The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-04
MR. DEACON OF
 DEACON & co.
UY LAWRENCE HENRY.

startling events occurred of which am aBous to relate.
 IL may be we'll in commencing to < locate Deacon & CO, and also identify myself. The firm Deacon & Co.. was one of the oldest and most prosperous 2 In the wholesale district on the river ! front The affix "Co." to the firm s name was an anomaly The old man himself, and that means MT. Abner Deacon. was the whole thing. Mir. Deacon was reputed to bea millionaire aud guess he was. He owned stocks, bonds and real estate, besides being sole proprietor of the great house of Dea<,on q Co.
 Mr. Deacon was about 60. though excellent care and grooming made him look younger. His habits were exem- plary and though of brusque and en- ergetfc maner, he was not disfiked by his office force. His home life was a model. year before he had lost his wife, but was left with a daughter, a girl of about 22 who had but recently i. returned from some seminary and was mistress of the mansion up town.
 went in the office as one of the bill clerks, but by being fairly on the square arose to the position of sort of confidential clerk to the old man.
 In this capacity had been only sev- eral months when the first incident of 2 lnlS SlOTy tOOh pldCt- rOK d uuHlpSi of days before this occasion when he gave me the initial shock, had noticed that he appeared preoccupied and nerv- ous. Suddenly when in the middle of business proposition he would lapse into 1t of abstraction and it would be several minutes before he would resume the matter in hand. but he would then proceed with a head as clear as . bell. Never at all communf- tx,a ns al ygt Y11a who was supposed to be to some extent his confidential man, the morning he came in and said: Jenkins, come in ! to my private office; l have a personal matter to discuss" l nearly fell of the chair.
 Closing the door carefully behind us. he burst out: Jenkins, you are a poor man?'
 I hardly knew how to reply. I was so put out, but l managed to say: "Yes, l have nothing besides my sal ary.'
 He seemed to be relieved. Sit down." he continued, more easily. We both took chairs near his desk.
 Jenkins" he resumed, his demean- or was now cold and deliberate, T am going to give you s200,00O in cash"
 '.But upon a condition" He now almost smiled.
 fairly had strength to exclaim: "what?"
 That you marry my daughte." His eyes grew cold and pierced me like steel points as he awaited my reply.
 "You--you are jokins!" I stammered.
 No. am not joking" The old man now proceeded in the way he always stated business matter. Listen to me. and l will make it clear. Jen- kins, have watched you for a long time. I am satisfid you are safe, hon. est and a good business man. want a husband for my daughter. I have no social aspirations. Amelia is a beautiful girl, loving and kind in dis position, educated, has all the accom- a bank president if--if-ft were not for one thing, MT. Deacon hesitated and seemed 10 become confused.
 l saw by this time that there was something practical somewhere in the old mans proposition. and I had re- covered my horse sense. What is the one thing?" l asked anxiously.
 My boy his voice grew soft and tender. My daughter. my darling Amelia is subject to temporary spells mind you, only temporary, of abe ation of intellect and, mind you, not often, only very seldom, and very mild at that. At all other times, almost the whole time, she is the beautiful, fascinating young lady that a king would not turn from as wife,
 saw the great light. Quickly run ming over the whole thing in my mind, l saw in the old mans proposal only .another evidence of his wonderful business shrewdness, but in this case he was applying it to personal and sentimental affairs of the private life.
 To cut this part of it short I might as we'll say that after about two hours further consultation old Deacon and myself had the thing settled as far as we were concerned. He convinced me that Amelia would accede to any wish he might express regarding her future, that she fully realized her condition. but under no circumstances was to allow 3her to think that I knew there was anything off color with her.
 What fellow wouldn't take up a chance like that? Anyway the old man said she was sure to outgrow the trouble. I saw where I was fixed for life Two hundred thousand dollars down, a dream of physical perfection for a wife, and then when the old boy died-but I was not mercenary. merely sized it up as any other chap would do under the circumstances. The old boy wanted the whole business fixed up at once, and the plan was that was to take few days off. live in the meantime at the Deacon mansion and devote myself exclusively to the fair Amelia I was to use all my powers to fascinate, that the young woman might take to me naturally. which would make the thing easier all around, as the old man put 1t.
 As per arrangement l accompanied him home that evening. Just before we entered the house he whispered eagerly into my rear: Remember, my boy. the s200,000!'
 When was introduced to his daughter I was dumfounded. I had always prided myself on being some- thing of judge of female loveliness. but this girl took me off my feet. With out any exaggeration she was the most beautiful creature l had ever seen. Rosebud lips, peaches and-cream com plexion and a form that would jar a celibate. She received me very sweet ly, her big, soulful brown eyes sent the warm blood rushing to my hearts but I detected something sad. some thing portentious in their depths. Dur ing the dinner and, in fact throughout the whole evening, 1 noticed how often she would gaze intently at her father and there was strange suggestion of suppressed horror in her look.
 By the next day 1 began to feel quite at home in the house. though my rest was not very good through the night. Somebody at times paced up and down the hallway before Amelia's door. I thought 1t was the old man. On several occasions I thought l heard muffled voices. This naturally bother ed me some. In the morning when