The Newark journal., 1908-04-10
HIS CHARETART.E
 DEED
By J. s. FLETCHER
lCopyright.)

 Tor on either side of the tea table, when the servant announced the Misses Merridews.
 Two quaint figures approached Mrs. Poskitt. and shook hands with her in shy, breathless fashion.
 Do take a cup, ladies'" said Mrs. Poskitt, who had already replenished the teapot and whispered the servant maid to bring fresh hot toast. It'll do you power of good after your walk Do. now"
 Miss Sarah Ellen MCrfidew and Miss Martha Mary Merridew hestated in the fashion which they had been taught many a long year ago to con slider the polite and genteel thing. But eventually, after many protestations. the two ladies were seated at the table and supplied with tea and hot toast Secretly Mir. Poskitt was wondering what had brought them to his house He knew them as the proprietors of the little village shop-two simple minded old maids, whose sole means of livelihood lay in their business These here two owd lasses is i the vale O tribulation, he said to him self Why. now. then, we must see if we can't do summat to help 'em out on it. But we nun know first how they come to get theer"
 ATr. Poskitt never hurried anybody's cattle, and he waited until the tea table had been cleared, and he. his wife and their visitors had been ln- stalled round the eheery fire. to hear the reason which had brought the two old maids to his door At the end of a silence that followed the solemn lighting of Mr. Poskitt's pipe, Miss Sarah Ellen Merridew spoke. with pa thetic timidity,
 "Mr Poslitt said Martha Mary, me and Sarah Ellen is in great trouble.
 Mr Poskitt blew out a cloud of smoke
 "Naay." said Mr Poskitt. with great affectation of deep surprise "Ye don't say so? Troublel Why, I wor just thinking how well ye wor both looking young as iver, like Trouble? Naay, come, nowi"
 Its like this, Mir. Poskitt," contin. ued Sarah Ellen. I've no doubt you'll remember our only brother John. Of course. you'd never see much of him, because he left the village when we was all young folk. A fine, handsome young fellow he was-straight-backe like all the Merridews.
 q hev some recollection O tn gen. Al away to London Town, didnt-a?s
 "He did. Mir. Poskitt. and married and settled down there" replied Sarah Ellen. Married a very genteel young person of the name of Saunders. And, of course, we never saw much of them after that-in fact. we never saw John after fathers burying, and that's a long time ago. He's dead now, is John, poor thing! and so is his wife.
 Left onny fam'ly?" inquired Mir Poskitt.
 One son, MT Posl1itt-Tohn Saun- ders Merridew." answered Sarah Ellen. Yes, John Saunders Merridew. Sor- " 1 am to say 1t of one of my own flesh and blood, Mir. Poskitt, but that young man, John Saunders Merridew, our nevvy though he was, was bad una real bad un!"
 "Naayi" said Mir Poskitt "Ye don't sayl"
 "A real bad 'un!" repeated Sarah Ellen. Don't you try to make out as he wasn't Martha Mary. for he was. A tdeceiving. storytelling false-tongued young rascal, that's what he was! He told us how grandly he was getting on in his business--he was in the sugar broixing trade, MT. Poskitt, though I'm sure I don't know what that is-and how much better he could get on if he had bit more capital. and he said his bankers would let him have the capital if he could find securities to be bound for him. And, of course, 1t seemed only right that the young man should apply to his relatives for help; and so in the end we signed some papers as he'd brought down from London with him, and accordingly me and Martha Mary became bound to the bank for him for G4o0."
 ..Naay!'' said Mir. Poskitt 'Ay, to be sure! And what next?"
 The next" replied Sarah Ellen with rising indignation, was that hs got hold of the money and ran away tt America-some say with a play-ac tress. And, of course, We had to fint