or a thousand
such mighty difference. But why?Y
Because l think it's pretty likely
you can get bottle back for the other
$25. That would bring the price down
to $500 each for the pair, wouldn't it?',
There's nothing the matter with the
arithmetic, her father answered
doubtfully, .'but the wines pretty well
out of reach by this time. guess,
But surely you remember who
bought the very first magnum put up
for sale?"
Why. yes, of course-the steward
OF the Rajapurs and pretty much of a
startier / got when l heard the price
We'll, father, if you were in the
habit of watching people as closely as
/ do, you'd guess that McNab didn't
buy that wine to drink himself. He
speculated; but he's a pretty hard
headed sort of Scotchman and he'll
make more Of his speculation than you
did, fathert But you can buy his bot
tie, I'm sure, if he hasn't sold it al
ready"
Come cried her father, that's a
notion! Well send and find him"
And he rang for the waiter.
Duncan McNab, chief steward of the
Rajapur, was a methodical man of
business, and he was not difficult to
find that evening. The Rajapur, be-
cause of its accident. was to stay at
southampton for repairs before pro-
eeeding, to London. Mr.. McNab had
seen the passengers off and collected
whatever contributions were forthcom-
ing the day before, and had also found
time to come ashore and make his little
speculation. He had rather expected
to see the Tokay go cheap. All this
following day he had not been idle, and
he was still busy with his accounts
when he received Mr.. Merrick'S mes
sage. He curbed some natural resent
n1ent at being disturbed by a person
who was no longer a passenger, and,
consequently, no concern of his, by the
reflection that possibly Merrick had
repented of his disastrous transaction
in wine, and now wished to recover at
least one of his lost magnumS; d
perfectly accurate conjecture, as
we have seen For some hours the
frugal soul Of McNab had been trou-
bled by a fear that perhaps he had
foolishly risked his money-the mag
mum had cost him nine shillings-after
all, and that he might wait for long
w-1@<~ 1g lr1flx leaFf
to pay him a profit on his purchase
But at the hint of the message he took
his hat, frightened his lips and set bis
face toward the hotel.
.'Ou, ay," quoth the McNab doubt
fully, when he had listened to MIR.
Merricks explanation of his message,
He spoke with sourly, thoughtful air,
as though the suggestion of selling his
property struck him as an unwelcome
encroachment on his rights "Ou, ay
ha-hum; hum. Am thinlxin' yell ken
that buyin an sellin' is aye twa
deterrent things"
, THAT" said Mr.. Merrick, 'is piece
, of wisdom which this wine transaction
would have taught me already, guess
, if 1 had never heard of it before.
"Ou, ay Weel an what might ye be
, thinkin' of Offering for the bottle OF
wine? 'Tis a muckle big bottle"
"The same size as the others, ot
course. You gave nine ShllllngS Tor IL,
! | guess it's your business to say Wha'
profit you want on that"
'eHa, hum. Twas circulate aboard
that We paid twa hoondred poond fol
: the twaP bottles. Moo. that wad MAX
the bottle we drinket come to over
hoondred an ninety-five poond wen
> moo, I'll no ask We as much as that. 1o1
) mine"
I'D call that a mighty wise judg-
1 ment, steward" replied Mr. Merrick
+ solennly. Unless you want to keel
the wine for yourself?
No; McNab obviously did not wan
TO keep the magnum for himself. Blu
e his notion of the price was present.!
, seen to be lust the very highest sun
that could be squeezed out of the pur
( chaser. and his opinion of his presen
, customers saueezability was a yer.
. exalted one, to begin with. But 1T SAM
t gradually, as it became plain to tn
steward that the American WouI'
t stand no more big figures; and, In tn
: end, with much protest, the magnun
g became Mr. Merricks again for nv
a pounds. Whereupon 1T became plan
that the businesslike McNab had com
T nrenared to clinch the bargain on IN
SCOT. and so give the purchaser no TIM
for repentance for he fetched the DOT
tle from the hotel office down STAIRS
! where it had been lying during the IN
: teryiew. -,
;, rn11e}, relieved in mind, while Mr.. Mer
a rick carefully packed away the mag
= nurn i'm the middle of a trunk, sur
: rounded by clothes.
fry,o he continued next Sunday