The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-03-15

~ ming. This is inevitable; it has
become a habit. quarrel with
that man on other days also, but they
have no settled places in the calendar.
The LIST of January, however, is a date
/ chat can be depended upon in this mat
/ ter.
! am a conservative by the decree Of
nature; have q fondness for old Gus
/ toms and observances. For instance,
make good resolutions on New Years
! day, and one Of them always relates to
| Sir Robert Denning 1 resolve to get
the better Of him and to make an end
Of the violent and bitter controversy
! between us.
! / will explain as briefly as possible
my grievance against Sir Robert. If
told in full the story would be long and
you'd involve many wrongs which
shall not mention here. l will try to
make the whole matter comprehensive
by relating only the pitiful romance in
| which Sir Robert and Sylvia Mayne
and Arthur Tyrrell were the principal
I characters. This takes me back to the
/ time when Sir Robert was living in the
town of Barlock, near Birmingham.
England, before he came to America. /
have never been in England and have
not had an accurate description of Bar
lock, but know what happened there.
1t was in the highest degree important
! to me.
Robert Denning inherited from his
father the remnant Of a considerable
! fortune, including a controlling interest
in bank. The bank was in bad way
and threatened to involve the whole es-
tate in disaster, but Robert put its af-
fairs to rights within one year after he
took charge Of it, for he was a much
| better business man than his father had
been. The two had differed radically
upon questions Of business policy, and
they were estranged at the time Of the
elder Denning's death.
! One of Roberts first administrative
acts was to demand the resignation Of
the banks cashier, who was old and
somewhat feeble and would have with
! drawn voluntarily except that he had q
| wish to toll a few weeks more and
round out forty years of service. Be
sides, there was the matter of a pen
sion which he had been led to expect.
but did not get. On the day when he
was finally compelled to yield his place
to q more serviceable man he said to
Robert by way of farewell:
You're a great man O. business, a
| grand man o. business. You've done
much for this bank already, and I'll not
DENY it. But the best thing you've done
for it by long odds was worrying your
old, incompetent father into his grave"
1 can imagine Roberts amazement
and righteous indignation. He never
was able to believe that any person
was sincere in accusing him Of wrong.
His rectitude was in his own eyes the
fundamental certainty which must be
obvious to all men. 1t could not be
questioned except from dishonest mo-
tives or mere spite, as in the present
instance.
Robert would never argue with dis
honest man nor deign to defend him
self from the assaults Of malice, and
Of course itawas beneath his dignity to
quarrel with discharged employee.
Therefore to. the charge that he had
killed his father he replied with a cold
statement of a general truth, as was
his custom inTsuch cases.
"a man is better dead than bank
rupt," said he and turned his back upon
the old cashier.
Though he loved money. Robert was
no miser., He lived in fine style and
would pay tie. price Of anything that
he Desired He bought shrewdly, but
never grudgingly, and he knew how to