The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-08-30
Of chances that'll stand without hitch,

| A>SVSA yOu mAAu, OuC1S TSI6r. YOU
remember what l told YOU
"That takes a different man from
what you are. If your pa was alive
now"
But what are we going to do?" cried
Psyche.
First thing you'll do" said Uncle
Peter promptly, you go write letter
to that beau of your'n, tellin' him it's
all off. You don't want to let him be
the one to break it because you lost
your money, do you? You go sign his
release right this minute
"Yes-you're right, Uncle Peter-I
suppose it must be done-but the poor
fellow really cares for me-
"Oh, of course" answered the old
man, it'll fairly break his heart. You
do it just the same!"
| She withdrew, and presently came
back with a note which she dispatched
to Mauburn.
| Percival and his mother had contin-
ued their dinner, the former shaking
his head between the intervals of the
old mans lashings, and appearing to
hold silent converse with himself.
This was an encouraging sign. It is
a curious fact that people never talk
to themselves except triumphantly.
In moments of real despair we are
inwardly dumb. But observe the hold
ers of imaginary conversations. They
are conquerors to the last one. They
administer singing rebukes that leave
the adversary writing. They rise to
Alpine heights of pure wisdom and
power, leaving him to founder ignobly
in the mire of his own faulty. They
achieve repartee the brilliance of which
dazzles him to contemplate silence. If
statistics were at hand we should
doubtless learn that no man has ever
talked to himself save by way of dem
onstrating his own godlike superiority,
and the tawdry impotence of all OBJ
stacles and opponents. Percival talked
to himself and mentally lived the next
five years in style that reduced
Uncle Peter to grudging but imperative
awe for his superb gifts of admins
tration. He bathed in this imaginary
future as in the waters Of omnipotence
As time went on he foresaw the shafts
of Uncle Peter being turned back upon
him with such deadliness that, by the
time the roast came, his breast was
swelling with pity for that senile
scoffer.
| Uncle Peter had first declared that
the thought of food sickened him.
Prevailed upon at last by Mrs. Bines
to taste the soup, he was soon eating
as those present had of late rarely seen
him eat.
"'Tain't natural appetite, .4ough,"
he warned them. cts kind of a
mania before 1 go all to pieces, 1
s'pose."
Nonsense! Well have you all right
in a week. said Percival. "Just re-
member that I'm going to take care Of
you"
my son can do anything he makes
up his mind to-" declared Mrs. Bines
-"just anything he lays out to do
They talked until late into the night
of what he should clay out" to do.
Meantime the stronghold of Maui
burns optimism was being desperate
| ly stormed.
In an evening paper he had read of
Percival's losses. The afternoon press
of New York is not apt to understate
| the facts of a given case. The account
| Mauburn read stated that the young
| western millionaire had beggared his
| family.
Mauburn had gone to his room to be
alone with this bitter news. He had
| begun to face it when Psyches note
of release came. While he was ad-
justing this development, another
knock came on his door, It was the
same maid who had brought Psyche's
note. This time she brought what he
saw to be cablegram.
Excuse me, Mr.. Mauburn-now this
came early to-day, and you wasn't in
your room, and when you came in Mrs.
Ferguson forgot it till just now
| He tore open the envelope and read:
male twins born to Lady Casselthorpe.
Mother and sons doing finely
| "H1NK1E."
Mauburn felt the rock foundations of
Manhattan Island to be crumbling to
dust. For an hour he sat staring at
the message. He did not talk to him
self once.
Then he hurriedly dressed, took the
note and the cablegram, and sought
Mrs. Drelmer.
He found that capable lady gowned
for the opera. She received his bits
of news with the aplomb of resource
full commander.
"Now, don't go seedy all at once
you've a chance"
Hang it all, Mrs. Drelmer, I've not.
Life isn't worth living
"Tut, tut! Death isn't, either!"
But we'd have been so nicely set
up, even without the title, and now
Bines, the clumsy ass, has come this
Internal cropper, and knocked every.
thing on the head. l say, you know
it's beastly!"
Hush, and let me think"
He paced the floor while his matri.